By Anne Lindberg, Times Staff Writer
Monday, September 20, 2010
From left, Tyrese Alexander, 7, Zechariah Pollard Wigfall, 6, and Ariana Daniels, 4, sing All the Way Up before the rally Monday evening in support of the Children’s Movement of Florida in Pinellas Park.
PINELLAS PARK — The glitz — balloon animals, a comedian, mothers bouncing babies on their laps while the Seminole High School marching band played — was prelude to the serious business of the evening: persuading Florida's leaders to put children first from now on.
"It seems so clear to me what we ought to do, (but) we're not doing it," said David Lawrence Jr., president of the Early Initiative Foundation. "It is so terribly clear that, as a state, we're failing our children. … I find it sad. … I find it sinful."
A third of the state's children are not ready to enter kindergarten, he said, and about a fourth of those in third grade in public schools can't read. Yet the state places more emphasis on building a bullet train "that no one will ride," and wasting money to jail criminals when it would cost a lot less to educate and care for children. Children who are educated and cared for, he said, do not commit crimes.
The state's priorities are "way out of whack," said Lawrence, who retired as publisher of the Miami Herald.
Those statistics prompted Lawrence to help form the Children's Movement of Florida almost two years ago. The organization's goal is to change the priorities of Florida's elected officials so they put children and their welfare first. Lawrence is stumping the state with his "Milk Party Tour" this month to gather supporters who can help sway elections and influence politicians.
The tour stopped Monday night at Calvary Chapel, where it drew about 1,300 people, according to the Children's Movement website.
"This isn't about can we raise your taxes. This is about making children the first priority," Lawrence said. "The ultimate means of success is you actually change the priority."
The initial goals are to provide health insurance for all Florida children, to have high-quality prekindergarten programs, to create skill-building programs for parents and mentoring programs for kids.
Lawrence is targeting the race for governor. He has invited gubernatorial candidates Democrat Alex Sink and Republican Rick Scott to take part in a televised debate on Oct. 16 to discuss children's issues. It's the first such debate in Florida and may also be a first for the United States, he said.
Sink has agreed to attend, but Scott has not.
Anne Lindberg can be reached at alindberg@tampabay.com or (727) 893-8450.