Dear Peter,
A month ago, my oldest son celebrated his 20th birthday. As we sang around the table as a family, I remembered the sense of awe and responsibility my wife and I felt in his earliest days. The “first 100 days” for growing families welcoming their first child can be a time of both promise and anxiety. Research reminds us of the rapid cognitive and brain development in this period which can be nurtured by basic interactions with our children; talking, reading, making silly faces (at which I specialized). But as new parents we also considered all the ways we could bungle the assignment.
We felt substantially less anxiety when packaging paperclips to send to school, years later, for our youngest child’s celebration of “100 days of learning.” Our task was to resource my daughter’s classroom party lauding all things centennial. Completing a 100-piece puzzle. Counting out 100 pennies. Necklaces made from 100 paper clips. Teachers across the nation use these simple celebrations as opportunities to elevate learning for millions of students.
Last week, the nation marked another 100 days. Since Franklin D. Roosevelt, the first 100 days of a presidential administration have been measured as an indicator of either anxieties or celebrations to come for the country. As child advocates, we had little to celebrate.
In 100 days, much of the federal bureaucratic instrumentation providing care for children and families has been attacked, decimated, or threatened. From care for young people’s education through Head Start and the Department of Education to preservation of children’s health through Medicaid programs and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Our federal leaders’ commitment to caring for children and youth is rightfully in question.
But, as with my son’s early development and my daughter’s classroom learning, this was only the beginning. At the end of the week, the President’s proposed budget framework set the stage for a battle over the next 100 days. His effort to increase spending on defense by 13% to $1 trillion while further cutting domestic programs by 23% is an offense to children and families. Paying for the budget will include debates over the extension of expiring tax cuts for the wealthiest citizens and corporations. For the heated summer months, Congressional calendars will be dominated by debate over whether to choose bombs, billionaires, or our babies.
We must be valued, vital, and vocal partners in this extended fight over communal values. We hope you will join us to make sure the milestones in our children’s lives are celebrated and safeguarded by our policymakers.
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