Almost 93% of kids, ages 12-17, are online, and most exhibit a level of digital proficiency bewildering to those of us who want to protect them. Kids are feeling pressured to post provocative pictures, videos, and blog about their deepest personal experiences in a very public forum. Without guidance from parents and educators, few are thinking through the implications of their online actions. To make matters worse, many of the legal measures we use to protect kids on our virtual streets are unenforced or outdated, and law enforcement and prosecutorial efforts are often underfunded. You can get more information about Internet dangers and safety at www.internetsafety101.org. 

America has more than 16 million children living in poverty, one of the highest child poverty rates in the developed world. In 2009, the U.S. rate was 21.7%, much higher than Canada (13.6%) and the United Kingdom (16.2%).

Some 2,660 children are born into poverty every day, severely decreasing their chances of success and robbing us of future productive citizens. In 2010, 25.9% of U.S. children under age 5 lived in poverty: about 1 in 2 Black; 1 in 3 Hispanic and Native American; 1 in 6 Asian; and 1 in 7 White.

Child poverty has persisted even in times of economic growth, thus we cannot attribute poverty solely to individuals or our present economy. Therefore, we call on the President and Congress to adopt rigorous policies and system reforms that make child poverty a national priority.

The National Alliance of Children's Trust and Prevention Funds and the National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth, has initiated the above petition to "Eliminate Child Poverty in the United States" on the White House "We the People" website. There are close linkages between child neglect and poverty, with the challenges that presents for families. This petition is one strategy that can help spread the word about the issue of child poverty and engage citizens from across the country in calling on the federal government to give attention to ending this serious national problem. We have less than one month to secure 25,000 electronic signatures if this petition is to be given any meaningful attention by the current Administration. One minute of your time is all that is needed to click HERE, register as a petitioner, verify your registration via an email that will be sent to you, and go back on to the site to officially sign the petition.