Iowa coalition issues voters' guide on children’s issues

DES MOINES - The Children's Policy Coalition, comprised of more than 30 child-serving organizations in Iowa, released a series of candidate questionnaires on children's issues Friday.

Coalition leaders say the guides offer voters a chance to review where candidates stand on six important issues, including physical and mental health, economic opportunity, early learning and school success.

'The work of federal lawmakers has great influence on the lives of Iowa kids and their families,” said Kelli Soyer, Iowa state director with Every Child Matters, which along with the Child and Family Policy Center, staffs the coalition. 'Voters should know where candidates for office stand on these important issues.”

Iowa leads the nation with the number of parents with children under the age of 6 in the workforce, which means parents need access to safe, nurturing care so they can remain in the workforce, Soyer noted. Early childhood also is the critical time in child's brain development, with 90 percent of a child's brain developing before age 5.

All Iowa candidates for U.S. Senate and U.S. House seats were invited to participate. Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and  his Democratic challenger former Lt. Governor Patty Judge, both submitted responses, organizers said, as did one candidate in each of the state's four U.S. House districts.

The questionnaires are available for download at www.everychildmatters.org/ia or www.cfpciowa.org. 

'Election Day is less than three weeks away,” said Sheila Hansen of the Child and Family Policy Center. 'These guides will let Iowa voters to learn more about the Congressional candidates' views on the issues important to kids and families-and, in turn, to our state's future.”

Every Child Matters is a non-profit, non-partisan child advocacy organization and the Child and Family Policy Center is a Des Moines-based research and advocacy organization.