WASHINGTON, Jan. 24, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- We applaud President Obama's commitment to strengthening jobs here at home and continuing to grow our economy, both of which bolster American families.

However, with more than 16 million American children living in poverty today, we are dismayed that the well-being of this nation's children was not central to the State of the Union Address.

In 2012, we call on the President and Congress to put aside bipartisanship for the sake of the nation's children.

Among the issues that should be at the top of the national agenda:

• Improving children's health, with a focus on access to providers;
• Providing sufficient support for early childhood education;
• Ensuring families have a modicum of financial stability through the extension of funding for unemployment insurance and the payroll tax cuts;
• Supporting childcare for low-income workers, which is a little-mentioned part of the unemployment insurance bill;
• Encouraging youth development, through such programs as Pell Grants and Youth Employment.

We understand that the nation faces many serious challenges, but our children should not be left behind, thereby creating an additional, and unnecessary, roadblock in the path of the nation's economic recovery. Investing in children now will strengthen America tomorrow.

This statement can be attributed to Alan W. Houseman, the chairman of the Children's Leadership Council, a coalition of 60 child advocacy organizations based in Washington, DC.

SOURCE Children's Leadership Council

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