The Urgent Need for Effective Child Care

How great is the need for more effective child and family care in the United States? Consider the following, most recent statistics (2007) from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services:

• An estimated 794,000 children were victims of abuse or neglect.
• 1,760 children died as a result of abuse and/or neglect.
• More than 75% of the children who died of abuse and/or neglect were younger than 4 years old.
• Nearly 80% of those who abused or neglected children were parents.
• Two-thirds of America’s youth deal with at least one major childhood trauma such as physical or sexual abuse, emotional or physical neglect, or some type of household dysfunction such as domestic violence, substance abuse, separation or divorce, parent in jail or mental illness.

At Boys Town, the children we care for are battling serious emotional, social, academic and behavioral problems. Their difficulties are far more troubling than those of the average American youngster. For example, prior to entering a Boys Town residential program:

• 51% of our youth have aggression problems.
• 42% of our youth have been physically and/or sexually abused, neglected, or abandoned.
• 64% of our youth experience school problems.
• 47% of our youth have substance abuse problems.
• 51% percent of our youth have been arrested.

The shattered lives and lost potential affect not only the children who are suffering, but all of us. The price paid by society for not saving these children is staggering. The following table highlights the life-time cost in current value (2007 dollars) imposed by a career criminal, drug user and high-school dropout on society.