TIME FOR A CHILDREN'S MOVEMENT
Wingspread Journal, Winter 1997

WHAT DOES HISTORY HAVE TO SAY ABOUT A CHILDREN'S MOVEMENT?

by Theda Skocpol

What lessons can children's advocates learn from earlier successful social movements? Harvard professor Theda Skocpol shares the results of her research.

History can give us a sense of lost alternatives that may help us gain fresh perspectives for the future. Among the highly successful movements that changed or established social policy milestones were the early 19th century Mothers' and Children's Programs, the Social Security System, and the GI Bill of Rights of 1944. Each had three characteristics in common.

1. The Beneficiaries "Deserved it."

In every case there was a general sense that the beneficiaries deserved to be rewarded for their service to the community or for their potential to serve the nation.

The United States was the first country in the world to help children by creating public schools, not only to prepare students for the work force, but also--and there's the important emphasis--to teach them citizenship and service to their country. The Civil War benefits program ensured that those who had saved the Union would not have to turn to charity. By 1910, more than a quarter of all elderly American men were receiving generous pensions from the federal government. Social Security has been consistently justified as payback for people's tax contributions and older people see it as a return for a life of work, definitely a contribution to the nation. Finally, the GI Bill rewarded men who saved our civilization during World War II.

2. Programs Unite all Americans

The second common characteristic of successful social programs is the ability to build bridges between more and less privileged Americans.

Social Security is not called the "End Poverty Program," but has been most effective in pulling people above the poverty line. Even now, in the face of ever-changing fiscal circumstances and a 10-year campaign to soften public support, Social Security has provided security across class lines.

3. Policies Nurtured by Government/Volunteer Partnerships

All these policies were nurtured over time by a partnership of government and volunteer associations before they were enacted.

For example, between the 1890s and 1920s, when the Mothers' and Children's Movement flourished, a series of policies were enacted, mostly at the state level, to protect the women in the labor force because they were actual or potential mothers. There were local efforts to support schools, playgrounds, and kindergartens. The juvenile court system was established. At the federal level, the Children's Bureau was formed in 1912 to look after the well-being of all American children, not just the poor. And in 1921, the Sheppard-Towner bill was enacted to subsidize health-education programs for all American mothers and newborn children.

Key to bringing all this about were voluntary groups of married women in every significant locality, as well as at the state and national level. These organizations were membership-based and connected in a remarkable communication network. They set the agenda and pressed through a whole series of social policies for children and families in the early 20th century--even though they didn't have the right to vote!

How did they do it? By creating a moral imperative and a sense of common cause at the state and local level. It's an inspiring example.

Back to the Future

Is there a way to redefine policy goals and build constituencies in a manner that retrieves some of the nation-wide, cross-class, cross-community connections of the past and that involves civic as well as professional advocacy?

We need to create a parent-friendly society by asking employers to play by rules that allow people to raise families and connect to their community. We can hold politicians to that standard across party lines by asking what they are doing to make it possible for parents to do their job as parents. This rhetoric can be used to set up partnerships between employers and employees, schools and families, other constituencies and families, and the national budget and families.

There also has to be a nation-wide network that can articulate a theme and get the message out to the media. All those associations I described were able to do that. It must draw from all three levels: a national presence that would include meetings where topics are discussed; more activity on the state level, which is very important; and locally to include existing organizations and actual parents. That's the best way to identify the values and issues that will percolate up the network.

Theda Skocpol is professor of government and sociology at Harvard University where she also serves as chair of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences Committee on Public Service. She gave a presentation at the Wingspread conference "Building a Constituency for Children," from which this article is excerpted.