Child advocacy spokes-people say poverty, delinquency, and imprisonment are all results of poor child-care, parenting, and education.
That's why groups and organizers with 'Every Child Matters' gathered for national 'Step Up For Kids' day at PlayFront Park in Duluth.
20.1% of children in St. Louis County live in Poverty.
The state average is 11.6 percent.
That means 1 in 5 St. Louis County children live in poverty, compared to 1 in 10 state-wide.
Truancy rates are also high in St. Louis County.
25% of students in Duluth, Proctor and Hermantown, report skipping at least one day of school per month... statistically, these behaviors predict adult criminal behavior, chronic illness, and lack of economic opportunities.
Xavier Bell, with Community Action Duluth said, "Does every child matter? Yes. But, millions of children lack access to early learning opportunities. Does every child matter? Yes, but..."
"Minnesota surprisingly spends 3.7 times as much more per prisoner as per each public school pupil," St. Louis County Attorney, Melanie Ford said.
State representative Mary Murphy, DFL-Minnesota, says in the past two years, the Minnesota legislature has worked hard to address these issues.
It worked to shorten the list of people waiting to get child care and made this care more affordable for families.
"But there are still 4,000 Minnesota families on the waiting list," said Representative Murphy.
She says legislators are being urged to increase health and phy-ed standards because children are growing up with heart, lung, and body strength problems.
Fortunately, it is possible to change these issues.
"We must work together as a community to focus on the issue. The root cause of the symptoms, the issue is poverty. If you deal with the issue of poverty, the rest will fall in place," Bells said.
Organizers say juvenille crime sky-rockets between the hours of 3 and 6 because many children don't have place to go after school.
They say investing in after school and early childhood programs would give these children a safe place to go.
On Tuesday, the biggest emphasis was on voting.
Organizers said whether you're democratic or republican, every citizen should press their legislators to enact policies that give parents higher wages, and children better care.
As cliche as it sounds, if everyone works together, the future of children could look more promising.
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