Children’s Trust CEO presented Sen. Katrina Shealy with the inaugural award during the closing of the 2024 Building Hope for Children Conference on Aug. 29 in Greenville. This award honors individuals who have significantly impacted the lives of children and families.
Senator Shealy has dedicated her career to public service, tirelessly championing legislation that enhances the lives of children and families in South Carolina.
Sen. Shealy accepted the award and encouraged the conference audience of child-serving professionals, researchers, and advocates to continue serving families and making positive changes for children.
“First of all, thank you for the incredible generosity and kindness you all have shown me over the years. Children’s Trust has always been near and dear to my heart. Both the mission and the people who make it a reality have shown courage, tenacity, and a never-ending love for South Carolina’s children.
As you all know, my time in the Senate has given me the opportunity to make a difference for the elderly, disabled, and veterans. However, the greatest gift I’ve received is having the chance to make a difference for children. Around the time I started my tenure, I created a nonprofit called Katrina’s Kids where we strive to provide every chance for every child. And that motto has carried with me throughout my service and will continue to guide my work moving forward.
I could talk all day about what we’ve been able to accomplish together to make South Carolina a better place for children, but what I am more focused on now is the legacy that we will build together in the days, weeks, months, and years ahead. Because while we’ve made a lot of progress, there is still so much to be done.
According to the 2024 Kids Count data profile, which I’m sure all of you are very familiar with, South Carolina has a lot of work to do. We’re 40th in economic well-being for children, 39th in education, 36th in family and community, and an abysmal 46th in health.
Together, these indicators paint a picture that the kids, in fact, are not alright. But what are we going to do about it? What are we going to do to prevent child abuse, give kids a fighting chance, and provide an environment where they can grow and thrive? Well, it may come as no surprise to you that I have a few ideas.
Having healthy children starts with healthy families. One way or another, we need to get more South Carolinians insured because research shows that parents who have access to affordable healthcare tend to seek more and better healthcare for their children as well. Likewise, children learn many of their habits from their parents. So, if a parent is regularly going to the doctor for well and sick visits, then kids are more likely to also when they grow into adults.
Some of you may have seen billboards up around the state from DSS that say, “work doesn’t work without quality affordable childcare.” And that has never been truer than today when in all 50 states, childcare for two children is now more expensive than housing. We can’t say that we are a society that cares about children when many families have to choose between going to work and taking care of their children. Just imagine the economic opportunity boom that we could realize if every family had access to quality, affordable childcare! And with almost 1 in 5 children in South Carolina living in poverty, this is a VERY real issue that needs to be solved.
Now, once these children get a little older, they should all go to school. But as I mentioned earlier, we aren’t doing much better there either. In fact, 57% of South Carolina’s 3 and 4-year-olds are not in pre-k. That’s 68,000 children not in school! We need to expand access to 3 and 4 year old pre-k programs and deliver the promise of education access for every child.
And once these kids are in school, we have to set them up for success. One of the best ways we can do that is to make sure that every child is fed breakfast and lunch at school, because a hungry child can’t learn well. This year we eliminated all reduced meals which will represent more than 1 million free meals to kids who might have otherwise struggled to eat but don’t quite qualify for free meals. But we need this expanded to EVERY child regardless of their parents’ income so that no child has to worry about whether or not they will be able to eat when they get to school.
The last idea I have to share with you today is something that has frustrated me, in particular, for the last two years. Teen Dating Violence is real and is becoming a bigger and bigger problem every year. We have to provide similar protections to teenage kids who have intimate partners that abuse them. I got a bill to the floor of the Senate this past session and it had the votes to go to the House. Yet one member stood in the way because of their fear of the abuser’s gun rights. That. Is. Not. Right. We should not and cannot stand for such things. Our children are too precious to be sacrificed so carelessly.
So as advocates and researchers, policymakers, and executives, it is up to each of us to paint on tomorrow’s canvas the picture we envision our state to be. One where children and families are free of abuse, free of poverty, and free to grow and thrive. I know that each of you shares this vision with me and I look forward to continuing the fight to make that vision a reality.
Thank you for inviting me today and recognizing the good work we all have achieved by working together.”
