Marianne Williamson on Families & Children

	Marianne Williamson on Families & Children Author & Democratic Presidential Challenger

Massively realign investment in the direction of children

We know that a child's brain is infinitely more flexible, emotionally intelligent, and capable of learning and retaining information than an adult's. The neuroplasticity in the brain of a child is at its height before the age of eight. As a consequence, I would call for a massive realignment of investment in the direction of children. Every school, every library, every community, should be a place where learning, nature, the arts and all forms of sustainable living are celebrated and fostered. Source: 2024 Presidential campaign website Marianne2024.com , Jun 6, 2023

Federal mandate for social services for children

Q: One of the things you're floating is this idea of creating a Department of Children--

WILLIAMSON: Children and Youth, yes. Education is extremely important, but we have children who are traumatized before they even reach preschool. We have a relatively high infant mortality rate. We need more than just educational funding. We need wraparound services.

Q: How would you fund it?

WILLIAMSON: There should be a federal mandate.

Source: CBS Face the Nation on 2019 Democratic Primary , Jul 28, 2019

Provide free or affordable lunches & breakfasts for students

EDUCATION: Free higher education, universal preschool, reduce (or forgive) college loan debt.

Williamson is in favor of universal preschool, and believes in increasing funding to provide free or affordable lunches and breakfasts for students. She supports making reforms to standardized testing, and boosting teacher training and education infrastructure.

The author also believes in free college or technical school tuition, and investing in trade schools.

Source: PBS News Hour 2019 coverage of 2020 Democratic primary , May 13, 2019

Need a cabinet department to focus on children and youth

We have millions of American children who go to school every day in schools that do not even have the adequate school supplies with which to teach 8-year-old to read. If they can't read, the chances of high school graduation, it's drastically diminished, and the chances of incarceration is drastically increased. We should rescue these children, no differently than we would rescue them from a natural disaster. We need a United States cabinet-level Department of Children and Youth. Source: CNN Town Hall 2020 Democratic primary , Apr 14, 2019

Maternity/paternity leave; free prenatal care and childcare

As long as there is a dearth of women in positions of political power, this chronic tilting of American priorities toward short-term economic interests as opposed to humanitarian values is understandable. As long as women are basically invisible, children are invisible as well. A Williamson Administration would be not only a victory for women, but it would also be a victory for our children, and for our future as a nation. As president, I would advocate for the following:

Proper prenatal care, regardless of ability to pay.
Proper healthcare for pregnant women.
Maternal and Paternal leave.
Affordable childcare and Universal pre-K.
Nutritional excellence in food that is served and sold at public schools.
Mindfulness training in the schools.
Full wrap around and anti-trauma services.
Conflict resolution, restorative justice, peace-creation training.
And best practices of all kinds in schools and in communities that properly tend to children.

Source: 2020 presidential campaign website Marianne2020.com , Apr 8, 2019