Advocates for children say too many have traumatic experiences at an early age and they can be impacted the rest of their lives. Joe Dorman with the Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy says an agenda has been drafted for legislators to address.
Dorman says the focus is on four areas of concern…at-risk youth, education in early childhood development, criminal justice reform, and primary medical and mental health services. He says small improvements have been made in the past few years, but Oklahoma still has a long way to go. Dorman says his organization and other advocates will lobby hard for greater resources for children when lawmakers meet in just a few weeks.