Bill Clinton: “I speak in celebration of El Dia de los Ninos, a traditional Latin American holiday celebrating the future of children.…”

“I speak in celebration of El Dia de los Ninos, a traditional Latin American holiday celebrating the future of children. This holiday honors Latino children and other children throughout the United States. In my home State of New York a number of important celebrations are taking place in honor of this important day. Today, there are nearly 45 million children under 18 living in the United States and one in four of these children are of Hispanic descent. Of the 3.5 million children under 18 living in New York, nearly 1 million are Latino. While El Dia de los Ninos recognizes the importance of all children, the holiday also provides an occasion to shed light on the unique challenges currently facing Latino children in America. Every day nationwide, 751 Latino children are born into poverty and 561 Latino high school students drop out of school. In New York, 35.9 percent of Latino children live in poverty and nearly 20 percent of Hispanic youth drop out of high school each year. We must do better for our children, especially our Latino children.”