Bright Futures Children's Health Charter

Principles developed by advocates for children have been the foundation for initiatives to
improve children's lives. Bright Futures participants have adopted these principles in order
to guide their work and meet the unique needs of children and families in the 21st century.

Every child deserves to be born well, to be physically fit, and to achieve
self-responsibility for good health habits.

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Every child and adolescent deserves ready access
to coordinated and comprehensive preventive, health-promoting, therapeutic,
and rehabilitative medical, mental health, and oral health care. Such care is best provided
through a continuing relationship with a primary health professional or team,
and ready access to secondary and tertiary levels of care.

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Every child and adolescent deserves a nurturing family
and supportive relationships with other significant persons who provide security,
positive role models, warmth, love, and unconditional acceptance.
A child's health begins with the health of his parents.

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Every child and adolescent deserves to grow and develop
in a physically and psychologically safe home and school environment
free of undue risk of injury, abuse, violence, or exposure to environmental toxins.

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Every child and adolescent deserves satisfactory housing, good nutrition,
a quality education, an adequate family income, a supportive social network,
and access to community resources.

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Every child deserves quality child care
when her parents are working outside the home.

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Every child and adolescent deserves the opportunity to develop ways to cope
with stressful life experiences.

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Every child and adolescent deserves the opportunity to be prepared for parenthood.

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Every child and adolescent deserves the opportunity to develop positive values
and become a responsible citizen in his community.

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Every child and adolescent deserves to experience joy, have high self-esteem,
have friends, acquire a sense of efficacy, and believe that she can succeed in life.
She should help the next generation develop the motivation and habits
necessary for similar achievement.

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