The kids are not all right. They weren't last year. They aren't this year. And we see no reason to hope they will be next year. It ought to be an election issue.

Every year, the Annie E. Casey Foundation compiles state-by-state statistics and ranks the well-being of America's children. This year, as last, North Carolina ranks 37th in the nation for the way we take care of our kids. That's terrible, even though it's something of an improvement from 2003, when we ranked 45th.

Not all the statistics are this year's, but the latest available. So the revelation that 20 percent of this state's children lived in poverty in 2008 doubtless understates the current situation, since that number reflects pre-recession conditions. The survey also found that 34 percent of the state's children are in single-parent families and 28 percent in families where no parent has full-time, year-round employment.

We have made progress, though. In 2000, 16 percent of our 16- through 19-year-olds weren't enrolled in school or high school graduates. In the last decade, that number has been halved. Eight percent is too high, but we're moving in the right direction.

What do we do with this unpleasant information? One group tells us it should be an election issue. Action for Children North Carolina wants voters to ask candidates what they plan to do for our children.

"Look, when it comes to children, all candidates say they are for kids," the group's CEO, Barbara Bradley, said. "The question is who's just kissing babies and giving us lip service, and who will make specific commitments to make certain every child succeeds."

In many ways, taking care of our kids means taking care of our society. We're talking about issues that underlie the economy, crime statistics and spending on social welfare programs. Children who become well-educated, productive, healthy adults will make our state a wealthier, more successful place. Children who don't get good health care and education are more likely to become an expense - getting public assistance, living in a jail cell, or doing things that will land them there after an expensive trip through the criminal-justice system.

We have a choice. We can do a great job of raising our kids, creating and funding programs that will produce healthy, well-educated generations. Or we can fail them and pay the social costs later.

Let's ask the candidates which method they prefer, and ask them to commit to the one that works best.