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Articles by Mark K. Shriver
Our father called it a war — and his words hold up today Original
Opinion>Opinions - Civil Rights The views expressed by contributors are their own and not the view of The Hill by Maria Shriver, Bobby Shriver, Timothy Shriver, and Mark Shriver, opinion contributors - 04/21/26 7:30 AM ET Link copied by Maria Shriver, Bobby Shriver, Timothy Shriver, and Mark Shriver, opinion contributors - 04/21/26 7:30 AM ET Link copied AP Photo/Henry Burroughs Sargent Shriver, taking the oath at the White House to become director of the administration’s War on Poverty...
ALPHABET BY HEART
A fun, utilitarian vocabulary builder that begs to be picked up and touched. In the tradition of Pat the Bunny, this effort offers plenty of opportunity for tactile exploration. Though it lacks the inventiveness, charm, and nontactile sensory provocations that make Pat the Bunny an enduring classic, this gives little hands plenty to grab, feel, touch, and experience.
New seek-and-find book teaches children to identify life's everyday heroes
Author Mark K. Shriver is president of Save the Children Action Network. #newdaynw If there's one thing the pandemic taught us, it's that there are everyday heroes all around us. From health care workers to crossing guards, those people deserve to be celebrated Mark K. Shriver is the author of "10 Hidden Heroes," a childrens book that teaches young readers about the real-life heroes in their lives.
10 HIDDEN HEROES
by Drew Daywalt ; illustrated by Oliver Jeffers ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 27, 2013 Duncan wants to draw, but instead of crayons, he finds a stack of letters listing the crayons’ demands in this humorous tale. Red is overworked, laboring even on holidays. Gray is exhausted from coloring expansive spaces (elephants, rhinos and whales). Black wants to be considered a color-in color, and Peach?
10 Steps to Help Your Kids Become Everyday-Heroes-In-Training
by MARK K. SHRIVER Over the last three decades, I have worked with children who have been arrested and charged as juvenile delinquents; with kids children traumatized by hurricanes, floods, and wildfires; and with children stressed by mind-numbing poverty in the wealthiest country in the history of the world. But in my 33 years of working with children and their parents and caregivers, I have never seen the level of stress for both groups that I see today.
Celebrating the Everyday Heroes
by MARK K. SHRIVER Just as the COVID-19 pandemic redefined our understanding of “essential,” it has also challenged us all to reconsider what it means to be a hero. Today, as we celebrate the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.—a true American hero—it would be wise for us to examine the very question King himself posed as life’s “most persistent and urgent question . .
COVID-19 has left millions of Americans without enough food. Here's how Senate can help.
Bill Frist and Mark K. Shriver As a nation, we have a moral and economic obligation to address child hunger, food insecurity and avoid economic collapse in the wake of COVID-19. While we have different political viewpoints, we strongly agree that the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program is one of the most effective tools we have to fight the looming health and economic crises facing our great country. The Senate is at a critical decision point as to how we use this tool.
COVID-19 has left millions of Americans without enough food. Here's how Senate can help.
Bill Frist and Mark K. Shriver As a nation, we have a moral and economic obligation to address child hunger, food insecurity and avoid economic collapse in the wake of COVID-19. While we have different political viewpoints, we strongly agree that the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program is one of the most effective tools we have to fight the looming health and economic crises facing our great country. The Senate is at a critical decision point as to how we use this tool.
It's past time to start talking about child care solutions Original
Parent. Teacher. Employee. Chef. Counselor. Coach. Nurse. Playmate. Not necessarily in that order. Ask a working parent how well they’re wearing all of these hats right now. Ask a working parent if they think child care is a second- or third-tier issue. The COVID-19 public health crisis has been a wake-up call to the role of the child care industry in our lives. Child care is essential to America’s economic recovery.
Alec Garnett and Mark K. Shriver: Colorado can make history with full-day kindergarten
By Alec Garnett and Mark K. Shriver In Colorado, children may only be a quarter percent of the population, but they are 100 percent of our future. Early childhood development is the best long-term investment we can make for prosperity and economic growth in the Centennial State. In recent years, Colorado has made strides in providing early learning and quality child care to young children, but we still fall short.
Letter to the Editor: Find options for Massachusetts children lost in 'child care deserts'
Mark K. Shriver Monday Apr 8, 2019 at 7:27 PM Kids don’t vote, and they don’t donate to political candidates. In other words, they often don’t have a voice with elected officials. Fortunately, my cousin Congressman Joe Kennedy III understands the need to advocate on behalf of children. He spoke at Save the Children’s recent Advocacy Summit on Capitol Hill, urging hundreds of advocates from Massachusetts and across the country to tell their elected officials why we must invest in kids.
Letter to the Editor: Find options for Massachusetts children lost in 'child care deserts'
Mark K. Shriver Monday Apr 8, 2019 at 7:27 PM Kids don’t vote, and they don’t donate to political candidates. In other words, they often don’t have a voice with elected officials. Fortunately, my cousin Congressman Joe Kennedy III understands the need to advocate on behalf of children. He spoke at Save the Children’s recent Advocacy Summit on Capitol Hill, urging hundreds of advocates from Massachusetts and across the country to tell their elected officials why we must invest in kids.
Raising a voice for children in crisis
Every day, children in the United States and all over the world are waking up to conflict and crisis – both man-made and natural. Crises take kids away from their homes, their schools, their friends, and have serious, lasting consequences. It impacts their health, behavior, and ability to learn, and steals their sense of security. Around the globe, nearly one in five children – 420 million kids – were living in conflict zones in 2017, up 30 million from the year before.
We can reduce child poverty
Today, one in five U.S. children grows up in poverty. That’s 14 million kids who simply do not get a fair chance at a bright future because they lack access to the quality education and other resources which others may take for granted. Child poverty is not inevitable – we know that investing in high-quality early childhood education is one of the most effective ways to break the pervasive cycle of poverty and ensure equal opportunity for all families in America.
Early childhood programs give kids a chance to succeed
Katlynn is an 8-year-old second-grader from a small, rural town in Orangeburg County, where many children do not meet basic reading level expectations. Katlynn also once struggled with reading, falling well below her classmates in kindergarten and part of first grade.
Mississippi must give poor kids a shot at success
Eight-year-old Dra’lyn lives in a small rural town in the northwest corner of the Mississippi Delta. Across the state, too many children do not meet basic reading level expectations. Last year, Dra’lyn struggled to read fluently and understand what he was reading. In order to give him a necessary boost in his skills, Dra’lyn was referred to a Save the Children program that increases literacy growth through guided independent reading practice, trainings to increase comprehension and reading quizzes.
This is an emergency. Invest in children or forfeit the future.
Leah, a 7-year-old from rural Eastern Kentucky, struggled with learning to read and wasn’t on track with her peers. Not wanting Leah to fall further behind, her first-grade teacher referred her to Save the Children’s in-school reading program, which boosts literacy growth for young children. Leah’s grandparents, who are raising her, also signed her up for Save the Children’s after-school program, which offers additional help to growing readers, as well as physical and nutritional activities.
US is falling behind other nations in providing pre-K schooling
W. Steven Barnett is a Board of Governors professor, founder and senior co-director of the National Institute for Early Education Research at Rutgers University. Mark K. Shriver is CEO of Save the Children Action Network and senior vice president of US programs and advocacy at Save the Children. The opinions expressed in this commentary are theirs. (CNN) When it comes to early childhood education, the United States needs to step up.
Supporting today’s youth to create tomorrow’s advocates
During the past few weeks, we have seen young people across the country demonstrate their desire to engage in political debate to drive policy change. They have led marches, moments of reflection and prayer, social media campaigns, direct lobbying efforts and press conferences on Capitol Hill and in many state capitols across America. These emerging leaders, most still teenagers, have made their voices heard.
Half a year after Hurricane Harvey, education programs still on slow road to recovery
It’s been six months since Hurricane Harvey’s floodwaters receded, but the recovery needs of children and families along the Texas coast and in Greater Houston have not. Their worlds were turned upside down, with more than 1 million people displaced, over 200,000 homes damaged and more than 1,500 child care, early learning and education programs critically impacted.
Summer learning opportunities key to closing achievement gap
All across America this month, parents are signing their children up for summer camp and activities, positioning them for chances to further learn and grow when schools close for summer break. But for too many parents in the United States, this is simply not possible. This includes countless parents in the country’s vast pockets of poor rural areas, where the learning opportunities run dry for kids in the summer.
Commentary: PACE Act would help more Maine families afford child care - CentralMaine.com
High-quality child care helps provide all kids — especially those living in poverty — with a shot at future success. It helps prepare them for kindergarten and helps ensure they will graduate from high school. Despite its benefits, child care costs have increased substantially in recent years. Alarmingly, in many places, including in Maine, it is now more expensive to pay for high-quality child care than it is to pay for in-state college tuition.
Urge Rubio to champion expanded child-care tax credit
As a parent, I know that the early years of a child’s life present a critical window for ensuring future achievement. But that window closes quickly, and children who enter kindergarten less prepared than their peers are more likely to experience academic difficulties and other challenges later in life. Unfortunately, in Florida and 32 other states across the country, it’s more expensive to pay for quality child care and early education than for in-state college tuition.
Commentary: Tax reform should invest in our future, our kids
Kids don’t vote and they don’t donate to political campaigns. This means they often don’t have a seat at the table and the needs of those living in poverty can easily be overlooked during national debates.
Help is on the way for child care costs
President Trump and congressional Republicans have released the framework for a once-in-a-generation overhaul of the tax code. Setting aside the merits of the complete package, there’s one thing the both of us agree would improve the proposal for middle-class and low-income Americans trying to get ahead — a solution to the growing costs of child care in America. Ensuring young children have access to quality, affordable care is one of the most critical priorities facing many parents today.
Head Start gives Idaho’s children a bright future | Idaho Statesman
Although our nation is becoming increasingly divided and it often seems as though our leaders do not agree on many things, there is one major priority on which we should all be able to come together: investing in our children and their futures. High-quality early childhood education programs are critical to the development of our kids. They are also one of the most effective tools in ensuring equal opportunity for all and breaking the cycle of poverty.
Reach Act will save lives, continue America’s moral leadership
Nearly 15 years ago, Congress passed a historic, bipartisan bill that has since provided life-saving HIV/AIDS treatment to nearly 12 million people and reversed the spread of this devastating disease worldwide. The President’s Emergency Plan for Aids Relief, better known today as PEPFAR, has been heralded as a model for how both political parties can come together for a cause we can all support – saving lives around the globe.
Head Start Turns 52 Today. Congress Should Protect Its Funding - Education Week
My dad, Sargent Shriver, created Head Start 52 years ago today to help transform the lives of the most vulnerable children in our country. As the director of President Lyndon Johnson's Office of Economic Opportunity, my father brought together national experts to develop a child-development program to help communities meet the needs of disadvantaged preschool children. From the beginning, Head Start was designed to provide comprehensive early-childhood and parenting education services.
Use tax code to help more families: Rep. Mike Kelly and Mark K. Shriver
By Rep. Mike Kellyand Mark K. Shriver Although our nation may feel politically divided, there is one issue on which we can all come together and agree: increasing access to high-quality early childhood education, including affordable child care.In America today, fewer than one in three children have a full-time, stay-at-home parent. Almost one-quarter of children under the age of 5 are in organized child care arrangements.
Prufrock: Vegan Denied Swiss Citizenship, France's Catholic Moment, and the Dying Language of Whistles
France's Catholic moment: "The 2017 presidential candidate of France's mainstream center-right party Les Républicains, Fillon isn't shy about speaking publicly about his Catholic faith. That includes how it shapes his decidedly conservative views on issues like euthanasia and his personal opposition to abortion.
Just How Delightful Were the Mitford Sisters?
All right, so Diana had Britain’s Fascist-in-Chief in tow, smouldering at her across the dinner table and chatting in baby talk down the telephone. But Hitler: do admit. That was something more. The man with the real power, the one who had putsched his way to the top and had the whole of Germany swaying to his oratory, whom even hard-headed British people sought to encounter on their visits to Munich.
Prufrock: Shakespeare's Identity, Understanding Sea Power, and the Popularity of Print
Scholar discovers new evidence that Shakespeare the man was indeed Shakespeare the playwright: "In the Brooke-Dethick feud, it becomes clear that 'Shakespeare, Gent. from Stratford' and 'Shakespeare the Player' are the same man...Crucially, in the long-running 'authorship' debate, this has been a fiercely contested point.
Faith and Politics (Not Necessarily in That Order)
What is the Francis Effect? Recent surveys show that despite all the hype since Jorge Mario Bergoglio first became pope in March 2013, there has been little change in how often Roman Catholics in America attend Mass. This is not to say, though, that the pope has not deeply changed the lives of many disaffected American Catholics. Here, Mark Shriver sets out to understand more about Pope Francis, and in the process, he experiences a personal Francis effect.
For a New President, a New Blueprint for Defense
The late 1980s and early '90s were characterized by liberal optimism, if not triumphalism. The Berlin Wall had fallen and the Soviet Union had dissolved, marking the end of the Cold War. In 1989, Francis Fukuyama had written an influential article entitled "The End of History," which argued that with the collapse of the Communist Soviet Union, liberal democracy had prevailed as the universal ideology.
Prufrock: Against White Philosophers, a Weakened Constitution, and the Value of Self-Help Books
In defense of self-help books: "Mill viewed most people most of the time as simply conforming, 'ape-like,' to prescribed roles and life plans, and living lives more or less bound by the confines of family, faith, community, custom, and tradition. He took for granted a social world in which such a nestled existence could take place. That world, if never quite so determinative, has progressively vanished.
Prufrock: The Problem with Quantum Mechanics, What It Was Like to Be a Pirate, and Anthony Burgess on Reviewing
What it was like to be a pirate: "Pirates could be found in nearly every Atlantic port city. But only particular locations became known as "pirate nests," a pejorative term used by royalists and customs officials. Many of the most notorious pirates began their careers in these ports. Others established even deeper ties by settling in these cities and becoming respected members of the local elite.
Pilgrimage - Random House Books
1?Rosa Many of us who have an interest in our families’ immigrant pasts have visited the port or the town where our forebears arrived, lived, worked, and struggled. We try to imagine the day of their arrival, the weather, the smell, the crowds, the anxiety. I have wandered the streets of Boston looking at the same sights my Irish maternal relatives must have seen; I have wondered what they must have felt when they read signs that said irish need not apply.
New & notable book: Mark K. Shriver's 'Pilgrimage: My Search for Real Pope Francis'
Bestselling author Mark K. Shriver — son of Sargent, brother of Maria and nephew of John F. Kennedy — goes back to Pope Francis’ roots in Pilgrimage: My Search for the Real Pope Francis.
Opinion | This Merciful Year (Published 2016)
Op-Ed Contributor Nov. 24, 2016 Pope Francis closing the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican, formally ending the Holy Year of Mercy.Credit...Pool photo by Tiziana Fabi Growing up in a big Irish Catholic family, I knew the liturgical seasons of the year — Advent, Christmas, Lent, Triduum, Easter and Ordinary Time.
Pope Francis: 6 Childhood Experiences That Defined Him
Anyone seeking to understand the zealous faith and socioeconomic commitments of Pope Francis, as well as his geniality and discipline, must visit his homeland, stopping first in this barrio called Flores where he grew up and where his heart and imagination still wander. I have spent more than two years visiting Jorge Mario Bergoglio’s haunts, reading his letters and speeches, and thinking about his life and its effect on our world.
PILGRIMAGE by Mark K. Shriver
The author’s personal journey to find out whether the new pope is “the real deal” and thereby get in closer touch with his own Catholicism. Son of Sargent Shriver, whom he wrote about in his memoir, A Good Man (2012), and president of Save the Children Action Network in Washington, D.C., Shriver traveled to Buenos Aires and elsewhere to speak with former colleagues and acquaintances of Jorge Bergoglio, now Pope Francis, to get a sense of his long spiritual journey.
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