Children's issues aren't what they used to be.

At past Democratic conventions, education, health care and safe neighborhoods were at the forefront. This past week, national security and foreign policy were the top priorities -- with some politicians arguing that these are the new children's issues.

"These are things that affect all Americans, including children," said Sen. Evan Bayh, D-Ind. "Any time we are at war and any time we have had thousands of innocent civilians killed, as we did on Sept. 11, that is going to be a major focus to the country."

The Democrats' new platform reveals this sweeping change. Education is not even mentioned until Page 22 of the 37-page platform committee report. By contrast, the first third of the 2000 Democratic platform dwelled entirely on education.

But some Democrats believe that their party's priorities need to remain focused on America's youth. "The greatest concern is not about terrorism, is not about national security," said U.S. Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga. "People are also concerned about the well-being of our young people, the well-being of our children."

The Rev. Al Sharpton, an unsuccessful candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination, challenges his party to advocate these issues more strongly. "I think (children's issues) have been pushed further and further to the back. Any civilized society has to push its children and the care of its children out front."

A prominent children's researcher believes that these issues need to remain a top priority. "If we don't look at those issues explicitly, I think it's going to be tough to maintain progress," said Tony Cipollone, a vice president of the Annie E. Casey Foundation.

Every year, the Baltimore-based foundation publishes the Kids Count Data Book, which provides a state-by-state statistical portrait of the educational, health and economic conditions of American children. In its most recent edition, it notes that gains have been made in many key areas since 1990, pointing out decreases in the percentage of teens not attending school, the teen birth rate and the percentage of children living in poverty.

However, youth in Indiana are still struggling with education and economic issues. In interviews last spring with about 550 students in the Indianapolis area, Y-Press found that more are concerned with the quality of education and rising college and fuel costs than with fear of terrorism.

Jessica Phillips , an 18-year-old member of the Mayor's Youth Council, says education is the most important issue to youth today. "I know that most IPS schools don't have nearly as much money as they need to update their books and update their computer systems, and so I think that other schools around the country have that problem, too."

Jorge Rosales, 12, agreed that more money should go to schools instead of defense, but the biggest hardship for his family right now is high prices. "My parents, they mostly don't like to drive a lot 'cause of the gas prices; they're too high. And they're kind of running out of money, and they'll say we don't have enough money for college."

Andrea Phillips, 15, also has felt the impact of higher gas prices. "I have to pay my brother for rides by how much gas I use, and so they matter to me. I think they matter to youth more than they matter to adults because I think the kids have to watch their money a lot closer 'cause their jobs aren't good, and some kids don't even have jobs. So I think that they're very important."

But such problems aren't being addressed by delegates as they were eight years ago, when then-first lady Hillary Clinton, now a senator from New York, used her 1996 convention speech to promote education and children's health issues. "We are all responsible for ensuring that children are raised in a nation that doesn't just talk about family values, but acts in a way that values families," she had said.

With the American economy booming, these issues appealed to voters. Despite the Oklahoma City bombing and a commitment of 20,000 American soldiers to the crisis in Bosnia, Democrats remained focused on family issues.

Four years later, with the economy remaining strong, then-Vice President Al Gore built his 2000 Democratic platform around similar goals: improving education, lowering college costs, ensuring children had adequate health care and reducing crime in neighborhoods.

But in 2004, the country is still reeling from the shock of Sept. 11. Not only is the nation on guard both at home and abroad, but high gas prices and economic uncertainty are unsettling for families nationwide. Clinton, in her speech Monday night, focused on affordable health care for all and a more secure America.

Bayh says a balance between national security and domestic issues is imperative.

"You can't just choose one or the other," he said. "If you're not careful, national security issues, as important as they are, might overshadow or crowd out other issues."

But Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., says the current administration's emphasis on military spending is not striking the right balance. "All of these issues are really a question of values and priorities. I put priorities on things that directly affect people. Right now, I don't think a lot of the way the budget is being spent reflects what is most important to us, to children, to families . . . I think we need to change the priorities, and that's what I've been working on."

This convention coverage is a collaborative effort of youth journalists from Children's PressLine (New York City), 8-18 Media (Marquette, Mich.) and Y-Press (Indianapolis), all former Children's Express bureaus.

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Y-Press is a nonprofit news organization with offices in The Indianapolis Star building. Stories are researched, reported and written by teams of young people ages 10 to 18. For more information, call (317) 444-2010 or send an e-mail to ypress@in.net.

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