WASHINGTON -- San Joaquin Valley parents soon will be hearing about less-expensive health insurance for children, thanks to a multimillion-dollar campaign designed to boost enrollment.

The privately funded, three-year effort targeting six cities nationwide is supposed to draw working families into an inclusive federal program. Potentially, tens of thousands of additional valley families could claim the free or low-cost insurance.

"There are an awful lot of children out there who are eligible and who need to be contacted so they know they can be covered," Education Secretary Richard Riley said at a District of Columbia elementary school Wednesday. "We can't properly educate children unless they're healthy."

Working parents are prone to shunning coverage offered through the relatively new State Children's Health Insurance Program, a survey released Wednesday said. Three out of five parents whose children qualify for the coverage thought they weren't eligible, the survey found.

So starting next week, the nation's largest health philanthropy will be running English- and Spanish-language ads in Fresno as part of a larger campaign ultimately expected to cost upward of $26 million.

"The need is so great, and the problem of the uninsured is growing, despite our prosperity," said Dr. Steven Schroeder, president of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. "The real tragedy is that of the 11 million children (nationwide) who are uninsured, 7 million could be receiving insurance today. ... We must make parents more aware."

The Stanislaus County Health Services Agency currently counts about 4,120 children enrolled in the insurance program, agency spokesman David Jones said. Based on earlier surveys, officials estimate thousands more in the county are uninsured even though they're eligible.

"We're thrilled to see more advertising and promotion for this," Jones said. "One of the biggest (obstacles) continues to be awareness among the families that these programs actually exist."

The Fresno-area campaign is slated to include television, radio and print ads, as well as enrollment efforts during back-to-school events and during the winter's cold and flu season.

"I think it's helpful," said Margaret Wing, deputy director of the Fresno County Child Health and Disability Prevention Program. "Whenever we see a blitz of advertising, we get a lot more calls about the program, and if one person knows, he'll tell others."

Wing said there are now about 7,500 Fresno County children covered by the insurance program, but she estimated that "there are probably three times as many" who are eligible but uncovered.

Officials with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation also want to make it easier for parents to endure the application process. The original application for coverage was 28 pages long; it's since shrunk to four pages, which Jones characterized as better but not perfect.

"Too many of these forms are too complicated," conceded Health and Human Services Secretary Donna Shalala. "We have to find these kids, and we have to help their parents fill out these application forms."

The insurance is offered by the federal government through either Medicare or the newer State Children's Health Insurance Program. Established in 1997, the children's insurance program matches state and federal funds to cover children from families that make more than the federal poverty level. For a relatively low monthly premium, eligible families obtain coverage comparable to that offered state employees.

Roughly 280,000 children are enrolled in California's version of the plan, dubbed the Healthy Families Program. As many as 2 million California children, however, remain uninsured. Of these, more than half a million are estimated to be eligible for the Healthy Families Program.

The problem is particularly severe among Hispanic families. Separate state surveys have found many families with at least one undocumented parent have avoided the insurance, while many others don't apply for programs they associate -- incorrectly, in this case -- with welfare.

Eligibility varies by state and age of children. In California, a family of four with an income of under $42,625 could be eligible for the low-cost insurance program.

For information about low-cost insurance for children, call (888) 747-1222.

Bee Washington Bureau writer Michael Doyle can be reached at (202) 383-0006 or mdoyle@mcclatchydc.com.

Reprinted by permission of Modesto Bee.