HomeMy WebLinkAbout1995-04-11 - AGENDA REPORTS - OVERVIEW YOUTH PGM FUNDING (2)Approval
Item to be presented by:
George Caravalho\Rick Put a /
UNFINISHED BUSINESS
DATE: April 11, 1995
SUBJECT: OVERVIEW OF EXISTING AND POTENTIAL FUTURE INVESTMENT
IN YOUTH PROGRAM ACTIVITIES AND FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
DEPARTMENT: PARKS, RECREATION, AND COMMUNITY SERVICES DEPARTMENT
At this time staff believes it is appropriate to provide the City Council with an update regarding
the numerous Investment in Youth type programs and services that are available to the.
citizenry of the Santa Clarita Valley. Specifically, staff would like to review existing resources
which are available within the community, outline funding and resources which have been
committed to these programs, highlight their accomplishments, and discuss potential future
programs and grant opportunities.
As recently as 1991, there was little awareness within the community concerning issues such
as teenage pregnancy, the use of drugs, alcohol, and tobacco by teens, gangs, graffiti, the
growing emergence of white supremacist groups and the distribution of hate literature
throughout the community. In late 1992, a level of understanding and awareness began to
emerge from within the community. The emergence of groups such as the Anti -Gang Task Force
and a dramatic increase in the level of Graffiti vandalism helped bring the issues that Santa
Clarita faced to the surface within the community.
Startling statistics reveal that young adults between the ages of 13 and 22 years of age are
responsible for approximately 80% of all crimes committed in the United States. Further,
statistics demonstrate that in 1980 20,000 individuals were serving time in California prisons,
This figure increased in 1995 to 130,000 individuals, and itis projected that the number of
persons in prison will reach 340,000 by the year 2004. Factoring the demographic shifts over
this period, the crime rate has remained stable.
When also considering that current trends project the number of California residents between
13 and 22 years of age will increase 25% by the year 2004, these future conditions paint a
frightening picture of the future level of criminal activity. With the current annual cost per
prisoner approaching $25,000, and a projected prison population increase of over 150% within
/ Agenda Item:J
the next nine years, it is vital that Santa Clarita (and other cities) take immediate action to
address youth issues.
Last year, California alone experienced over 1000 gang related murders and approximately 3000
drive-by shootings. While there is a continuing strong national rhetoric for a "get tough and
lock-up" policy concerning of crime related activity, this approach has proven not to be effective.
It is extremely expensive and is straining our budgets to the breaking point. Many other worthy
services are being cut back and eliminated to address this issue.:
The City of Santa Clarita has been a leader in the area of youth crime prevention programs
through the efforts and involvement of City Manager George Caravalho on the state and federal
levels. Mr. Caravalho's leadership, on a variety of task forces and subcommittees for the League
of California Cities,International City and County Management Association and National
Governors Association, and most recently in collaboration with seven national associations, has
produced creative alternatives for the at -risk youth population.
As the attached chart demonstrates, staff believes it is appropriate for the City's Investment
in Youth Strategy to be coordinated through the Youth Master Plan Committee (YMPC).
Currently, the YMPC is developing a unified community plan to address growing youth concerns
facing the Santa Clarita Valley. Comprised of individuals representing various youth service
organizations, the Sheriffs Department, City staff, the business community, youths, parents and
members of the community at large, the YMPC is committed to bringing together the
community's numerous resources to develop a supportive and encouraging environment for all
of our youth.
The YMPC is seen as a type of umbrella agency which could be utilized to provide coordination
to the numerous Investment in Youth type programs and services which have been developed
and initiated within the community during the last four years. These programs include.
• The SCV Anti -Gang Task Force
• The Human Relations Forum
• The Student Youth Employment Program
• The Friday Night Live Program
• The Santa Clarita Community Center
• The Student Partnership Program
• The California Conservation Corps
• The Boys and Girls Club
• Drug Abuse Prevention Education Committee
• Santa Clarita Child & Family Develop-
ment Center
• William S. Hart Union School District
• Park Mobile Program
• Substance Abuse & Narcotics Education
Overall, the City has provided approximately $186,000 in annual funding in support of the
programs referenced above. Additionally, in FY 1994-95 the City allocated an additional
$150,000 to the Community Center. Staff has provided (see attachment "A") a summary of the
existing programs which encompass our community's present Investment in Youth Strategy.
On April 4, 1995, staff submitted a comprehensive proposal to the Office of Criminal Justice
Planning (OCJP) for potential grant funding in the amount of $750,000 over a three year period.
This grant was prepared in conjunction with members of the Youth Master Plan Committee and
submitted on behalf of the entire Santa Clarita Valley,
Further, the OCJP s Request for Proposal process requires applicants to develop a Risk Focused
Prevention Program which utilizes existing community resource providers to assist in the
implementation of youth programs. If successful, the OCJP grant process has the potential to
increase funding to resource providers which are jointly participating in this grant process.
This grant provides the City with an opportunity to create new programs in order to address
those risk factors which have been identified as our community's top priorities. As a
community, our top priority issues are to reduce the availability of drugs and alcohol to minors
and decrease alienation and rebelliousness among youths. Further, potential funding through
the OCJP may have a positive direct affect on the City's ability to compete for future grant
funding opportunities.
FUTURE OPPORTUN TI
As is the case with the majority of current program efforts, future opportunities will require the
highest degree of collaboration between public and private entities. These collaborations will
be of particular importance as agencies seek future funding. In addition to continuing and/or
expanding on the current Investment in Youth programs currently under way, future
opportunities may include the following:
SANTA CLARITA EMPLOYMENT REFERRAL FOR STUDENTS (SERF)
Under the direction of an adult board of directors, this effort would be a private enterprise
run by students to help and train other students in securing employment. The program
would be open to all students in the Santa Clarita Valley, with a student intern to
coordinate the program and report directly to the board.
2. CULTURAL/SOCIAL JOINT POWERS AUTHORITY
In a further attempt to promote cultural and social awareness and educational
opportunities within the youth population, it may be desirable to create a joint powers
authority in which major cultural and social service providers in the Santa Clarita Valley
would participate. While various governmental agencies, e.g., the City, county and school
districts would be logical participants in the joint powers authority, to function most
effectively the entity should be of private, non-profit status, with the major impetus of its
goals and objectives stemming from community participation. These as well as other
future program opportunities will be discussed and formalized at an upcoming youth
strategic plan session, which will be conducted on April 29, 1995, between the hours of 9:00
a.m. and 4:00 p.m. at Masters College.
SUMMARY
The Santa Clarita Valley is truly enriched by the numerous resources which have been made
available for its youth population by the seemingly endless resource providers which represent
every pilar of the community. Through broad community involvement, the City has a unique
opportunity to affect change with regard to the prevailing national "get tough and lock-up"
attitude by moving forward with its Investment in Youth Strategy and facilitating programs
which can be duplicated by other communities. Additionally, the Johnson Foundation
Association recently hosted a conference in Racine, Wisconsin of the seven national associations
with the theme of "Making Collaboration Work for Children: The Role of Local Government
Organizations." Attached is a conference review and four -point advocacy/action agenda upon
which the session focussed its attention.
That the City Council receive and comment to staff.
GAC:RP:kmt
PRCOUNCILVrwestay.uth
INVESTMENT IN YOUTH'
SUMMARY OF EXISTING PROGRAMS AND SERVICES
The Youth Master Plan Committee is committed to bringing together our community's
numerous resources to develop a supportive and encouraging environment for all of our youth.
Comprised of individuals representing various youth service organizations, teens, parents, the
Sheriffs Department, business community leaders, members of the community at large and the
City, the Youth Master Planning Committee is committed to creating a unified community plan
to address the growing youth crisis facing the Santa Clarita Valley,
ACCOMPLISHMENTS: Development a draft 20 Year Youth Master Plan; have met with a
majority of the community's service providers, business community leaders, chambers of
commerce presidents, churches, and local public officials; set an April 1995 date for a community
strategic plan; convened a Youth Master Plan Steering, Executive and Planning Committee and;
prepared the Santa Clarita Valley Risk Focused Prevention Grant Proposal.
The Anti -Gang Task Force is chaired by a City staff member, and has three additional staff
persons directly involved in facilitating specific Task Force Programs. Created four years ago,
the Anti -Gang Task Force includes over 170 members of the community and currently is divided
into four sub -committees including the Prevention, Intervention, Graffiti, and Suppression Sub -
Committees. Together, these sub -committees work as one throughout the Santa Clarita Valley
developing programs that help guide young lives towards positive choices and improved self-
esteem.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS: Teen and Parent Survival Guide, a Community Walk that attracted
over 700 participates, conducted a Santa Clarita Valley Youth Summit that drew over 100
participants, held a Valley -wide Youth Sports Clinic which was hosted by professional sports
figures; conducted the 1995 Safe Communities Week event, developed and coordinated a
Community Parenting Class Program; coordinated community -wide Graffiti Paint -outs and;
through the efforts of the Graffiti Sub -Committee reduced graffiti by over 40% in 1994.
MOM J1 D112 I W-VM"I UeDufw 11
The Student Partnership Program began in September of 1994 and is a collaborate efforts
between the Hart School District, the Los Angeles County Office of Education and the City. The
Student Partnership Program is designed as an alternative educational program for ninth
graders as a method to assist at -risk youth in the pursuit of their high school diploma, career
planning and learning job skills.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS: Still in its first year, the Student Partnership Program has
approximately 20 students currently participating. Since the implementation of the program,
two participants have returned to regular school, while an additional two participants have
found gainful employment.
The Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP) was designed to provide at -risk and low
income youths between the ages of 14 and 18 an opportunity to gain valuable experience in the
workplace. Through this program, the City and the Business Community provide employment
opportunities for approximately 25 teens each summer. Participating teens are taught job
interview skills, how to dress appropriately for the workplace, and what the type education and
of responsibilities that are necessary to make it in the workforce today.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS: The SYEP provides employment opportunities for approximately 25
teens each summer; participating teens are taught job interview skill and how to dress
appropriately for the work place; parents of participating teens have reported their child
displays improved self confidence and esteem.
The City opened its first Community Center in September of 1994 with the goal of offering
programs to better oneself at little or no cost. Further, the center has become a regular meeting
place for several community based groups and is looking to expand it hours of operation at night
in order to give residents a positive alternative to the streets. The establishment of this
community center, within the target service area of Newhall, demonstrates the high level of
importance that the community has placed in its risk focused prevention, While the City
received a great deal of in-kind services from the business community, it is important to
recognize that during a lean fiscal year (1994-95) the City was able to allocate approximately
$150,000 towards the creation of this very important community resource.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS: Creation of Santa Clarita Valley's first Boxing Program; the
Community Center also offers:. Tae Kwan Do Program; a small library; a toy loan program; Peer
Counseling and; a free Equestrian Program.
The objective of the Friday Night Live Program is to interact with the teen population by
providing programs, excursions and activities which they usually do not have access to. Through
these projects it is staffs goal to give teens alternatives to gangs and substance abuse and assist
teens in becoming positive members of the community.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS: Annual Teen Spring Clean, Youth In Government Program, Teen
Festival
In May of 1994, Santa Clarity residents expressed their concerns regarding matters that related
to an increase in the level of hate crime related incidents and racial flyers distributed
throughout the community. In June of 1994, the City Council directed staff to establish a
Human Relations Committee modeled in the image of the Anti -Gang Task Force. This
Committee has been created to address these community concerns, and is comprised of fourteen
members who represent different facets of the community including students, school officials,
parents, churches and residents of the community.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS: Established a working relationship with Los Angeles County
Commission on Human Relations, creation of a "bookmark" which will be distributed to students
in the SCV and communicates the messages "Diversity is an Asset" and "Everyone Matters in
Santa Clarita", established a Human Relations Hotline for the community to report incidents
of cultural intolerance, and is currently developing a Speakers Bureau.
DAPEC is an educational drug, alcohol and tobacco intervention program available to youths
10 to 17 years of age, and is an alternative to suspension from school. This program is provided
by the Child and Family Development Center, the William S. Hart Union High School District
and the City. At this time, the City provides $10,000 in annual funding to this program.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS: DAPEC provides at -risk youth who violates school policy with an
alternative to suspensions; DAPEC incorporates strong family involvement and provides youths
with a curriculum which includes classes on Drug/Tobacco Awareness and Creative Problem
Solving.
RAMNA 1'e t1 LII
The City, in a joint effort with the California Conservation Corps (CCC), established and
facilitated a Youth Employment Training Program. Utilizing local youths who had been
economically displaced as a result of the Northridge Earthquake, the CCC established a
Northridge Earthquake Recovery Program (NERP) crew to assist Santa Clarity in its recovery
from the earthquake. During a six month period which concluded in March of 1995, Corp
members worked side by side with City staff on earthquake related projects in order to learn
new skills and help better prepare them to compete in the workplace.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS: Of the initial eleven members which began the program, nine
members graduated form the program in March of 1995, several members completed the High
School GED while participating in this program, and one member has been recently hired by
the City's Urban Forestry Division on a part-time basis.
The Santa Clarita Valley Chapter of Mad About Rising Crime (MARC) formed in June of 1993.
The primary focus of MARC is to assist in the coordination and mobilization of existing
community programs and services which address anti -gang strategies. MARC plays an active
roles in the Santa Clarita Valley Youth by providing leadership training to our community's
youth.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS: MARC is a consistent participant in community events such as Santa
Clarita Valley's Safe Communities Week and Graffiti Zero Tolerance Campaign, and has made
numerous presentations to community groups such as the Coordinating Council of Santa Clarita,
the Santa Clarita Valley Interfaith Council, the Santa Clarita Valley Chamber of Commerce and
Rotary Club.
SCCFDC
The Santa Clarita Child and Family Development Center (SCCFDC) has been a vital resource
for the Santa Clarita Community for more than thirteen years. The SCCFDC has been
extremely successful in their ability to coordinate multi jurisdictional efforts to provide
preventative programs which benefit the community. The SCCFDC, in conjunction with the
City and Sheriffs SANE Program, facilitates a number of programs including "Steps For
Success," a prevention and early intervention program that is funded by the OCJP and includes
components which provide a 50 minute "Responsibility Begins with Me" presentation that
reaches the sixth and seventh graders attending 26 different schools throughout the Santa
Clarita
ACCOMPLISHMENTS: The SCCFDC coordinates several risk focused preventative programs
which includes Individual, Group, and Family Counseling, Parenting Groups, Crisis Intervention
and a Therapeutic Pre -School. As mentioned above, the SCCFDC coordinates their programs
with the assistance of many other community service providers such as the United Way, the
City, and the County of Los Angeles Sheriffs Department. Additionally, the SCCFDC obtains
State and National funding from OCJP and Federal block Grants.
The William S. Hart Union High School District provides direction for the four high schools
serving the Santa Clarita Valley. These schools are Hart, Saugus, Canyon Country and Valencia
High. The Hart School District facilitates a number of programs which provides preventative
resources for both parents and students alike. In addition to programs such as DAPEC and the
Student Partnership Program, since 1990 the Hart District has administered it extremely
successful "STAR Program."
ACCOMPLISH&IEN'IS: In addition to the everyday services which the District provides to the
youth of this community, the STAR Program targets at -risk youth, teaches problem solving
skills, increase self-esteem, and effectively provides participants with the necessary skills to be
peer counselors.
In 1991, through a series of grants and donations from the business community, the City of
Santa Clarita created a "Park on Wheels" program known as the Park Mobile. This program
literally provides mobile park services to areas of the community, including the target areas of
Newhall and Canyon Country, whose residents are distanced from one of the Santa Clarita
Valley's nine recreational park facilities. The Park Mobile offers five day a week service to the
community and provides recreational activities such as street hockey, caroms and arts and
crafts just to name a few..
ACCOMPLISHMENTS: In 1992, the City's Parks, Recreation and Community Services
Department enhanced the Park Mobile by adding a "Newhall Holiday Program." Through this
program, each Christmas the City collects thousands of donated toys which are distributed by
Santa Claus and the Park Mobile staff of elves to the low income children of Newhall and the
surrounding community.
In 1985, Los Angeles County Sheriff Sherman Block developed the Substance Abuse Narcotics
Education (SANE) Program to impact the demand for drugs and alcohol by our youth,
recognizing that traditional enforcement methods alone would not solve the Nations drug
problem. The SANE program works in a true partnership with the NEWHALL School District
and the City, and has been providing drug preventative programs in the Santa Clarita Valley
since 1986. The community's SANE officers work with students in the fourth through sixth
grade to facilitate a curriculum which includes components of self-esteem, coping, decision
making skills, dealing with peer pressures and basic substance education.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS: In May of 1994, a SANE Camp was established to provide at -risk, low
income sixth graders in the Santa Clarita Valley an opportunity to attend camp. This camp,
designed to give some youth their only chance of ever going to camp, is free of charge for the
participants and has been designed to promote a week of anti -gang and anti-drug messages,
while teaching kids how to problem solve effectively, enrich their self esteem, and foster positive
relationships between youth and law enforcement. This program, funded through the City's
Community Development Block Grant Program, was developed in a cooperative manner by the
City and Los Angeles County Sheriffs SANE Unit and sent over 80 kids to camp in its first year
alone.
One of the most vital resources in the entire Santa Clarita Valley, the Boys and Girls Club has
been a staple in the community with regard to providing risk focused preventative programs for
our youth population. In addition to their facility which is located in the target service area of
Newhall, in 1994 the Boys and Girls Club introduced a satellite facility in the target service area
of Canyon Country. This site is strategically located in an area which is within walking distance
of both Canyon Country High and Sierra Vista Junior High, the primary schools for this portion
of the community. '
The Boys and Girls Club is supported by every pilar of the community including local business,
the school districts, churches, other non-profit service providers and the City; and facilitates
program which provide cultural enrichment, social recreation, leadership development, physical,
health and environmental education and special field trips for the youth of the Santa Clarita
Valley.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS: In addition to the many programs that the Boys and Girls Club
provides for our youth, perhaps the biggest accomplishment of the Club occurred in 1992.
Through the contributions of an entire community, in 1992 the Boys and Girls Club was able to
make one of their major goals a reality with the construction of a state of the art facility in the
Newhall community. Perhaps what makes this accomplishment most unique is that this facility
was constructed on property donated by and within the City's Newhall Park Recreational
facility.
PRCOUNCfL\knv .In,.Wh
SANTA CLARITA VALLEY
INVESTMENT IN YOUTH
YOUTH, PARENTS, SANE ENFORCEMENT, CHURCHES,
RECREATION, NON -PROFITS, CORPORATIONS AND
BUSINESS, HEALTH AND WELFARE, CITY AND COUNTY
GOVERNMENTS
YOUTH MASTER PLAN COMMITTEE
Anti -gang Task Force
Student Partnership Program
Summer Youth Employment Program
Community Center
Friday Night Live Program
Human Relations Committee
Drug Abuse Prevention & Education Committee (DAPEC)
California Conservation Corps
Mad About Rising Crime (MARC)
Santa Clarita Child & Family Development Center
William S. Hart Union High School District
Parkmobile
Substance Abuse & Narcotics Education (SANE)
Boys and Girls Club
YRCOMMIS\zwestyo.uth
RECEIVED
March 3, 1995 MAR 6 1995
CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE
CITY OF SANTA CLARITA
TO: NSBA Federation Member Presidents and
Executive Directors
SUBJECT: (Collaboration for Children and
Youth Among Local Governments
•NSBAN
Excellence and Equity
in Public Education
through School Board
Last weekend, an historic conference involving top Leadership
elected and executive leaders of the seven leading
national associations' in the United States representing the
policy making and administrative officers of local government
across the country was held at the Johnson Foundation's
WINGSPREAD CONFERENCE CENTER in Racine, Wisconsin. It's theme:
"Making Collaboration work for Children: The Role of Local
Governance Organizations."
The purpose of the meeting was to build on the relationships
among the seven associations first established formally when they
initially met at WINGSPREAD in February, 1991, (and enhanced
during the intervening time) by crafting a new advocacy/action
agenda in light of today's changed political clime for mutual
collaboration to foster a vigorous, unified, and integrated
approach to meeting the needs of children and youth in the local
communities across the United States. The result of these
intense discussions held over the course of three days last
weekend was a four -point action plan calling for specific steps
to meet the common agenda of the seven associations for enhancing
the efforts begun in 1991.
The four -point advocacy/action agenda focused on:
1)
(which addressed the importance of ensuring that federal and
state law presented no obstacles or impediments to collaboration
among school districts and general governmental units at the
Those seven associations, in addition to NSBA, were the
National Association of Counties, Rational League of Cities,
U. S. Conference of Mayors, National Association of Towns and
Townships, American Association of School Administrators, and
International City/County Management Association. NSBA was
represented by Boyd W. Boehlje, President; Roberta G. Doering,
President -Elect; Thomas A. Shannon, Executive Director; Michael
A. Resnick, Senior Associate Executive Director; and Lynne
Glassman, Director, Network Operations Department.
(see over, please...)
National School Boards Association • 1680 Duke Street • Alexandria, Virginia 22314-3493 • (703) 838-NSBA • FAX: (703) 683-7590
March 3, 1995
Page Two
local community level but rather established a statutory environ-
ment to encourage such collaboration and the desirability of all
local governmental units to cooperate in fostering pro -active
legislation for children and youth);
2)
interests of children and youth (which set forth the case for
school districts and their city/county general government
counterparts to implement a holistic approach to serving the
needs of children; examined how this kind of collaboration among
both public and private agencies can be effectuated at the local
community level with the help of their national and state as-
sociations; and examined the kinds of resources to translate it
all into reality);
3)
laboration at the local community level (which zeroed in on the
public information dimension of spreading the word about the need
for collaboration among local government units and their national
and state associations); and,
4) Moving the collaboration effort forward (which proposed the
inter -association infrastructure to advance the collaboration
effort on an ongoing basis into the future involving schools,
cities, counties, and towns in the creation of "beacons for safe
communities" through a panoply of collaborative initiatives,
including community schools/facilities, after -hour recreational
activities, family nights, prenatal and parenting workshops, job
skills, senior programs, preventive health programs, and the
like).
As an integral part of moving the collaboration effort forward,
the seven associations at the WINGSPREAD meeting created a policy
board to oversee the association collaboration effort. It will
be composed of elected and executive leaders of all the par-
ticipating associations. This new policy board will meet prior
to May 1 to translate the four -point plan of collaboration into
specific action by the associations and to monitor and evaluate
all collaboration activities in the future.
NSBA is enthusiastic in its support of the reinvigorated ad-
vocacy/action agenda of collaboration among the seven as-
sociations to address all the needs of children and youth in our
society. We have plenty of evidence of success through this
collaborative approach as measured by the extraordinary effec-
tiveness of our combined action in 1994 quashing unfunded man-
dates in the Congress. That success augurs well for our future
collaborative work.
March 3, 1995
Page Three
The effort also is solidly based in the policies and beliefs of
NSBA enacted by the NSBA Delegate Assembly. And your help -- as
elected and executive leaders of NSBA Federation Members -- will
be critical in advancing collaboration among school districts and
general government units in your local communities.
Please review ATTACHMENT A, which is the overall position paper
on the collaboration effort originally formulated in 1991 and
approved by all of the participating associations. Do you see
any changes that should be incorporated into it in light of 1995
societal realities? Any new emphases that should be made? Etc.?
Your comments on ATTACHMENT A would be most helpful to the policy
board as it meets within sixty days and reviews the statement as
the primary "core message" of the collaboration effort for the
future.
Finally, we would like to hear from you if you have any general
ideas you'd like to share with us to make the collaborative
effort the real success it deserves to be. Please give us the
benefit of your counsel and advice by April 10, 1995. Of course,
we will continue to keep you informed and involved as the effort
goes forward in the ensuing months.
We look forward with pleasure to seeing you again in a few weeks
in San Francisco at NSBA's 1995 National Conference and Exposi-
tion.
Sincerely yours,
IAIJ0�
Boyd W. Boehlje
President
BWB: TAS\pfh\c: states
Attachment
c: WINGSPREAD Participants
T omas A. Shannon
Executive Director
SERVICE TO AMERICA'S YOUTH: A JOINT STATEMENT
-------------------------
American Association of School Administrators
International City/County Management Association
National Association of Counties
National Association of Towns and Townships
National League of Cities
National School Boards Association
U.S. Conference of Mayors
-------------------------------------------- _-------------
Children are our nation's most valuable resource and represent
the nation's future. It is essential that each child have the
support needed to become a productive citizen in the world of the
twenty-first century. Also, it is essential to change the
delivery of services to provide improved access and quality
services for those most at risk.
However, demographic trends, including trends in American family
life, have given rise to complex needs not easily addressed by
current service delivery approaches. For example, the
difficulties which many children experience at school frequently
are the results of poor health, inadequate nutrition, lack of
parental support, troubled family lives, or a dangerous
environment, and are not just educational. At the local level,
the services provided to address these needs are often
distributed across a variety of governmental agencies, with the
result that children remain at risk and are receiving fragmented
services.
Because the healthy development of children is so critical, the
national associations representing local government have met for
the purpose of collaborating on a process of change to secure the
collective future of our children, and ultimately the well-being
of the nation. Foremost, we believe that a greater commitment
must be made by all governmental agencies, at all levels of
government, to serve youth. This must be done in a holistic
child -centered manner, emphasizing collaboration among local
governmental agencies.
To iosrer greater collaboration among local governments, tue
participating associations agree that a common vision for
Providing services should be established. This vision should
recognize the necessity for: 1) services which address the needs
of the whole child and the child's family; 2) service
interventions at the earliest appropriate age levels, including
pre -natal health care; 3) services which are brought to the
child, especially the full utilization of school sites and other
neighborhood centers. Successful collaboration will require each
governmental agency to provide the funding and services for which
it is responsible in a spirit of change, recognizing that needed
services are interrelated and must be integrated.
A77AQINM A (see over, please...)
Additionally, the participating national associations
representing local government agree to work together to:
Plan a sustained collaborative effort at the national level
to provide leadership in serving children.
Launch a national advocacy campaign to increase public
awareness concerning the vital importance of interagency
collaboration. Major goals of this campaign would include:
-- A National Summit'on Serving the Whole Child, bringing
together policymakers from all governmental levels, the
private sector, and the general public to explore
policy and program options for the coordination of
services, and
-- Joint legislative initiatives to further interagency
collaboration.
o Establish association policies that strongly encourage
collaboration.
o Encourage a shift in emphasis to cost-effective preventative
programs in recognition of the enormous resources now being
devoted to institutional care.
o Develop approaches for local action, including information
concerning successful programs, to assist their members at
the state and local level to implement interagency
collaborative programs.
C Encourage their members at the state and ..local levelto
exercise a leadership role in:
-- Evaluating existing programs in terms of meeting the
needs of children and effectively coordinating
services;
-- Developing governmental policies to encourage
collaboration in the delivery of services; and
-- Involving the community in these efforts.
It is the hope that this historic meeting, which is the first
between the leaderships of national associations representing
school districts, cities, counties, towns, and townships, will
set an important course in the delivery of services. The
participating associations are confident that interagency
collaboration will benefit children and will build a strong,
prosperous nation.
February 17, 1991
Wingspread Conference Center
Racine, Wisconsin