Action for Children,
1991-94
A
statewide initiative to study the needs of children and develop policies
and programs to advance the well-being of all children. The initiative
published two reports that can be found on Minnesota Planning's website:
1992
Kids Can't Wait
1994
Kids Can't Wait Progress Report
November
15, 1994
Action
for Children was created by Governor Arne H. Carlson in March 1991 to
study the lives of young Minnesotans, develop a vision of what their
lives should be like, and make recommendations to help the state achieve
that vision. Action for Children is a bipartisan organization made up
of representatives from the public, private and nonprofit sectors. Action
for Children is co-chaired by Minnesota's First Lady Susan Carlson and
US West Communications Vice President and CEO/MN Ron James.
Action
for Children believes:
Children
and youth are Minnesota's most important resource. All children and
youth deserve to realize their full potential. To begin to work toward
these ends, our state needs a vision of a strong, healthy development
for each and every child and young person in Minnesota.
Children
and youth live in families, nurtured and supported by parents and other
caregivers. The impact of these adults upon the lives of children and
youth cannot be overemphasized. All caregivers need the support of the
community, the state and society to fulfill their crucial role in bringing
up children.
We
envision communities, neighborhoods, and institutions of all kinds around
the state devising strategies and goals to enhance their support of
families. Strong, healthy children and youth are essential to Minnesota's
future. When families and communities develop opportunities for meaningful
participation, children and youth are eager and able to contribute in
very concrete, positive ways both to community and family life. Eventually
they contribute to the healthy growth and development of their own children.
Thus, the cycle repeats itself and the vision is realized.
In
February 1992, Action for Children released Kids Can't Wait: Action
for Minnesota's Children, a report that outlined the problems, established
a vision for Minnesota's children and put forth six broad-based recommendations:
1) mobilize communities, workplaces, schools, and other institutions
into an integrated, long-range effort to strengthen families' ability
to successfully raise their children and ensure that their children
are fully ready for school; 2) reduce poverty for all families with
children; 3) make children and youth active partners in community decision-making;
4) act to celebrate cultural diversity and end all forms of discrimination;
5) require schools to become active partners with parents, youth and
community agencies, social and health services, businesses, and young
people; and 6) overhaul the state service delivery system to produce
better results for children and families by requiring improved coordination
of local, county, state, and federal government programs; making programs
and services more accountable for results; discontinuing ineffective
or inefficient services; and supporting services that produce results.
Kids
Can't Wait already has had a major impact:
One
of the major recommendations, creation of a Children's Cabinet, was
immediately implemented by Governor Carlson. The Cabinet is already
providing leadership and coordination to address fragmentation, overlap
and inefficiency of existing state services to children and families.
For
the first time, the Governor's budget proposal included an integrated
children's budget, another recommendation of Action for Children.
Following
its own advice for empowering youth as decision-makers, Action for Children
created the Youth Advisory Council, composed of 25-27 youth, ages 12
to 18 who have a varying range of geographical, socioeconomic, racial
and ethnic backgrounds. Council members serve as liaisons to their communities
and work closely with Action for Children by giving input on various
subjects and critiquing proposed policies.
The
Action for Children report laid the groundwork for Minnesota's Children's
Initiative, the focus of a grant to the Pew Charitable Trusts. This
major grant program leveraged $1.5 million to the state over the next
three years for continued reform of the service delivery system.
The
Family Service and Community-Based Collaboratives were initiated by
Governor Carlson and the Minnesota Legislature in 1993, to foster cooperation
and collaboration and help communities come together to improve results
for Minnesota's children and families. More than $8 million was allocated
to support this initiative.
Action
for Children has provided a strong framework to guide Minnesota to responsible,
effective children's policy development and continues to work on several
fronts: implementing service delivery reform; bringing integrated, comprehensive
services into the schools; creating the public and political will to
solve the pressing economic and social problems of children and families;
and creating community environments that foster strong families and
successful children.
In
addition, Action for Children is working closely with communities to
mobilize all segments to work better for children and their families.
In this area, Action for Children will:
Provide
an incentive for community action and create commitment from businesses,
nonprofit organizations, government, youth and education professionals
by recognizing positive and forward-thinking initiatives that focus
on results;
Develop
a framework with procedures for communities to follow and provide technical
assistance over time;
Develop
baseline data regarding children and youth in the community (using both
positive and negative indicators) to validate the need for services
and to develop a community profile; and
Continue
to create public awareness of issues affecting children and families.
The
future of Minnesota is directly connected to the state of its children.
An investment in helping all Minnesota children attain their full potential
will pay off in the long run, both socially and economically. When we
help a child today, we are preventing a problem tomorrow. Every Minnesota
child has a right to the basic necessities of life, a good education
and a fair chance at reaching his or her own goals.
