New Report Aug. 8, '07 – "Readiness for Kindergarten" (628k PDF)

MISSION:
Building a strong community of healthy children who become healthy adults because “Every Kid Counts.” 

The Mayor’s Commission for Children was created by passage of City Ordinance #24692, Council Bill 2004-384.  The Commission does not provide direct services, but acts as a catalyst to mobilize and educate our community with regard to issues involving the health and well-being of our youth, with special emphasis placed on the 0-5 years old age bracket by early childhood programs, including making sure every child:

1. starts school ready to learn;
2. can read by the 3rd grade; and
3. has the social and emotional skills need to succeed.  

Read application responses - "100 Best Communities for Young People"

Read the Commission White Paper -
"Aggression in the Kindergarten Classroom." *

These additional links provide all the technical and methodology backup reports to the above white paper findings:
Technical Notes - Appendix E - Appendix F  

We Know That:

• The ability of children to cope on social and emotional levels is an indicator of their success as adults.
• Children develop healthy social and emotional habits early in life.
  
• Children who don’t develop these coping skills by ten years old are at risk of not ever reaching social and emotional maturity, causing them and the community problems as they grow and when they become adults.
• The degree to which youth learn these skills is directly correlated to how well the community as a whole teaches and communicates with them. A negative community culture, such as anti-social behavior or fearfulness, will also be passed on to the kids.
• The Greene County community scores above the norm in violence tendencies, child abuse and neglect, and high (and rising) domestic violence rates.
• Rates like these and others signal a community in some stage of crisis and a need for cultural change.
• Groups like ours can facilitate cultural change, but the impetus must come from grass root efforts.  Major stakeholders must take the lead.

What We Do
Delineate the issues -- Educate the community -- Market the concepts --
Mobilize citizens to take action -- Elicit cultural change

 For more information, please e-mail our Executive Director Denise Bredfeldt.

(*computers purchased more than three years ago may require free Adobe Acrobat software to view;
try to open the file, and if Acrobat Reader is not installed, it is available by clicking the button.)