Everyone Needs to Care About Kids Graduating from High School!

There’s something exciting going on in our community: more and more people are beginning to realize that making sure that every young person graduates from high school prepared to become a positive, productive citizen is something that we all have to care about.

It not just schools and parents that need to care; so do business leaders, neighborhood activists, media personalities, sports stars, retail store owners, law enforcement, healthcare workers, government officials, and anyone else who want us to have a vibrant, safe, and healthy community.

Maybe we are beginning to genuinely understand that the positive development of young people is the responsibility--not just of some--but of the entire community. That really is exciting!

Listen to what John Brandon, MCCOY's president, had to say on 93 WIBC Saturday March 6, 2010. And here's more of the conversation with Mitch Roob, Secretary of Commerce for the State of Indiana.

Do Arts Education Cuts Hurt in Other Ways?

Recently, IPS Superintendent White said $27 million in budget cuts were necessary to shore up the district’s financial outlook after property tax caps kick in – including money which would have gone to school funding.

And one of the areas in which he’s chosen to cut back is elementary school arts programs. The result would mean that kindergartners and first-graders would get art (and music) instruction from their regular teacher, rather than from a music or art teacher. Among White’s recommendations on cutting costs, this proposal has drawn the most criticism, mainly from inside IPS itself.

But strong evidence exists that links arts education with overall improved literacy skills. In a 2-year study in which hundreds of New York City 3^rd graders participated in a program called Learning Through Art, students in the program did better in a number of categories of literacy and critical thinking skills – including hypothesizing and reasoning.

Surprisingly quiet in the fray are parents and youth development professionals. “They’re going to cut education, and there’s no outrage,” said one parent. Do education cuts have to be a zero sum game? What are some strategies for advocating for comprehensive educational funding during tight economic times?

Community Roundtable Participants Provide Valuable Insight

On February 24th, over 80 community people from a variety of agencies and organizations in Marion County that serve children and families came together to

help us develop a meaningful, manageable and measurable plan to improve early intervention and prevention services in Marion County.  The day was filled with interactive sessions around four broad strategies:

1. Promoting the ‘self-sufficiency’ of families with children at risk of abuse or neglect, dependency or delinquency.
2. Promote the prevention or reduction in the number of cases of child abuse, delinquency, or neglect that may require juvenile court intervention.
3. Promote the coordination of available resources to at-risk children (of abuse, neglect, dependency, delinquency) and families with at risk children to promote efficiency and avoid duplication of programs and services.
4. Reducing or eliminating to the extent possible the need to remove children from their parents, guardians or custodians for foster home care or institutional placement.

Participants were assigned to one of four work stations - each assigned one of the broad strategies. Through a series of exercises, each group was charged to develop specific ideas on how to address each of the strategies.

Read the many ideas that were generated through the large and small group and partner discussions throughout the day.

Early Intervention & Prevention Community Roundtable

Community Roundtable to Bring People from All Sectors Together to Identify Strengths, Needs and Gaps in Early Intervention and Prevention Services in Marion County

What: Early Intervention and Prevention (EIP) Community Roundtable
When: Wednesday, February 24, 2010, 1pm-5pm
Where: Children's Bureau - Gene Glick Family Support Center, 1575 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Street Indianapolis, 46202

Read full release.

Everyday Champion: Luis Morales

This story is a part of our Everyday Champions series. Helping youth succeed takes commitment and action from our whole community. Everyday Champions are people who are committed and who act in small and big ways to support youth in central Indiana. Do you know someone who you think would make a great Champion for Youth? Click here to get started.

Born and raised in Indianapolis, Louis Morales is dedicated to helping students succeed in school and beyond. "I am really pushing students to pursue education and become successful citizens," says this teacher and our featured Everyday Champion.

Louis' impact on youth extends outside of the classroom. As head varsity coach for the Northwest High School soccer team, Louis organized the first soccer league in IPS. He has been a mentor to many minority and at-risk students. He is married and the proud father of two children.

What is your profession or vocation?
I am a teacher and head coach for soccer at Northwest High School.


How are you an Everyday Champion for Youth?
I have the opportunity to guide our youth through education. It also allows me to help with everyday decisions and daily problems.

What impact do you hope to make on youth?
I hope to help our youth realize their dreams through education. I want to empower them to work hard and dream for "the bigger picture" in their lives.

What's the one thing that you wish an adult had told you when you were a young person?
I have been fortunate to have loving parents and mentors in my life. I feel that my life experiences have molded me to become who I am. I can only think that patience is a quality that is important in making decisions.

What do you want to do next to support youth?
I would like to create more opportunities to help our Latino youth further their education. I also hope to work hard to become a model for our youth through sport and education.

Initiative Will Reduce the Number of Families in the Child Welfare & Juvenile Justice Systems

Steering Committee Formed to Develop a Three-Year Strategic Plan
Both common sense and science indicate that addressing the risk factors in a child’s life as comprehensively and as early as possible can make the critical difference in changing that child’s life—and his or her potential to make positive contributions to our community for the better. To reach that goal Marion County Commission on Youth (MCCOY) has assembled an Early Intervention and Prevention (EIP) Steering Committee to guide the formation and implementation of a three-year strategic plan for early intervention and prevention services in Marion County, the goal of which will be to reduce risk factors and promote an asset-rich community for children and families, ultimately reducing the number of children and families who become involved in the child welfare and/or juvenile justice systems. Read full article.

MCCOY Youth Provider Council Meeting

Date: Feb. 17
Time: 8:15 - 10:00am
Place: English Foundation Building (map it)

Professionals and volunteers from central Indiana's youth development field come together each month for this informal networking opportunity.
Topic: Early Intervention & Prevention
How do we define early intervention and prevention? Who are the early intervention and prevention service providers in Marion County?

Presenters: The MCCOY EIP staff will define the terms and engage you in a discussion about currently available services in Marion County. Charlotte Shoulders from Connect2Help will share information about a vital early intervention service in Marion County that provides families and service providers with referrals to reduce the likelihood of a crisis. Sheila Day from Peyton Manning Children's Hospital Child Protection Team will provide information about the Stewards of Children, a prevention program for adults around child sexual abuse, and will preview her April workshop.

Networking Activity: Youth Agency Bingo-A friendly competition to help us learn more about each other. Come prepared to discuss your organizations programs and services. Learn more about what others are doing and perhaps discover ways in which your agency build meaningful partnerships.

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Keep informed about upcoming Provider Council Meetings and other Learning Network topics and events: Subscribe to the Youth Provider Notes e-newsletter.

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