This is our third Voter article documenting (a) how local governments and communities are improving their programs for meeting basic human needs, and (b) the role local Leagues are playing in stimulating, supporting, and participating in those efforts.

Besides providing deserved recognition for success, the articles are intended to help other Leagues identify, and participate in the resolution of basic-human-needs problems in their own counties.

A. Background

1. Focus on the Child
In January 1995 the LWV of Montgomery County released the results of its two-year study, Focus on the Child, which stated: In spite of the best efforts of Montgomery County’s public and private service agencies, the present system is failing to provide adequately for children at risk.

The system then in place failed to provide adequate services, both because it was fragmented and because the number of children and families needing help had become overwhelming.The results of the League’s study, which was disseminated widely and presented to the Montgomery County Executive and County Council, paralleled the national debate on welfare reform going on at the time. In addition, extensive publicity was given to brain research that focused on the importance of the first five years of a child’s life in developing relationships and nurturing the ability to learn.

League testimony stressed that:These debates emphasize the critical need to focus on our young children and how to help them survive and develop as responsible, productive citizens in a changing environment. If we do not provide now the health care and nutrition essential for children to learn, and the educational system to reach and teach them, studies repeatedly show that we will pay more later – in welfare and prison costs.

2. The LWVMC Network for Children
The need to address the conditions identified in the League report was the catalyst for forming, in January 1996, the Network for Children, as an independent project of the League of Women Voters Citizen Education Fund. The Network, which quickly grew to a membership of fifty organizations and about 150 individuals, publicly called on parents, families, schools, businesses, and government to make children their number one priority. The Network promoted education, communication, and advocacy for children and families.

During the next few years, the Network for Children members and other community leaders traveled the County talking to government agencies, community groups, civic organizations, legislators and local political leaders. They sponsored dynamic “Childwatch” show-and-tell programs and provided speakers for meetings, fairs, and rallies, TV talk shows, Mom’s Clubs, and public hearings. They pressed home the message of making the needs of children a priority and the importance of the ever-expanding research on brain development of children from birth to five years of age. Over 2,500 cardboard toddler-sized dolls, each with a name and personal story, were dressed and distributed between 1996 and 2000 by children from five to 95, providing the campaign’s most visible advocates. They appeared in schools, stores, offices, religious institutions, malls and shopping centers, community centers, homes, etc., at festivals, such as “The Week of the Young Child,” and with legislators at their public sessions. The desperate needs of children in affluent Montgomery County were brought home to many thousands of people.

The first issue of the Network’s newsletter, Network News, was published in January 1996 and continues on a quarterly basis. It highlights issues and articles about children and families, provides updated information on legislative and community issues, calls to action, and scheduled meetings and other events.

3. The Early-Childhood Task Force
In 1997 the Early Childhood Task Force was appointed by the County government. It was chaired by Nancy Schneider, who also chaired the Network for Children. It was charged with identifying early childhood needs, examining existing services, and making recommendations for future planning. Its goal was to have supports and resources in place to enable each child in Montgomery County to enter school ready to learn. The premise of the Task Force’s report, Charting the Right Course, was:
Children’s experiences during their first five years of life have a profound effect on their performance in school and in large measure determine their success as adults. Prevention and intervention programs should begin to work with families before and at the birth of their children.
The report, which became an action blueprint that is still in use today, laid out a comprehensive plan for achieving results toward six major objectives:
_ Build a system for data analysis
_ Allocate resources for prevention and early intervention
_ Establish a coordinating body to create a comprehensive system of services
_ Develop a single standard of financial eligibility for County-funded services
_ Inform parents and caregivers of the critical importance of early childhood brain development
_ Endorse and support the need for quality child care services and programs

4. Network Partners in Action
a. Advocates for Children and Youth (ACY), Maryland Children’s Action Network (MDCAN). The Network looks to MDCAN for guidance and action on the state level. MDCAN was created in 1997 to provide a network for concerned citizens and organizations from across the state who are committed to improving results for children. It selects two to four priorities for action each year, based on extensive research by its member coalitions and on discussion at an annual convention held in September.
b. The Gazette Newspapers. In 1998 an agreement was reached with the Gazette to provide space for a “Parenting Page,” sponsored by the Network, providing advice on how to deal with parenting problems. Georgia Lewis, Parent Education Specialist with the MCPS Adult Education Department, still writes the column and frequently invites other experts to contribute.

B. Progress – and Issues of Concern

1. Restructuring and Reallocation of County Resources
In the 1990s the County began a major conversion of its resources from the fragmented system of helping families to a case-management, customer-based system of coordinated services for children and families. In July 1995, the Health and Human Services Department was reorganized, consolidating four human service departments, and consisting of five new divisions:
_ Children, Youth and Families, which was designed to move families toward independence, and to coordinate the variety of services required to deal with the family as a whole
_ Aging and Disabilities
_ Public Health
_ Crisis, Income and Victim Services
_ Adult Mental Health/Substance Abuse

2. County Early-Childhood Initiatives
The state-mandated Local Management Board, created in 1990 to reform the system of sending children with special needs outside the County for services, was expanded in 1992 to become the Collaboration Council for Children Youth and Families. It was charged with facilitating the new approach to inter-agency cooperation and coordination. In 1997, following the release of the Early Childhood Task Force Report, the County Executive and County Council charged the Collaboration Council with producing a comprehensive Children’s Agenda, which would incorporate the report’s recommendations. Asked to define core results and identify strategies and budget priorities vital to improving outcomes for the County’s children, the Council identified seven desired outcomes:
_ stable and economically secure families
_ healthy children
_ children safe in their home, school, and community
_ young children ready for school
_ success for every student
_ young people making smart choices
_ young people prepared for the workplace

Next, the County Council declared the Children First Initiative. It adopted a resolution in May 1999, committing the Council to “make the well-being of the children of Montgomery County a top priority over the next four years.” The Council developed a broad range of specific ideas for the initiative by the fall of 1999. In January 2000 it requested that the County Executive, the Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS), and the Collaboration Council develop a strategic plan for a comprehensive, integrated early-childhood service system based on the Children’s Agenda. Thus was born the Early Childhood Initiative.

3. Early Childhood Services
Over the next year, the Initiative’s plan was developed, with input from a wide range of public and private organizations and individuals. It called for the formation of an Early Childhood Services Division, which would guide the County in reaching its goals. A chief for the division, reporting to all three arms of County government, took office in January 2001 but resigned in March 2002 because of family circumstances. Budget cuts and some reorganization of the Department of Health and Human Services planned for budget year 2003 leaves the future of the position somewhat unclear. However, the Division continues toward the above vision. During the summer of 2001 eight workgroups were established to advance the Early Childhood Initiative:
_ Early Childhood Training – develop long-term, intra- and inter-agency training plan for those who work with children
_ Measures – standardize outcome measures for the Early Childhood Initiative
_ Geographic Areas for Targeted Resources – identify four to six school catchment areas/-communities where specific resources will be targeted
_ Head Start – develop a plan for enhancing Head Start services, including partnerships with providers to create full-day, full-year services
_ Learning Parties – guide, design, and implement community-based “learning parties” to enhance parents’ skills in creating literacy-rich environments
_ Public Engagement – advise a social marketing firm on development and implementation of a public engagement campaign on the importance of the first five years of life
_ Integrated Budget – create an integrated County budget for services for children from birth to age 5
_ Young Children in the Child Welfare System – identify strategies to address needs of young children in the child welfare system, with focus on prevention

Other partners in the Early Childhood Initiative are:
_ Baby Steps, providing screening and assessments of new mothers on a voluntary basis,
_ Healthy Families, a well-established home visiting program for new parents) and,
_ Infants and Toddlers, home-based services for children with special needs, from birth to age three.

a. Public Engagement. “Help Me Grow” has been adopted by the Early Childhood Initiative as the overall “brand” for County services directed to children birth to age five, after extensive outreach and the results of five focus groups. The attractive logo was highlighted during the April “Month of the Young Child” celebrations at shopping locations in Gaithersburg and Wheaton. It will be coordinated with the “Born to Read” public library programs as well as others. The LWV Doll Project of the Network for Children is being reactivated to bring attention to this campaign.

b. Early Child Care Training. As of October 2001, fifty licensed child-care centers were participating in technical assistance activities to prepare for accreditation from the National Association for the Education of Young Children. Ten more are expected to be accredited over the next year, plus ten family child care providers. More than ninety child- care staff members are participating in advanced training at Montgomery College, Howard University, and the Montgomery Child Care Training Institute. Some incentive funding has been provided for new family/child-care centers and for staff who may need credentials translated. Discussion continues on the value of salary enhancement and/or benefits as strategies for recruiting and retaining quality child care staff.

There are currently 400 regulated child-care centers, serving over 22,000 children, and approximately 1,000 regulated family providers, serving over 7,500 children, in the County. As of early 2002, there were 48,000 children under age five in the County – approximately 30,000 of whom are in some form of child care.

Provision of mental-health services has been sought as a pressing need in child-care centers. Currently. four mental health professionals are consulting at six child-care centers, serving approximately 300 children. About 25 per cent of the children are subsidized.

c. Head Start. The County’s Head Start program is a comprehensive pre-kindergarten program provided to low-income families. It is administered by MCPS, although the federal funds flow through the Community Action Agency (DHHS). The program is primarily half-day, with before and after care available through other sources, usually up to 6:00 p.m. It is a school-based model, staffed with MCPS teachers, making it a comprehensive but very expensive program. Most Head Start programs are community based, with providers similar to private pre-schools. Head Start currently serves approximately 1,700 children. As the federal government and others press for more full-day, full-year programs, the costs will be significantly more under the current model. Alternative models and other avenues are being studied.

d. Judy Centers. The County has two Judith B. Hoyer Child Resource Centers (“Judy Centers”). The Silver Spring Judy Center is fully staffed and, in collaboration with a number of public and private partners, offers comprehensive, integrated early-childhood services, including full-day, full-year pre-kindergarten and child-care services, parent education, case management services, and a variety of other activities for children and families. A grant of $644,000 has been received to fund the second Judy Center in Gaithersburg, targeting Summit Hall and Rosemont elementary schools. More than thirty private providers are expected to participate and assist in the center’s activities.

e. Linkages
(1) Linkages to Learning is a well-established program that provides health, mental health, social, and educational support services for children and families. It currently operates in 25 schools and centers and will expand to four more in 2002. Funding for additional expansion in an adopted six-year plan is not currently included in the ’03 budget, but may be added in the final decisions.
(2) Linkages to the Library provides an added dimension of resources through expanded information services and programs for young children, parents, and caregivers. They have added a “KidSite” to their home page, www.montgomerylibrary.org, to provide access to resources, such as story times, workshops for child care providers, early literacy, and reading tips.

f. Parent Resource Centers. There are currently three Parent Resource Centers in the County. They are a universal access program open on a drop-in basis to families with infants, toddlers, and preschoolers. Parents accompany their children to the Centers. Parents may register at any center; the membership fee is $75 per year. Very popular and unique, the centers offer an open and diverse opportunity for children and parents to interact, learn, and play. They are threatened with closing, for lack of continued funding through MCPS. An effort is underway to place them under the aegis of Montgomery County HHS for six months, until more adequate grants or other funding can be identified.

5. Education. [Because the results of State legislation on the Thornton Commission recommendations are well known, they are not covered here.]

The FY 2003 recommended budget for Montgomery County Schools is $1,398,594,671, an increase of 5 per cent over the current budget. In order to meet a projected shortfall, $38 million in deferred programs and cuts in programs and services have been made. However, the following initiatives are expected to continue: improving early childhood education, expanding professional staff development, continuing curriculum reform, and ensuring that technology is available to support quality and accountability.

Early childhood improvements would expand full-day kindergarten to an additional thirteen schools, making a total of 47 in the County. The ESOL programs are being upgraded to a Department of ESOL and Parent Support in the Office of Student and Community Services, which is expected to improve support for ESOL parents and their children.

5. Child Welfare Services: Juvenile Justice
Child Welfare Services is a state-mandated agency within the County Department of Health and Human Services. Its mission is to receive and investigate reports of child abuse and neglect. Cases of serious sexual or physical abuse are investigated jointly by social workers and detectives from the Family Division of the County Police Department. During the past year the County investigated approximately 2,500 cases. In all, 206 children were placed either in foster homes or kinship care, and social workers provided on-going assistance to 150 families, and eighty families received intensive services.

The opening this year of a new Juvenile Assessment Center in Rockville fulfills a major recommendation of the County’s Comprehensive Strategy for Juvenile Justice. It co-locates the Family & Youth Division of the County Police Department, the Child Welfare and Juvenile Justice Services staff from the Department of Health and Human Services, and the local staff of the Maryland Department of Juvenile Justice. Some, but not enough medical services to deal with child victims of physical or sexual abuse are also located there. It is hoped and expected that a medical doctor expert in this field will soon be available. Allowing police and social workers to work together with clients in one location is expected to facilitate a much more efficient, smoother, and effective experience for clients and for staf. Some offices of the Early Childhood Services Division are also located at the Rockville center

6. Mental Health
On the state, local, and even national levels, mental health systems are in crisis – a situation well known to the League. The privatization plan launched in 1998 simply has not worked. The fee-for-service system does not allow for adequate reimbursement for providers, particularly for children most at risk. The work is incredibly challenging and complicated, and much of the time spent is not reimbursable. Many County mental-health providers have had to close their doors, a problem echoed around the State. For early-childhood education and development, mental health services are urgently needed at the earliest age, to prevent more difficult problems later in life. The County appointed a Blue Ribbon Panel on Mental Health in the fall of 2001, which recommended in March a thorough overhaul of the current system, and stressed the need for new approaches and adequate funding to realistically address the issues. The County Council has asked staff for a plan of action. The Mental Health Association of Montgomery County provides a wealth of programs and information on this subject (www.mhamc.org).

In addition, the LWVMC Health Committee presented units in March on adult mental health. Consensus positions are expected soon.

C. Some Statistics on Child Well-Being

The following are examples of statistics from Kids Count Databook, 2001 and 2002 and MDCAN 2002 Public Policy Book:

_ In 2000 there were 1,356,172 children under the age of 18 living in Maryland.
_ Nationally, Maryland has the highest median income for families with children ($63,400).
_ However, Maryland ranks 19th overall when judged on ten indicators of child well- being, improving in eight of the ten areas from 1990 to 1998.
_ 14% of Maryland children under age 18 live in working-poor families (with incomes less than 200% of the federal policy level).
_ 45% of female-headed families in Maryland received child support in 1998, compared to a national average of 34%. By 2000, Maryland’s rate increased to 67%.
_ Children and youth are receiving more community-based mental health services. The number increased from 7,500 in 1997 to 31,920 in 2001. The focus is on prevention and intervention.
_ Over the last decade, Maryland’s child death rate has dropped by one quarter
more dramatically for white children (37%) than for minorities (2%).
_ A higher prcent of children in Maryland have a securely employed parent than in any other state.
_ Maryland has the second lowest poverty rate (13% vs. 19% nationwide).