2007 Marshall County Children’s Policy Council
Needs Assessment
Early Care and Education
Issue1: Shortage of quality early care/programs
Description: Availability of Child Care
Action Steps:
Educate the public to recognize and value quality of early childhood care/programs with a local and state ad campaign and information distribution.
Offer training and professional development to childcare providers and staff.
Organize a grass roots effort to education and to lobby for support from local and state government leaders.
Provide incentives for all childcare centers and preschools that obtain standards established for NAEYC accreditation. Work towards establishing a “seal of approval” rating for child care providers who meet these standards in our county.
Issue 2: Lack of parenting skills across all socio-economic groups.
Description: Poor Family Discipline
Host support group meetings for parents to provide parent education.
Need for fully fund 4 year-old programs
Action Steps:
Work with LEA, Special Education Administrators, and Title I Parent-Advisory Councils to allocate a percentage of at-risk and early intervention funds for Pre-K programs and to assist relatives as parents or providers of displaced children for childcare.
Express support to state government for further funding of OSR model Pre-K sites throughout the state.
Issue 3: Increase career/technical education and training for student and graduates.
Description: Job Training
Action Steps:
Work with the schools and businesses to implement/expand job shadowing and training opportunities (Survey schools, career center, and Launch to determine who is currently in place.)
Coordinate with local education systems to increase enrollment in career/technical education.
Promote technical training in high school seniors who do not plan to attend a four year college.
Promote technical training in a positive manner.
Economic Security
Issue1: Provide information for middle and high school counselor/teachers about on-line/curriculum and career tools.
Description: Vocational Education
Action Steps:
Develop a survey to identify what career tools are being used in schools and determine if there are duplications in services.
After the survey, develop a resource guide and provide counselors/teachers information about career tools and other resources.
Issue 2: Issue 2 – Promote technical training and opportunities to high school students.
Description: Job Training
Action Steps:
Coordinate business and industry tours for students in high school enrolled in the cooperative and/or dual enrollment.
Partner with Marshall County Manufacturers Association to expand the intern/apprenticeships.
Develop a central location to house all organizations that promote the well being of children and families through services and career and technical training. This center would support the goal of Children’s Policy Council to identify the gaps in providing services for children and families to identify and decrease duplication of services.
Issue 3: Educate the business and manufacturing business about Children’s Policy Council.
Description: Alternative Education (not discipline) Vocational Education
Action Steps:
Invite members of the business/manufacturing association to attend council meetings.
Invite a state representative from the Workforce Development Office to provide information to the council about resources and funding.
Education
Issue1: Work with the community to develop an educational component in a centrally located family resource center.
Description:
Action Steps:
Schedule meetings for professionals to brainstorm ideas.
Work closely with the coordinator and committees of the UPS grant.
Issue 2: Develop a mechanism to allow teachers, school counselors, members of the Marshall County Industrial Board and others who work with students to share ideas and information.
Description:
Action Steps:
Schedule at least one annual meeting per year for sharing ideas.
Schedule at least one meeting per year with the Industrial Development Board, school personnel, and the Education Committee members.
Work with the Marshall County Economic Development Board to provide the opportunity for school superintendents, counselors, and teachers to tour plants and manufacturing facilities in Marshall County.
Health
Issue1: Increasing need for teen pregnancy prevention programs.
Description: Teen Pregnancy
Action Steps:
Support existing programs and service agencies by providing a speaker’s data base of professionals in the community willing to speak on the topics of teen pregnancy.
Provide written materials (English and Spanish) to schools and service agencies concerning STD’s and teen pregnancy.
Support efforts to revamp the teen pregnancy prevention campaign.
Educate parents of at-risk teens served by Marshall County Juvenile Court
Issue 2: Early Identification of Special Needs/At-Risk Children and lack of services available.
Description: Coordination of services for young children.
Action Steps:
Continue working to complete a list of available services for children with special need and distribute to local schools and service agencies.
Support the local Mental Health Center as they collaborate with UAB to provide remote site access to a Child Psychiatrist.
Support efforts to establish a family resource center in Marshall County so that At-risk or special needs children may be identified earlier and have easy access to services.
Issue 3: Accessibility to health care insurance for moderate to low income families.
Description – Health Insurance
Action Steps:
Distribute ALL-KIDS, Medicaid, and Alabama Child Caring Foundation applications (English and Spanish versions) through schools, courts, and service agencies.
Continue to educate schools and service agencies concerning the availability of programs.
Parent Involvement and Skills
Issue1: Continue to increase support for extended family members raising children in the absence of biological parents.
Description: Other Non-Parental Custodians
Action Steps:
Collaborating and supporting the schools and county agencies with the RAPP support group for the Marshall County area.
Search for an evidence based parenting program which demonstrates the effectiveness with early child population.
Collect and print an agency referral guide for parents and relatives raising children.
Issue 2: Improve parenting involvement
Description: Parenting Involvement and Skills
Action Steps:
Continue to promote and improve parent tip and word of the week.
Promote school’s web sites and links that assist parents with staying informed of their child’s education and helpful parenting suggestions.
Issue 3: Improve Parenting Skills
Description: Parenting Skills
Action Steps:
Continue to promote parenting tools and information through the distribution of parenting informational brochures at the Marshall County Health Department and Department of Human Resources.
Continue to collaborate and assist in already established county parenting programs.
Safety
Issue1: Provide opportunities for safe and meaningful visitation for children at-risk of abuse and neglect.
Description: Access and visitation issues for families in need.
Action Steps:
Identify children in need of supervised visitation and monitored exchange.
Enhance mechanism for referral to utilize supervised visitation and monitored exchange services, especially for families without legal representation.
Enhance strategy to minimize factors contributing to abuse, neglect, or unsafe environments for children.
Issue 2: Decrease family dynamic situations of children living with parents/guardians that are using and manufacturing crystal methamphetamine and other illegal narcotic drugs.
Description: Drug Abuse Prevention
Action Steps:
Access nature and extent of substance abuse problems within Marshall County families.
Develop a collaborative effort among the Department of Human Resources, Court system, and treatment providers for early identification of substance abusing parents.
Identify parents and guardians, outside the criminal justice system, who are subject to addiction.
Issue 3: Empower Marshall County Hispanic Community to make safety wise decisions for themselves and their children.
Description: Promote family safety in Hispanic community.
Action Steps:
Encourage use of child restraint seats and automobile safety belts through demonstrations and explanations of benefits of device usage.
Promote domestic violence awareness campaign within the Marshall County Hispanic populations.
Promote Hispanic competency throughout the Marshall County community to reduce bullying and prejudice due to misunderstanding.
Priorities
Work with the community to develop an educational component in a centrally located family resource center.
Decrease family-dynamic situations of children living with parents/guardians that are using and manufacturing crystal methamphetamine and other illegal narcotic drugs.
Develop a mechanism to allow teachers, school counselors, members of the Marshall County Industrial Board and others to work with students to share ideas and information.