SUMMARY of THE RHODE ISLAND KIDS COUNT PROJECT

-> SUMMARY of THE RHODE ISLAND KIDS COUNT PROJECT

Rhode Island Kids Count

70 Elm Street, Providence, Rhode Island, 02903 USA (401 /274-4564 401 / 331-8085 (FAX)

OVERVIEW

The Rhode Island Foundation was recently awarded a four-year $400,000 grant from the Annie E. Casey Foundation to develop the Rhode Island KIDS COUNT project. This makes Rhode Island one of 48 states funded by the Casey Foundation to profile the health, economic, educational and social well-being of children. With these awards, the Annie E. Casey Foundation approaches its goal of providing all fifty states with grants to track the well-being of children in every community in the United States.

The Annie E. Casey Foundation also funds the KIDS COUNT Data Book, an annual national state-by-state picture of children's lives based on key indicators. The Annie E. Casey Foundation, the nation's largest philanthropy dedicated exclusively to disadvantaged children, awards grants to projects aimed at fostering public policies and human service reforms that meet the changing needs of today's children and families.

Rhode Island KIDS COUNT will enable The Rhode Island Foundation and its partners to work with universities, policymakers, children's service providers and community leaders to track trends over time and develop strategies to improve the lives of vulnerable children in Rhode Island. It is an opportunity to present credible, well-researched information on the status of children and to use that information to stimulate informed debate and action

The Rhode Island KIDS COUNT project has been designed to achieve the owing goals:

Regularly measure and report on the status of children statewide and in local communities.
Use RI KIDS COUNT information to raise public awareness about the status of children in Rhode Island.
Use RI KIDS COUNT information to educate public leaders about the problems facing children and to stimulate informed debate on solutions.
Use RI KIDS COUNT information strategically to promote legislative and community action on priority issues.
Work with print and broadcast media to put in place a sustainable plan for highlighting the status of children and the successes and failures in meeting their needs.

PARTNERS

The Rhode Island Foundation

Brown University, A. Alfred Taubman Center for Public Policy

The Rhode Island College School of Social Work

RI KIDS COUNT COMMITTEES

Steering Committee
The RI KIDS COUNT Steering Committee is comprised of individuals and organizations from a variety of sectors including business, non-profit organizations, religious and civic leaders and the government. All are in a position to influence public policy decisions affecting children and families. The Steering Committee will guide the design and implementation of the RI KIDS COUNT Project.

Technical Advisory Committee
The RI KIDS COUNT Technical Advisory Committee is comprised of individuals who have expertise in children's policy or data analysis. The Technical Advisory Committee will identify potential data for the project and provide feedback on the reliability and validity of the data.

Community Leadership Council
The RI KIDS COUNT Community Leadership Council is comprised of individuals who have been working on behalf of children and families in their communities. Members of the Community Leadership Council will be called on periodically to provide information on child policy issues, to identify child and family issues that need to be addressed through the KIDS COUNT Project and to assist in the dissemination of KIDS COUNT publications.

RI KIDS COUNT PRODUCTS

Rl KIDS COUNT Factbook.
Each year a RI KIDS COUNT Factbook will be produced to present information on the status of children and families in Rhode Island. The RI KIDS COUNT Factbook will include credible, reliable data on indicators of child well-being. Maps, graphics and tables will be supplemented by information highlighting the strengths and needs of Rhode Island's children and families. Information will be presented so that audiences can readily discern variations in conditions for children in different communities and neighborhoods across the state. The report will explain why the measures selected are important to children, why the findings are noteworthy and how various factors may have contribute(l to the current status of children. Whenever possible, data will be analyzed at the city/town level and across racial/ethnic groups. The first annual Rhode Island KIDS COUNT Fact Book will be released in January 1995 to coincide with the beginning of the new governor's term of office and the beginning of the legislative session

Rl KIDS COUNT Special Reports.
Periodically, additional indicators of child well-being will be collected and used as part of a Special Report series. The topics of the Special Reports will be determined by RI KIDS COUNT participants, based on current public policy opportunities. Special Reports will take a more in depth look at indicators in a specific area: Two examples of Special Report areas are Basic Human Needs (access to health care. housing, food, jobs and income supports) and Healthy Children (infant mortality, low birthright, prenatal care, access to health care, uninsured children, participation in Medicaid and RIte Care.)

Regional Community Forums.
After the release of the Factbook, community forums will be held in targeted cities and towns across the state to disseminate the information and to gain feedback on policy recommendations and action plans. The community forums will serve as an effective way to inform and energize local grassroots children's advocacy efforts. Community forums will also be used to solicit input and feedback from the various racial and ethnic communities across the state.

Child Watch.
Using the Children's Defense Fund Child Watch model, RI KIDS COUNT will bring together opinion-shapers and policy-makers to tour local programs that work well for children and to view negative situations affecting children which need to be changed. These events will set the RI KIDS COUNT findings into a local and more personal context.

Policy Roundtable Discussions.
Periodically, RI KIDS COUNT will bring together Children's Cabinet representatives, key legislators, city and town officials and citizen activists for discussions of the public policy ramifications of the RI KIDS COUNT data.

Media Plan.
A comprehensive media plan will insure that the wealth of data and information generated by RI KIDS COUNT will engage important audiences and be used to bring about real change for children. Media advocacy is required to move the children's agenda forward by getting the attention of policy makers, by persuading opinion-shapers to become involved, by keeping committed children's advocates informed of progress and opportunities, and by raising the level of awareness of the general public. The project will work to get press coverage of all major RI KIDS COUNT events, such as the press conference releasing the RI KIDS COUNT Factbook, as well as events that directly support policy and advocacy strategies .

Speakers Bureau.
At times the issues related to the RI KIDS COUNT project will be front-burner issues, and there will be some demand by the press for spokespersons to talk about their views. We will select spokespersons from the partners, Steering Committees and Community Leadership Council who will be prepared to appear on radio and television programs and to respond to press inquiries. We will also identify key community people for ''human interest" stories, projecting real families and kids. The Speakers Bureau will contribute to heightened public awareness of child and family issues.

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