Business & Civic Strategies for Investing in Child Well-Being
To Promote Community & Economic Development
1. Civic Partnerships, Large Corporations, Foundations & Governments Can PROVIDE LEADERSHIPBecome a champion for children by serving as a spokesperson for business and civic initiatives that promote the well-being of children and youth. Follow the example of SBC Missouri in helping the community understand the findings of leading economists that investment in children yields the highest return on investment, while also spurring economic development and improving the quality of community life. For more information contact VCR/St. Louis Children’s Agenda at 314-534-6015 or go to www.visionforchildren.org/investinkids.
Work through such organizations as St. Louis Regional Chamber & Growth Association (RCGA), the Regional Business Council (RBC), Leadership Council Southwestern Illinois, the Metropolitan Forum, East-West Gateway Council of Governments, and city, county, and state economic development agencies to ensure that promoting the successful development of children is included on the broader community and economic development agenda of the St. Louis region. By ensuring the fundamental life needs of children are better addressed, the regional economy will become more competitive and vibrant, the overall quality of life will be improved, and the cost of law enforcement, health care, educational remediation, and social services reduced.
Contribute the time of your lobbyist to advocate for policies and programs promoting child well-being, or underwrite the cost of lobbying for a child advocacy organization. In Missouri, current legislative issues that require attention include eligibility levels and payment amounts for child care assistance and support levels for foster and adoptive families. Contact Citizens for Missouri’s Children at 314-647-2003 or http://www.mokids.org, Missouri Budget Project at 314-652-1400 or http://www.mobudget.org/ or Vision for Children at Risk at 314-534-6015 or http://www.visionforchildren.org.
2. Civic Groups, Foundations, Individual Companies and Governments Can
INVEST FINANCIALLY IN INITIATIVES TO PROMOTE CHILDHOOD SUCCESS
Support, advocate for, and contribute to “best practice” strategies that promote successful childhood development, such as Missouri’s Parents as Teachers program and many more.
Support collaborative initiatives that strategically address the needs of children through community-based, data-driven, outcome-oriented approaches. Included among such initiatives are the St. Louis Children’s Agenda (314-534-6015), City of St. Louis Strategic Plan for Early Childhood Success (314-612-5900), Citizens for Missouri’s Children (314-647-2003), St. Louis for Kids (314-241-0011), Maternal Child Family Health Coalition (314-628-6246), ARCHS (314-534-0022), Foster and Adoptive Care Coalition (314-340-7722), United Way’s Building Strong Foundations/ELOA Partnership (314-539-4055) and Missouri Child Care Resource and Referral Network (314-535-1458).
Use your resources to leverage additional funding. Look for ways to use the funds you invest to leverage additional investment to promote child well-being by other businesses, organizations, and foundations. To explore options for leveraging your investment, contact any of the following organizations: Deaconess Foundation (314-436-8001), Missouri Foundation for Health (314-345-5500), the Community Children's Services Fund administered by the St. Louis Mental Health Board (314-535-6964), and the St. Louis Community Foundation (314-588-8200)
Get the facts about how local, state, and federal governments prioritize the needs of children and invest in their well-being, or fail to do so. Also, develop a better understanding of the policy implications of governmental decisions. Information about state investment in child well-being is available from the Missouri Budget Project by calling 314-652-1400 or going to http://www.mobudget.org/. Illinois information is available from Voices for Illinois Children at 312-516-5551 or http://www.voices4kids.org. The Center for Budget and Policy Priorities provides information on federal legislation and government actions. Contact them at 202-408-1080 or http://www.cbpp.org/.
As a regional economic development strategy, support development of the large and growing child care and education industry. Contact Missouri Child Care Resource and Referral Network at 314-535-1458 or go to http://www.moccrrn.org for information on the economic impact of child care in the St. Louis region and state of Missouri, as well as loans available through First Child’s Finance-Missouri and establishment of a Business Development Center to support formation of new child care operations.
3. Your Company Can - MAKE YOUR BUSINESS CHILD AND FAMILY FRIENDLY
Support the positive development of children by allowing parents to attend to the needs of their children by adopting, as appropriate, such policies as flex-time, job sharing, parental leave, and flexible spending accounts. Information on policies and practices that are friendly to both families and the bottom line are available on an ongoing basis from Workforce Management at www.workforce.com
Boost employee productivity, retention, and company loyalty by helping families secure quality child care. Contact Child Day Care Association (CDCA) at 314-531-1412 for information or go to http://www.childcarestl.org/.
Encourage and support your employees in investing time in their own children, and volunteering as mentors, tutors, or coaches to assist community children whose lives can be transformed by contact with a caring adult. To learn more about volunteer opportunities, contact the United Way Volunteer Center at 314-539-4063 or download the Caring Catalog at http://www.stl.unitedway.org/difference/volunteer. For mentoring opportunities, call Big Brothers Big Sisters, the lead agency for the St. Louis Mentoring Task Force, at 314-361-5900 or go to http://www.bbbsemo.org/. St. Louis for Kids at 314-241-0011 or http://www.stlouis4kids.org can provide information on volunteer opportunities related to youth development programs operating in non-school hours.
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