2006 NEEDS ASSESSMENT
HEALTH
Issue
Issue 1: Prevalence of high risk behaviors (i.e. early sexual involvement, substance abuse, truancy) with minimal parental involvement
Description 1: Health Education
CPC Action Steps:
1. Collaborate with a community based entity to host or sponsor a mother/daughter event focusing on healthy lifestyle parenting.
2. Support Alpha Male Project.
3. Collaborate with
4. Host a back to school health awareness day at each high school and middle school.
5. Continue to host annual health fair.
6. During Teen Pregnancy month, give weekly PSA's at high schools and middle schools.
Issue 2: Increased rate of overweight/obese children with lack of physical activity opportunities.
Description 2: Physical Activity and Exercise
CPC Action Steps: (Youth Count Sports Program)
1. Collaborate with athletic departments at various college/universities to host sports clinics for local youth.
2. Host a health education week at each high school and middle school to include health screenings appropriate for children and nutrition workshops for parents.
3. Collaborate with each township to implement a community wide youth sports program.
Issue 3: Occurrences of minor medical emergencies in public school system with lack of supportive response from parents.
Description 3: Emergency Medical Care
CPC Action Steps:
1. Collaborate with Lowndes County Board of Education, Lowndes County DHR, and Lowndes County Juvenile Court to develop a protocol.
2. Collaborate with local transportation assistance programs for support based on rates of occurrences at specified schools in their immediate area.
3. Educate students about safety at school.
Health Chairman: Pauline Jones (pluv1023@hotmail.com)
SAFETY
Issue 1: Supervision of Children
Description 1: Child Abuse and Neglect
CPC Action Steps:
1. Educate and promote awareness of child abuse and neglect.
2. Explore on-site probation visits in respective communities.
3. Identify and seek funding for youth programs for summer months and school breaks.
4. Seek additional mentoring programs in the community.
5. Examine the feasibility of electronic monitoring through DYS.
Issue 2:
School
Safety
Description 2: Delinquency Prevention
CPC Action Steps:
1. Continue to seek funding through CPC for school resource officer.
2. Expand anger management and conflict resolution classes in the schools.
3. Explore the possibility of beginning an in-school suspension program.
4. Continue work with Drug Task Force, ABC Board and Sheriff to eliminate drug activity on school campuses.
5. Determine feasibility of a teen court program through District Court.
6. Recognize and identify gangs and educate the community.
Safety Chairman: Richard Engle (richard.engle@dys.alabama.gov)
EDUCATION
Issue1: Truancy
Description 1: Quality Schools
CPC Action Steps:
1 Research practical and affordable ways of addressing truancy policies and procedures by looking at programs in surrounding counties and other rural areas.
2. Work with Board of Education to locate a
full-time truancy officer in the
Issue 2: Changing attitudes about public education
Description 2: Information Sharing
CPC Action Steps:
1. Develop and implement a public information campaign.
2. Develop a website, send mail-outs, send articles to newspapers and hold local forums.
3. Collaborate with local stakeholders and the Lowndes County Board of Education.
Issue 3: Character Education
Description 3: Quality Schools
CPC Action steps:
1. Develop programs and strategies to influence school and communities through character education.
2. Research and determine steps for creating a
community of character.
Education Chairman: Susan Butts (dlbutts70@htcnet.net)
EARLY CARE/EDUCATION
Issue 1: Early Childhood Development
Description 1: Awareness of Brain Development in Young Children
CPC Action Steps:
1.
2. Coordinate with existing programs for parents and families to stress the importance of early childhood development.
3. Motivate childcare providers (center-based, home-based, and relatives) to use brain development strategies.
4. Promote the importance of fathers' involvement in parenting.
Issue 2: School Readiness
Description 2: School Readiness (Ready for Kindergarten or 1st Grade)
CPC Action Steps:
1. Expand awareness or available programs including HIPPY, Kids and Kin, Head Start, STEP and Gift of Life.
2.Advocate use of blueprint for school readiness from the Office of School Readiness.
Issue 3: Resources
Description 3: Sustainability for Existing Programs
CPC Action Steps:
1. Research and write grants for resources.
2. Partner with and support organizations' resource development efforts.
3. Encourage networking and partnerships among
organizations addressing early care and education.
Early Care Education Chairman: Charlie Colvin (charlie@doingwhatmatters.org)
ECONOMIC SECURITY
Issue 1: Transportation
Description 1: Transportation to Employment
CPC Action Steps:
1. Promote awareness of transportation resources within county.
2. Partner with churches and organizations within the county to volunteer and assist with transportation.
Issue 2: Education and employment
Description 2: Job Training
CPC Action Steps:
1. Partner with local agencies to conduct pre-employment maturity workshops.
2. Promote post-secondary education within the county.
3. Identify available resources.
4. Educate residents about Alabama Job Link training and educate about service providers.
5. Partner with local agencies to conduct a job and resource awareness fair.
7. Partner with municipalities, county commission and local businesses to develop and start a youth summer employment and enrichment program.
8. Partner with Auburn Extension to conduct youth entrepreneurship seminars.
9. Continue promoting the Money Smart and other financial literacy programs in the county.
Issue 3: Economic Support Services
Description 3: Information Sharing
CPC Action Steps:
1. Develop and/or consolidate
resource directory that is preferably web-based.
FDIC Money Smart
Economic Security Chairman: Jo McCoy
(jo.mccoy@geplex.ge.com)
PARENT INVOLVEMENT
Issue 1: Parental access to services
Description 1: Information Sharing
CPC Action Steps:
1. Compile resource list and distribute to parents through the churches and schools and website.
Issue 2: Parenting skills and supervision
Description 2: Parental Attitudes Favoring Anti-Social Behavior
CPC Actions Steps:
1. Assist the
2. Develop and distribute a parenting resource list.
3. Survey parents for needs in the community.
Issue 3: Parent/Non-Custodial Parent Custody Issues
Description 3: Non-Custodial Parent Issues
CPC Action Steps:
1. Continue to support fatherhood initiatives and involvement.
2. Work with court system to continue Job Placement
Program in
3. Explore the possibility of starting classes for
divorcing parents and never married parents through the
Parental Involvement Chairman:
PRIORITIES:
Priority 1: Community awareness of existing resources
Priority 2: Collaborate within the county to secure funding for existing programs that are making a positive impact on the youth and families.
Priority 3: Promoting healthy lifestyles through health fairs, recreational programs, drug and alcohol prevention, abstinence, and various health related programs
POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS:
Recommendation 1: Adequate funding for public education including funding for a truancy officer and mental health social worker in each county
Recommendation 2: Increase funding for rural public transportation
Recommendation 3: Increased funding for substance abuse treatment facilities
Recommendation 4: Legislation to develop and provide permanent funding for family resource centers in every county
Recommendation 5: Increase state residential mental health treatment beds for children
Recommendation 6: Increase funding for after-school programs
Recommendation 7: Encourage
Recommendation 8: As an alternative to detaining
juveniles, expand or develop day treatment centers for adolescents in each
county.