Children's Movement of Florida Update

Submitted by Vance Aloupis, Statewide Coordinator for The Children's Movement of Florida.

With the start of the 2012 legislative session upon us, The Children's Movement and its 300,000 supporters are focused on one goal: making children our state's highest priority. The Movement's legislative agenda is more focused and affordable (total cost is $28.5 million) and addresses all five of the organization's key issues:

Parent skill-building
Realizing there's nothing more important than a caring and knowledgeable parent, the Movement aims to implement a public awareness campaign and provide information to families on the importance of early development, nurturing parenting and parental involvement through "parent portals," - a statewide phone line and website in three languages.
Screening and treatment for children who may have special needs
One in every six children is a child with a special need. The Movement proposes providing on-line screening and referral tools for families, accompanied by a statewide public awareness campaign in conjunction with the above-mentioned "parent portals," as well as providing screening tools for parents and referral resources through on-line, telephone and community portals. Also, the Movement wishes to conduct an inventory of currently available treatment programs for children with special needs and develop a statewide implementation plan to ensure timely screening, diagnosis and treatment.
Voluntary pre-kindergarten
With the endorsement of the state's Board of Education, the Movement seeks to require both an evidence-based curriculum and pre-and post-assessments in every VPK classroom. On the state Department of Education website, there are 14 such curricula from which to choose. A parent deserves to know what his or her child is learning via a curriculum that we know works because of research. As for the pre- and post-assessments, they would be provided at the beginning of the "school year," and would let the teacher and the parents know where the child stands cognitive, socially and emotionally. The lead teacher, thus informed, would be better able to help each child - and all this would be shared with the parent as well.
Health insurance for all of Florida's children
One of the Movement's two private-sector initiatives, this initiative is looking to engage in cost-effective targeted enrollment efforts in the Florida KidCare program, particularly through school-based efforts and a local grassroots outreach campaign. To learn more, please contact Nick Duran at nick.duran@childrensmovementflorida.org.
Mentoring
Another private sector program, The Movement will be working with partners from around the state in the implementation of an early learning and mentoring initiative focused on reading by grade 3. The goal is to provide a reading mentor to every possible child who needs help - from VPK through the third grade. The Movement will push this call for volunteers vigorously through our 17 regional committees and the almost 300,000 Floridians we communicate with weekly. We will seek community volunteers throughout this state - from the faith community, the business executives, civic leaders, legislators, et al. To learn more, please contact John Knight at john.knight@childrensmovementflorida.org.

To learn more about The Children's Movement of Florida or to get involved in one of the two volunteer-based initiatives, please visit www.childrensmovementflorida.org.

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Children's Movement of Florida Update