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In
this issue of our newsletter, you’ll read about important
developments in two major policy areas in which our foundation has
been closely involved. First, our new secretary of the Department
of Juvenile Justice has announced a Blueprint Commission that is
holding statewide meetings that will give shape to reforms for the
department. This issue is so crucial that a major national foundation
– the JEHT Foundation – has agreed to match the contributions
from Florida foundations. The eyes of the nation are watching what
this commission does. We hope that its final product will form a
thoughtful agenda to address the issues that have bedeviled the
department for too long. Then, it will be up to our state policymakers
– the governor and the legislature – to make sure the
plan is funded during the next legislative session. 
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Jared,
12, showing his water table project. |
Great Explorations, The Children’s Museum has had a long tradition
of serving at-risk youth, and thanks to a grant from the Eckerd
Family Foundation, the museum is expanding that effort through its
Foster Great Futures program for youth in foster care and those
aging out of care. Started in 2006, Foster Great Futures allows
youth and children to explore careers in education, youth development,
business and museum management, exhibit and program design and construction
through mentoring, job shadowing, and direct experience. Foster
Great Futures will reach an estimated 1,275 youth, ages 7 to 25.
Teens will be targeted from Connected by 25, a program funded by
the Eckerd Family Foundation to help young adults successfully transition
from foster care. The museum also will reach out to young people
at Children’s Home, Salvation Army Children’s Village,
Academy Prep and other organizations. The museum’s web site
is www.greatex.org.
[read the rest of the spotlight story]
Blueprint Commission to Recommend Reforms to Juvenile Justice System
The
secretary of the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ), Walter
McNeil, recently announced the gubernatorial appointments of 25
members to the new Florida Blueprint Commission that will recommend
reforms to the state’s juvenile justice system. The commission,
comprised of community leaders, juvenile justice stakeholders and
policy experts, is supported by the Eckerd Family Foundation, the
national JEHT Foundation and the Jessie Ball duPont Fund to address
the concerns about alarming trends in Florida’s juvenile justice
system. The commission carefully will examine Florida’s system
and will recommend a plan to reflect the guiding principles of the
department’s new mission statement.
The Blueprint
Commission is holding public hearings in six cities this fall: Fort
Lauderdale, Jacksonville, Orlando, Fort Myers, Tampa and Pensacola.
Invited to participate are state and national experts on juvenile
justice trends and best practices, as well as local community and
advocacy group leaders. The hearings also will include evening town
hall meetings to gain citizen input. In January, the commission
will present Gov. Charlie Crist and the Florida Legislature with
a report of its findings and recommendations. This report is expected
to decisively influence and guide the DJJ’s future reform
of the state’s juvenile justice system.
Governor
Crist Appoints 15 to New Children’s Cabinet 
Gov. Charlie Crist has tapped 15 experts from an array of youth-related agencies and advocacy groups to the new Children and Youth Cabinet. The governor also named Lt. Governor Jeff Kottkamo as the chairman of the cabinet, which will be a council within the Executive Office of the Governor.
Cabinet members are responsible for creating a strategic plan to improve coordination, collaboration, and improved service delivery among and within the various state agencies that serve Florida’s children. The cabinet will meet publicly six times a year across the state. The cabinet will provide the governor and the state legislature with an annual report that is expected to guide state policy and practice on issues affecting Florida’s youth.
The Children and Youth Cabinet grew out of the Florida Children’s Summit in October 2006, which brought together more than 1,000 community leaders, policy makers and advocates and was supported by the Eckerd Family Foundation. After the Summit, Senator Nan Rich (D-Sunrise) and Representative Loranne Ausley (D-Tallahassee) sponsored legislation to create the cabinet, which the Governor signed earlier this year.
New Child Trends Report Examines Data on Florida’s Most Vulnerable Youth
Far
too many Florida youth are likely to enter adulthood without the
basic education and life skills that are essential for them to become
engaged and contributing community members, according to a new report
commissioned by the Eckerd Family Foundation. The report, Spotlight
on Florida’s Youth At Risk: An In-Depth Look at their Transition
to Adulthood, is a response to the need for accurate data,
which was highlighted at the 2006 Florida Children’s Summit,
when more than 1,000 community leaders, legislators, advocates and
policymakers prioritized public policy issues and concerns about
Florida’s children and youth. The new report was written by
Child Trends researchers Richard Wertheimer and Astrid Atienza.
The report will be released and posted on the Eckerd web site later
this month. 
The report provides data and analyzes the socio-demographic characteristics of Florida youth in eight categories: Out-of-School Youth, Disconnected Youth, Young Welfare Recipients, Youth Living in Foster Care, Youth Offenders Committed for Delinquency, Youth with Behavioral Problems, Youth with Physical Health Problems and Youth with Mental Health Problems. The report also assesses the seriousness of the risks associated with each group.
Gov. Crist Signs Foster Care Transition Bill
Gov.
Charlie Crist, seen here with Rep. Rich Glorioso (R-62) and Linda
Lee, 17, a senior at Plant City High School, signs a new foster
care law in early August. The new law, sponsored by Glorioso, expands
the state’s authority to monitor and investigate the welfare
of all children, particularly youth transitioning out of foster
care at 18. The new law provides Medicaid to young adults from foster
care until age 21. The signing was done at Connected by 25, an initiative
supported by the Eckerd Family Foundation to improve outcomes for
youth in foster care.
Eckerd Family Foundation Program Officer Testifies on Capitol Hill
Jane Soltis, program officer at the Eckerd Family Foundation, testified in June before the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Income Security and Family Support, focusing on youth who age out of foster care. Also testifying were youth and child welfare experts, including Gary Stangler, executive director of the Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative. To read Soltis’s testimony, click here.
Check Out Two New
Reports on Foster Care on Our Web Site
Florida’s
Children First, Inc., recently released a brief, Frequently
Asked Questions for Foster Youth Transitioning to Adulthood.
The publication compiles an extensive list of 50 frequently-asked
questions in 15 categories, such as “transition, education
& career plans” and “road to independence program.”
The publication was supported by the Eckerd Family Foundation, the
Florida Bar Foundation and the Department of Children and Families.
To read the full publication, click here.
The
Department of Children and Families and its community Partners have
released a new brochure, Rights and Expectations for Children
and Youth in Shelter or Foster Care. The booklet explains the
rights of children, such as the right to be heard in court and to
medical care, and covers what children should expect from the department
– from permanency to safety. To read the full brochure, click
here.
The Eckerd Family Foundation is committed to promoting meaningful and lasting change to transform the lives of vulnerable youth and their families. The foundation's mission provides leadership and support for innovative educational, preventative, therapeutic and rehabilitative programs for children, youth and their families. The foundation awarded these new grants in August:
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT:
Bascom-Louise
Gallery
$200,000
Highlands, N.C.
A capital challenge grant for construction of the Children’s
Studio Gallery serving the Highlands Plateau region of North Carolina
and for the creation of a student teaching and mentoring program
for the organization’s young artist population. The Children’s
Studio will house the Young Artists Program and display youth artwork.
The mentoring pilot program will encourage the artistic growth of
youth and university art students. The grant honors the memory of
Ruth Eckerd and her interest in young people in Highlands.
Clothes
To Kids
$75,000
Clearwater, Fla.
Provides organizational development support to this all-volunteer
program, supplying more than 11,250 low-income youth with new and
quality used school clothing in Pinellas County over the last three
years. The organization receives donations of clothing and goods
from the community, supporters, program partners and volunteers
and operates, with the support of the local Macy’s store,
a new 5,000-square-foot store to better serve clients. The award
supports the search and hiring of an executive director. foster
care
EDUCATION:
Nativity
Preparatory School of Wilmington
$360,000
Wilmington, Del.
Providing one fully endowed scholarship to this tuition-free, faith-based,
private middle school for boys, ages 10-14, from low-income families.
Nativity Prep is a member of the Nativity Schools Network, following
the model of an inner-city school teaching ethics, leadership skills
and traditional academics. The school targets average to above-average
children who have been identified as high risk and attempts to help
children with high potential for success but face the greatest risk
of being lost in the system. The school pledges it will be available
as a resource to the child throughout his entire education.
FOSTER CARE:
Community-Based
Care of Brevard/ Connected by 25
$199,750
West Melbourne, Fla.
Funding the year-one implementation of the Connected by 25 project
in Brevard County for youth transitioning out of foster care. The
Cby25 Brevard Project will provide enhanced services to foster youth
ages 13-25. The implementation plan is based on extensive work completed
in the environmental scan and strategic planning process that involved
six separate focus groups in which young adults and community members
identified barriers and solutions in the six areas of critical need.
CBC of Brevard is the single point of organizational accountability
for developing and managing the system of care to achieve desired
outcomes for children and families in Brevard County.
YOUTH DEVELOPMENT:
Great
Explorations
$100,000
St. Petersburg, Fla.
Ongoing support for Foster Great Futures, a comprehensive youth
outreach project targeting foster children and at-risk children
including teens aging out of the foster care system, by giving them
opportunities and tools to adapt Great Explorations to serve their
own needs and interests. Through mentoring, job shadowing and direct
experience, children and youth explore careers in education and
youth development; business and museum management; exhibit and program
design as well as construction. The program expects to engage 1,275
youth from the ages of 7 to 25 throughout the year.
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| Editors | |||
| Ed Hatcher | ed@thehatchergroup.com | ||
| Angie Cannon | angie@thehatchergroup.com | ||
| The Hatcher Group | http://www.thehatchergroup.com | ||
| 301-656-0348 | |||
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