Stand Up for All Marin's Kids How to Make Your Vote Count
←
→
Page content transcription
If your browser does not render page correctly, please read the page content below
Stand Up for All Marin’s Kids How to Make Your Vote Count On November 8th, Marin residents will go to the polls to elect mayors, town and city council candidates, school board members and other local elected officials. In addition to these local electorate races, in towns across Marin, voters will be asked to decide on a number of tax measures to support lo- cal schools, local communities and general municipal services. Like many counties around the country struggling to find stability in uncertain economic times, Marin residents will have to make tough voting decisions that will affect the long-term future of our collective communities. And, as a direct consequence, the outcomes of these elections will greatly impact the lives of children and youth in Marin—even though they can’t vote. MarinKids, an advocacy campaign for all children and youth in Marin, urges all Marin voters to stand up for all Marin’s Kids and make sure their voices are heard at candidate forums, in opinion pages, in discussions and ultimately at the polls. This election year, ask the candidates tough questions, check their answers against the data, and then, as elected officials, hold them accountable for their words. This guide contains information you can use to learn about the candidates’ positions regarding children, youth and their families. Use it at public forums, in letters, emails and phone calls to candidates. And use it to help shape your votes by first asking the question “How will this affect ALL Marin’s Kids?” Vote on November 8, 2011, and Stand Up for All Marin’s Kids.
Ask the Candidates
and Get Their Commitments
Election Day, November 8, 2011
It Takes a Village: Being Well and Learning Well:
Caring Communities Children’s Health
Caring, supportive communities are essential for the According to new research collected by Children
growth and development of healthy, happy children Now, the California Children’s Movement, “the health
and youth. Nowhere is this more important than in and well-being of California’s students have a di-
tween and adolescent years when young people rect impact on dropout rates, attendance, academic
often feel awkward and unsure of themselves and are performance and school revenues. The stakes are
in need of additional supports to manage the chal- high and current health indicators raise serious con-
lenges of middle and high school. And, when adoles- cerns. Student health is critical to our ability to reach
cents are unconnected to adults in their community, achievement goals set by the state—and to advance
bored and disengaged, they frequently turn to drugs, California’s economic and cultural prosperity. Improv-
alcohol and other forms of self-abuse. ing student health is a collective responsibility and
opportunity.”
• According to a school climate survey of over 3,000
high school students conducted by the Marin Ensuring all students have healthy basics—
County Youth Commission in May 2011, over 20% physical activity, access to care, nutritious food and
of students felt excluded or left out, 10% had been meaningful relationships—is everyone’s business.
sexually harassed, 9% had been harassed by Policymakers play a critical role in this.
phone or internet, and 4% had been beaten up. In In Marin:
addition, 29% of students felt that if they reported • 20% of students in grades five, seven
being harassed nothing would be done, and 16% and nine do not meet fitness standards for
of them said they did not know where to go for aerobic activity.
help if they were harassed.
• 27% of seventh grade students do not meet
• 26% of young people in Marin said they don’t feel healthy weight guidelines.
connected to a caring adult at school or in the
community. • 19% don’t have a healthy weight.
• Tam High School has one of the highest teen binge • 16% don’t see a dentist regularly.
drinking rates in the country. • 23% of teens are at risk for depression.
Questions: • 2,000 children do not have health insurance.
• If elected, what will you do to help the students Questions:
who have been threatened and bullied in school?
• If elected, what changes would you make at
• If elected what would you to help to ensure that a community level to ensure that all kids have
every child and youth is connected to at least one access to healthcare, nutritious food and regular
caring adult? physical activity?
• What do you think is the role of local • How will you work with county officials to ensure
government in ensuring that all children that all kids in your community have access to af-
and youth in your community are treated fordable health insurance and dental care?
with respect and dignity, and given access
• How will you work with local service providers to
to the same high quality services?
ensure all teens have access to a caring adult?
www.marinkids.org 2
Ask the candidates and get their commitments
The Early Years: High Quality Early -- Close to 1,000 families are on a waiting list for
subsidized childcare slots. Not having access to
Care and Pre-School Education affordable childcare means many parents
are unable to work or spend a high portion
of their income on childcare.
Affordable childcare
ensures parents can • In Marin, 26% of 3- and 4-year-olds don’t
work while having access attend preschool.
to safe, supportive and • In 2011, there has been a reduction of over
nurturing environments 190 subsidized childcare slots in Marin due to
for their children. Tod- State budget cuts and families losing eligibility.
dlers who receive quality
care have fewer behavior Questions:
problems and score higher
in math and reading tests • If elected what would you do to improve access
than children who attend and availability to quality and affordable childcare
low quality care. for working families?
High quality preschool increases a child’s chances of • If elected what will you do to ensure that
success in school and life. Children who attend are every child in your community has access to
less likely to be held back a grade or need special high quality pre-school education?
education. They have higher earnings and are less • How would you work with local support
likely to commit crime. agencies to help pre-school programs attract,
• According to the Marin County Childcare hire and retain qualified childcare workers and
Master Plan for 2008-2012: preschool teachers?
-- Marin County’s market rates for center-based
and family-based care for school-age, preschool
and infant care are generally higher than those in
surrounding counties.
-- From 2001 to 2005, the price to acquire center-
based care increased for all age groups, with
infant care being the most costly.
-- The high costs of doing business and living in
Marin County makes child care unaffordable for
providers and parents alike. At a cost of about
$600 to $1,200 a month per child, parent fees
for licensed child care already exceed what is
charged in neighboring Bay Area counties, yet
those fees are still not enough to pay the provid-
ers’ basic operating costs.
Be sure to vote on November 8th
to Stand Up for All Marin Kids!
3 www.marinkids.orgAsk the candidates and get their commitments
A Range of Supports: Public Schools: Education
Afterschool Programs
Higher educational attainment for all children means
higher state and local revenues, fewer people requir-
Access to affordable, quality afterschool programs
ing costly support from state and local programs and
are critical to children and families, yet the need for
greater ability to drive economic growth and innova-
programs is far from being met. State and federal cuts
tion. For individuals, education means employment,
to afterschool programs mean many children do not
self-sufficiency and opportunity.
have access to affordable programs in the neighbor-
hoods in which they live. A report on 21st century
In Marin, both the educational achievement gap
community learning centers (afterschool programs
and access to rigorous, college prep courses for all
receiving federal funds) showed that 45% of all
students are a major impediment to the long-term
participants improved their reading grades, and 41%
academic and life success of many young people.
improved their math grades.
• In Marin, 47% of high school graduates don’t
• According to the Marin County Childcare Master
complete college preparatory courses.
Plan for 2008-2012, there are more Marin children
in need of quality after school care than there are • According to the California Department of Educa-
licensed slots to accommodate them. School-age tion, the 2008 high school dropout rate in Marin
children face significant gaps and licensed provid- County for African Americans was 21% and for
ers can only serve about 49% of those in need. Latinos was 18.4%; compared to 4.3% for Whites.
• In Marin, 63% of children are not supervised • In 2009, while 81% of Marin County’s fourth grade
after school. students met or exceeded state standards in Eng-
lish language arts, 19% did not, including close to
• On school days, the hours between 3 p.m. and
50% of African American and Latino students.
6 p.m. are the peak hours for juvenile crime and
experimentation with drugs, alcohol, cigarettes • In 2009, 64% of public school third grade students
and sex. scored at or above the 50th national percentile in
reading on the CAT/6 test. But, 36% of students
• Teens who do not participate in afterschool
did not, including 61% of African American and
programs are nearly three times more likely
73% percent of Latino students. While this is the
to skip classes than teens who do participate.
best result among Bay Area counties, it still means
They are also three times more likely to use
30-40% of local children did not meet the reading
marijuana or other drugs, and they are more likely
standards.
to drink alcohol, smoke cigarettes and engage in
sexual activity.
Questions:
• Parents with children in afterschool programs
are less stressed, have fewer unscheduled • If elected, how would you work with the local
School Board and Superintendent to improve
absences and are more productive at work.
the quality of public schools in your community?
Questions: • If elected, what steps would you take to work
with the local School Board and Superintendent
• If elected what steps will you take to ensure
to make sure all children and youth in your com-
that afterschool programs locally are available
munity have access to high quality, college prep
to all children and youth in your community that
classes?
need them?
• If elected, how will you engage parents and
• What do you think are the roles of state, county
the community, and help schools engage the
and local governments in supporting high quality
community, to improve our public schools?
afterschool programs and connecting children and
youth with caring adults?
www.marinkids.org 412 Ways to Make a
Difference for ALL MarinKids
1. Register to Vote in Marin by October 24, 2011.
2. Contact your local candidates directly and ask them about their plans to
help children and families.
3. Make your donations count. Give to candidates who share your stand on
children and youth issues.
4. Volunteer for events that help others register to vote or learn about the
issues affecting children and families.
5. Write a letter to the Editor to share your views on children and youth issues.
Be brief. Be concise.
6. Join the MarinKids Movement. Sign-up for our newsletter on
www.marinkids.org. Become a Fan on Facebook - post stories, comments
or start a discussion www.facebook.com/marinkids.
On Election Day
7. VOTE!!
8. Volunteer your time to help a candidate you support.
After Election Day
9. Don’t let candidates forget promises they made in issues related to children
and youth during their campaign.
10. Stay informed and involved. The MarinKids website, www.marinkids.org,
is a good source of information, as is the MarinKids Action Guide
(marinkids.org/news/publications) or the MarinKids page on Facebook.
11. Write to newspapers and call radio shows. Speak out about what parents,
children and youth need.
12. Contribute to or volunteer for organizations that make a difference in
the lives of children and youth: schools, afterschool programs, homeless
shelters and mentoring programs.
Join the MarinKids Movement!
Like us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/marinkids
Read or comment on our posts or post your own story or question
Follow-us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/marinkids
Sign-up for our monthly E-Newsletter and stay informed:
www.marinkids.org
Contact us: Send us your thoughts, comments or questions
at info@marinkids.orgYou can also read
