Childrens Agenda Inc

Programs: Promotes research-based change for the health and well-being of children in monroe county (new york). It is the vision of the organization that every child in our community thrives with a healthy body, mind and spirit. The children's agenda was created by community leaders in 2004 to fill a vacuum in monroe county for advocacy for evidence-based policies and programs proven to best help children, free of any funding from government or service providers, across the entire continuum of children's needs, prenatally until early adulthood. (continued on schedule o)basing our advocacy role on best science rather than best intentions, we combine expertise in what works with dogged advocacy around what's best for kids. We are the only local organization whose advocacy successfully leverages millions in public funding and shapes policies that support the entire infrastructure of our area's proven service providers for children, without providing a particular service, program or approach ourselves. Advocacy for evidence-based programsthe children's agenda maintains an advocacy network of nearly 2,000 citizens concerned about the well-being of rochester's kids. Through this network and in direct relationship with local officials and decision-makers, we advocate for effective, evidence-based programs that are proven to make a difference in the lives of children. Key areas of interest are the nurse-family partnership, the coping power violence prevention program, out-of-school programming, early childhood education, public education, and healthy weight. Community collaborationthe children's agenda fosters collaborative community ownership of children's issues and solutions through our participation in several policy and advocacy tables including roc the future, the early childhood development initiative (ecdi), the greater rochester after-school alliance (grasa), plover ("perinatal leaders for outreach, visitation, evaluation and referral"), an urban violence issue group, a coalition of runaway and homeless youth service providers and advocates, and a convening spearheaded by state assembly majority leader joe morelle. In addition, the children's agenda, in collaboration with the greater rochester health foundation, has launched an effort to accelerate progress in childhood obesity prevention in the greater rochester area and to reinvigorate the community's commitment to improve children's healthy weight. As part of this work, the children's agenda will establish a healthy weight convening council. Budget analysiseach year the children's agenda analyzes local budgets for their impacts on local children. Current analyses include the city of rochester budget, the monroe county budget, and the new york state budget. Effect transformational change for kidsthe children's agenda works with community members to identify ways to make long-term transformational policy change that will transcend the ebb and flow of changing budgets and political administrations.