A Project for Citizen Participation in Planning the Future of Akron

Workgroup on Services for Children

1. Objective: Increase availability of comprehensive health care to all children.
   1. Strategies:
      1. Provide affordable, accessible healthcare to include:
         1. Medical
         2. Vision
         3. Dental
         4. Mental Health
         5. Wellness Programs
         6. Prevention Programs
      2. Local lobbying for changes in legislation
      3. Increased awareness of existing healthcare programs/services
      4. Provide wellness programs for children
   2. Resources
      1. Community Resource Guide
      2. Politicians
      3. Volunteers
      4. Area hospitals and HMO’s/Insurance Providers

      5. Medical Professionals

2. Objective: Expand mental health services.
   1. Strategies:
      1. Increase quantity/quality of mental health programs
         1. Drug and alcohol prevention and treatment
         2. Anger management
         3. Suicide prevention
         4. Stress management
         5. Parenting skills programs
         6. Independent living skills for adolescents
         7. Expand medical health insurance to include mental health coverage
      2. Increase awareness of available programs in:
         1. Schools (public and private)
         2. Churches
         3. Healthcare providers
         4. Day Care Centers
      3. Increase funding for mental health programming on local, state, and national levels.
      4. Increase funding for advertisement of programs
   2. Resources:
      1. Elderly population for volunteering and mentoring
      2. Church involvement
      3. Community Resource Guide (to be developed)
      4. College students for volunteering and mentoring
      5. School guidance counselors

      6. Mental Health professionals

3. Objective: Provide safety for children
   1. Strategies:
      1. Increase availability and affordability of:
         1. Before school programs
         2. After school programs
         3. Sick care programs
         4. Summer programs
      2. Implement emergency drill programs in all schools and day care centers, to include:
         1. Weather
         2. Violence
         3. Catastrophe
      3. Increase and improve violence prevention programs in all schools and day care centers.
         1. Violence prevention education for staff, students, and parents
         2. Metal detectors, police in school
         3. Screened admittance devices or locks at all doors.
      4. Provide full time, daily youth programming during school breaks.
      5. Consider year round school schedule
      6. Provide screening process for media influences
         1. Television
         2. Internet
         3. Radio
      7. Provide swim lessons to underprivileged children
      8. Provide safety, baby-sitting and "home alone" courses for children
      9. Provide Independent Living Workshops for adolescents
         1. Time Management
         2. Life Skills
         3. Taxes and Balancing a checkbook
   2. Resources:
      1. Law Enforcement Departments
      2. Fire Departments
      3. Schools
      4. Employers
      5. American Red Cross
      6. Community Resource Guide
      7. Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts

      8. Character Counts! Akron

4. Objective: Increase availability of technology for all children
   1. Strategies:
      1. Increase public access to computers for underprivileged children
      2. Train parents of underprivileged children on computers
      3. More computers in schools
   2. Resources:
      1. Boys and Girls Clubs of Summit County

      2. Community Resource Guide

5. Objective: Improve quality of education
   1. Strategies:
      1. Improve academics
      2. Update facilities
      3. Decrease drop out rate
   2. Resources:
      1. Retirees as volunteer tutors and mentors
      2. College students as volunteer tutors and mentors

      3. Schools

6. Objective: Increase access to recreation
   1. Strategies
      1. Build a recreation/community center in Akron with a swimming pool
      2. Provide public transportation to recreation/sports facilities
      3. Focus on wellness and exercise
      4. Increase quantity of wellness programs for children
   2. Resources
      1. Community Resource Guide
      2. Boys and Girls Clubs of Summit County

      3. YMCA and YWCA

7. Objective: Develop family friendly workplaces
   1. Strategies
      1. Encourage employers to offer:
         1. Flex-time
         2. Child care
         3. Family leave
         4. Job sharing
         5. Part-time employment
         6. Flexibility
   2. Resources
      1. Akron Regional Development Board
      2. Society for Human Resource Management

      3. Character Counts! Akron

8. Objective: Develop a Family-Friendly Community Resource Guide
   1. Strategies:
      1. Guide should be published/revised annually.
      2. Guide should be available on the internet for regular updating
      3. Guide should be produced in abundance and receive widespread publicity and distribution
      4. Guide should be comprehensive in coverage of family activities, programs, and services. Suggested categories to list:
         1. recreational activities
         2. community events
         3. sports programs and facilities
         4. art and culture
         5. libraries
         6. health care programs
         7. mental health programs
         8. educational programs
         9. academic assistance programs
         10. safety courses
         11. volunteer opportunities
         12. Child care
         13. before and after school programs
         14. summer youth programs
         15. Suggested list of no- cost family activities
   2. Resources:
      1. Infoline
      2. Service organizations (i.e. Junior League, Kiwanis, Rotary Club)
      3. Senior Citizen groups (i.e. AARP)