User:Jneigel76/Snohomish County Children's Commission

The Snohomish County Children’s Commission is a group of 25 members, including two youth, appointed by Snohomish County Council to serve as advisors on issues of health, safety, and welfare of children. Commissioners are mandated by County Code to act in an advocacy role on behalf of the children of Snohomish County. Research and development work are conducted through forums, public hearings and a strong committee structure. Advocacy work is accomplished through publications, legislative efforts, active involvement in resolving local issues and monthly meetings held in public session. Members are appointed to a four-year term and represent a diversity of backgrounds, including: health and human services, law and justice, education, business and labor, children and youth, parents, minorities and concerned citizens.

Mission and Vision
Commissioners envision a society in which:

•	  All children have access to adequate health care, and opportunities to reach their optimal health

•	  All children have opportunities to contribute meaningfully to their community

•	  All children receive a quality education, tailored to their individual needs and learning styles

•	  All children live in a permanent home, where they experience safety and stability, and where they are loved unconditionally

•	  All children are safe from abuse, bullying, and the harmful effects of alcohol and other drugs

•	  All children have access to adequate nutrition and exercise for a healthy mind and body

•	  All children experience positive bonding with a parental figure, and have exposure to appropriate adult role models

•	  Decision makers routinely make abundant resources available for the needs of children and families, and consider the best interests of children and families in all decisions

Additionally, each Commissioner appointed by the County Council has agreed to enhance children's lives by attending the regularly scheduled Children's Commission meetings; representing the Commission in the community; actively participating in children's legislation; and participating in forums, events, trainings, or projects sponsored by the Commission.

Commissioners have pledged to respect and support the children and families in Snohomish County by taking action to:

•	  Enrich their relationships with children

•	  Be a positive role model for youth

•	  Make themselves available to youth

•	  Donate time or money to community organizations that enhance children's lives

•	  Be an active partner with organizations that support children and families

•	  Keep Snohomish County a safe, caring and exciting place for children and families

History
The Snohomish County Children’s Commission was created by County Ordinance in July, 1985. It was the first Children’s Commission formed in Washington State.

The Commission first met on January 8th, 1986 with 15 members in attendance and was dedicated to taking on systemic and community level issues.

Within months of the Commissions formation, Snohomish County found itself at the center of national media attention when three-year-old City of Everett boy, Eli Creekmore, died after his small intestine ruptured from being kicked in the stomach by his father.

County Executive Willis Tucker called for the Children’s Commission to investigate the death, which ultimately led Governor Boothe Gardner to convene an independent committee to review the Creekmore incident with an eye toward what went wrong with the responsiveness of the state system to children in peril. Governor Gardner said, “[An] outside review by qualified experts can only help us. The death of any child is a tragedy, but particularly so if there are steps that could be taken to prevent that death. We want to be absolutely certain that we’re doing everything in our power to prevent this from happening again.”

Projects initiated by the Commission have had significant impact on Snohomish County. Discussions for a central child advocacy center began in 1986 and finally came to fruition in the form of Dawson Place in 2005.

Cocoon House’s Teen Advocate Program, which serves homeless and transient youth, grew out of the Youth on Their Own Conference hosted by the Children’s Commission in 1989.

In 1990, Snohomish County established its Child Care Resource and Referral Network because of the efforts of the Commission’s Task Force on Teen Pregnancy. The Commission was staffed by future Washington State House Representative Ruth Kagi.

The Imagine Children’s Museum in downtown Everett, voted "Best Museum for Kids, 2005" by Seattle Magazine, came from the work of the Commission’s Quality of Life Committee in 1991.

The annual Links and Alliances Conference, formed in 1998 to provide support to gay and lesbian youth seeking safer environments in school and the community, was also initially a project of the Children’s Commission.

Recently, the Children’s Commission played an integral role in mobilizing Snohomish County to engage in the five-day Seeds of Compassion gathering in Seattle, WA from April 11 to 15, 2008. Conceived by his holiness the 14th Dali Lama, Seeds of Compassion was an unprecedented gathering to engage the hearts and minds of the community by highlighting the vision, science and programs of early social, emotional and cognitive learning.

The Commission has also held fast to a tradition of integrating youth voice, including immigrant and historically underrepresented youth, in all of their projects.

Initiatives and Subcommittees
From legislative advocacy to Early Learning, Children’s Commissioners have influenced the county’s response to the most significant issues affecting children and families for the past 23 years. Snohomish County ECEAP, Challenge Day, Dawson Place Child Advocacy Center, Systems 101 Training Days, the Parent Fair, Video Game Violence Toolkit, the We Value Kids Table, the Youth Crisis Resource Card (and much more) all came about from work initiated by the Snohomish County Children's Commission.

Currently, the Commission is engaged in the following initiatives:

40 Developmental Assets Committee - The Assets Committee promotes the use of Search Institute's 40 Developmental Assets in Snohomish County, the most widely used approach to positive youth development in the United States.

Community Juvenile Justice Committee (CJJC) - The CJJC has existed as a collaboration between Snohomish County's Juvenile Court, Human Services Department and community stakeholders since 1991. The group works to identify local juvenile justice needs, advocate for system improvements, and facilitate the coordination of juvenile justice and delinquency prevention efforts in Snohomish County. The CJJC promotes evidence-based practices as identified by the Governor's Juvenile Justice Advisory Committee (GJJAC), the Washington State Institute for Public Policy (WSIPP), and the Federal Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP). Current efforts are focused on examining juvenile justice issues and reducing service gaps for youth, particularly gang prevention/intervention, mental health issues, gender-focused detention services, juvenile crime trends and disproportionate minority contact.

Early Learning Committee (ELC) - The ELC developed a strategic plan aligned with the Washington State Kids Matter framework and the regional early learning strategic plan being implemented by Northwest Educational Service District #189. It is currently developing a business plan for the group with a Foundation for Early Learning Grant. The ELC has five sub-committees, including:

•	Steering

•	Professional Development

•	Family, Friends and Neighbors

•	Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender

•	Social Emotional Wellness

Legislative Advocacy - By Ordinance, the Snohomish County Children's Commission is charged with assessing and advocating for the health and welfare of Snohomish County children ages 0-18 and with advising County government on matters relating to the needs and priorities of children. Pursuant to this charge, the Commission strongly encourages County and State decision makers to be both courageous and creative in identifying resources for essential human services; to mitigate the bureaucracy that reduces efficiency; and to promote cost effective, culturally and age-appropriate prevention programs and policies for children and youth.

Healthy Communities Committee – Members of the Healthy Communities Committee have been working with three cities in Snohomish County: Marysville, Lynnwood and Everett - on the Healthy Communities project. The project supports an environment where residents of all ages choose healthy foods and physical activity. Each community involved is working to increase opportunities for their children to eat healthier and become more active in daily physical activity. The goal is to improve Snohomish County’s Childhood obesity rates.

Prostitution Prevention Network (PPN) - The PPN is a broad-based collaborative initiative striving to develop a program to assist young persons victimized by sex-trade activities. The goal of the PPN is to transform prostitution-centered lifestyles by providing direct linkages to a comprehensive resource network of existing programs and services that include housing, treatment programs, counseling, education, individual case management, medical care, legal advocacy and other services.

Current Projects (not affiliated with any particular Committee)
The Children’s Commission identified several projects to promote that impact children in Snohomish County, including the Adverse Childhood Experiences Study, the rise of gangs and gang culture in the county and the impact of video game and media violence.

Adverse Childhood Experiences Study - The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study is one of the largest investigations ever conducted on the links between childhood maltreatment and later-life health and well-being. The ACE Study findings suggest that these experiences are major risk factors for the leading causes of illness and death as well as poor quality of life in the United States. Progress in preventing and recovering from the nation's worst health and social problems is likely to benefit from the understanding that many of these problems arise as a consequence of adverse childhood experiences.

Gangs - During the past three years street gangs have increased their presence and can now be found in nearly every community in Snohomish County. Gang violence - which includes robberies, rapes and homicides - has also increased during this time. Street gangs now have an established presence in many of our schools and parks across the county and altercations between gangs are becoming increasingly common. Members of the Children’s Commission have joined the Snohomish County Gang Community Response Team to develop a comprehensive response plan that includes outreach, intervention, prevention and suppression as a remedy for gang violence.

Video game Violence – The Children’s Commission offers free video game violence presentations to groups of any size in Snohomish County. The presentation chronicles the evolution of video game violence and offers participants and agencies suggestions on how to monitor the games their children play.