In August 2006, HB 289 was signed into law by then Governor Robert Taft. HB 289 was a budget bill that provided an update to the FCFC statute §121.37. Under the bill, local Councils must develop an annual report by measuring Child Well Being (CWB) indicators related to the six state commitments.
The six commitments are:
- Expectant Parents and Newborns Thrive
- Infants and Toddlers Thrive
- Children Are Ready for School
- Children and Youth Succeed in School
- Children and Youth Engage in Healthy Behaviors
- Youth Successfully Transition into Adulthood
Cuyahoga County selected one indicator for the first annual report which was due July 2007. Selection of the indicator was based on the community’s ability to get good reliable data over a four-year span. In 2007, our most reliable CWB data was collected by The Office of Early Childhood/Invest in Children, the prenatal to 5 portion of the CWB continuum.
The 2007 indicator was Children 3 – 4 who are enrolled in preschool. With the approval of the full Council, the Executive Committee voted to build on education under the two commitments Children Are Ready for School and Children and Youth Succeed in School.
With the introduction of MyCom (formerly the Youth Development Initiative), we have begun collecting data to how child/youth fair as they move on along the educational continuum recognizing the additional supports needed to aid in their success.