EVERY CHILD-EVERY PROMISE

EVERY CHILD-EVERY PROMISE. In 2007 the COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF GREATER DUBUQUE and Mississippi Valley Promise developed the Every Child-Every Promise Initiative. In 2008 these organizers graded Dubuque a "D+" providing safe places for children. As indicators they pointed to such statics as:

                 * As many as 78n babies were born drug-affected in 2006 versus a
                   state average of 58.5

                 * Nearly 40% of area youth were overweight and 23% were obese.

                 * The number of female heads of households with children had
                   increased 24.7% in a year. 
    
                 * Violent crimes increased by more than 8% from 2005 to 2006.

                 * An estimated 10% of local mothers did not have access to
                   prenatal care during the first trimester of their pregnancy.

                 * About 40% of local 11th graders and 8% of 8th graders reported
                   drinking five or more alcoholic drinks in a row.

                 * Although 64% of parents of kindergarten children read to their
                   children from birth to age one, only 28% read to them from ages
                   1-3

Noting that community membeeraldrs had developed strategic plans for other issues including economic growth, Nancy VAN MILLIGEN called for such a plan for the city's youth. (1)

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1. Hogstrom, Erik, "Quality of Kid Climate-D+," Telegraph Herald, March 4, 2008, p. 1