Allegheny County Children's Fund Working Group Community Meetings
The work of the Allegheny County Children’s Fund Working Group is now complete, and County Executive Rich Fitzgerald released Working Group’s Recommendations Report and a summary of the Public Engagement process on October 22, 2019.
The Working Group recommended the creation of a new county department dedicated to children as well as an annual investment of up to $20 million to support high-quality early learning and out-of-school-time programs. The Working Group found that there are significant gaps in equitable access and recommends that a focus on improving the quality of the system would provide significant benefit to the community.
The report proposes a mission and vision for a children’s fund, and sets forth core principles including equity, access, quality and accountability. In addition to setting forth the need for a children’s fund, the report set an annual goal that more children in Allegheny County can access high quality programming as well as a long-term goal of seeing systemic improvements for children in Allegheny County.
Press Release and Reports
Click on the images below to download the County Executive's October 22, 2019 press release about the Working Group's recommendations, the Recommendations Report, and the Public Engagement Summary. These materials are also accessible on the County Executive's website.
Press Release from County Executive
Working Group Recommendations Report
Public Engagement Summary
The Public Engagement Process
As detailed in the Public Engagement Summary, the Public Engagement process included a set of Community Meetings and an online survey to gather the input of parents, caregivers, and providers throughout Allegheny County. A set of focus groups and a "meeting-in-a-box" to gather youth input were also a part of the process. The Working Group thanks all of the community members who were a part of this process for their valuable input: your perspectives brought these issues to life.
Community Meetings
Six Community Meetings were held around Allegheny County in Spring 2019 to collect public input about a potential Children's Fund:
| Meeting Name | Meeting Date | Meeting Location |
|---|---|---|
| City Meeting | May 30, 2019 | Jeron X Grayson Center, Hill Distict |
| West Meeting | June 3, 2019 | The Landing Community Center, Moon Township |
| South Meeting | June 4, 2019 | Bethel Park Community Center |
| North Meeting | June 5, 2019 | Shaler North Hills Library |
| East Meeting | June 12, 2019 | Founders Hall Middle School, McKeesport |
| Spanish-Language Meeting | June 18, 2019 | YWCA Building, Downtown |
Community Meeting Presentation
Here is the presentation that was given at the Community Meetings:
Online Survey
The Allegheny County Children’s Fund Working Group also developed three online surveys (one for parents/caregivers, one for parents/caregviers in Spanish, and one for providers) to collect the input of families, caregivers, and educators who were unable to attend one of the Community Meetings in person.
About the Allegheny County Children’s Fund Working Group
County Executive Rich Fitzgerald convened the Allegheny County Children’s Fund Working Group in March 2019 for an intensive six-month process. At that time, he outlined the purpose of the group:
“Ensuring that the children in Allegheny County have the best services available to them is important to me and is why I’ve put this working group together. Children who have access to quality early childhood learning have improved social skills, better grades, and enhanced attention spans. Children who have access to after school programs do better in school, have fewer behavioral problems, and do not become involved with crime as young adults,” said Fitzgerald. “We want that for all of our children. The effort last year resulted in having more than 250,000 voters say yes; this is important to them too. And many other voters wanted to know more – which is why I’ve convened this group, to help all of us put together what a countywide program can look like.”
Follow what happens next with the Working Group's recommendations at the County Executive's website or by contacting your member of Allegheny County Council.