[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 148 (2002), Part 14]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 19649]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




    CHILDREN'S NETWORK OF SOLANO COUNTY CELEBRATES 20TH ANNIVERSARY

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                           HON. GEORGE MILLER

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, October 8, 2002

  Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, we rise today to invite 
our colleagues to join us in recognizing the Children's Network of 
Solano County as it celebrates its 20th anniversary.
  Since its inception in 1982, the Children's Network has worked to 
improve the lives of children in Solano County. Once an organization 
that focused primarily on low-income and foster children, the 
Children's Network has evolved into the leading voice for all young 
people in Solano County. It is the convener of California's first and 
among its most effective inter-agency coordinating councils dedicated 
to improving the lives of children.
  The Children's Network works to educate people in Solano County about 
the needs of children and to bring together those who can help achieve 
the best outcomes for kids. In promoting the health, education, and 
well-being of all children in the county, the Children's Network 
conducts and disseminates research, offers training, administers 
grants, coordinates county agencies, advocates for policy changes at 
all levels of government, and works to improve the efficiency and 
effectiveness of county services for children and families.
  The Children's Network partners with a variety of private and public 
organizations to improve the lives of local children. Through contracts 
with Solano County, the Children's Network also provides staff 
support--such as budget development, research, training and 
administrative support--for three councils appointed by the Board of 
Supervisors (Children's Network Council, Child Abuse Prevention 
Council, and the Child Care Planning Council), as well as for a network 
of the county's Family Resource Centers.
  Accomplishments of the Children's Network include:
  Developed and helped foster successful passage of a California state 
law permitting funding for ``family preservation,'' which provides 
support and allows appropriate families to stay together in cases where 
children might otherwise be placed in foster care.
  Provided the leadership to establish the Solano County Children's 
Trust Fund, which raises more than $100,000 annually for child abuse 
prevention services in Solano County.
  Worked to create a system of Family Resource Centers, which provide 
family support services in every city in the county for more than 4,000 
at-risk families each year.
  Advocated successfully for the county to maintain and increase the 
amount of money available for child care for families in the state's 
welfare-to-work program, who today receive more than $8 million 
annually in child care subsidies.
  Persuaded the County Board of Supervisors and all seven local city 
councils to adopt a set of Policy Principles that provide a framework 
for successful delivery of children's services.
  Convinced the Board of Supervisors to adopt the goal of improving the 
lives of children as its top priority for 2001-2003.
  Provided child development training and/or stipends to more than 400 
early education professionals to support high quality child care in the 
first year of the Compensation and Retention Encourage Stability 
(CARES) program.
  Helped develop and coordinate the Integrated Family Support 
Initiative, a home-visiting program that allowed for nearly 1,000 
visits to isolated, at-risk families in its first year, 2001.
  Raised awareness of children's needs through publication of The 
Children's Budget and The Children's Report Card, which drew attention 
to state and federal funding shortfalls that affect local families and 
provided data for grant proposals, thereby increasing funds for local 
children's services.
  Organized an annual Child Abuse Prevention Conference that has 
provided high-caliber training to approximately 900 government 
officials, parents, service providers and community members for each of 
the last four years.
  Current activities of the Children's Network include:
  Researching and publishing The Children's Budget, a series examining 
how government funding for children is allocated and spent in Solano 
County, and The Children's Report Card, a compilation of data about the 
county's successes, challenges, and progress in serving children.
  Involving parents and community members in forums to discuss what can 
be done to improve the lives of children.
  Established a strong child advocacy and fund-raising presence in 
Solano County as the action arm of the first children's inter-agency 
coordinating councils in the state.
  Seeking creative budget strategies in partnership with county 
agencies to achieve better, more efficient, and more effective 
investments in services for children and families.
  Encouraging officials at the local and state levels to consider the 
needs of children in policy decisions.
  Administering the county's program to provide stipends and child 
development training for child care professionals.
  Coordinating a home-visiting program present in all Family Resource 
Centers to provide family support countywide.
  Mr. Speaker, we know we speak for all the members of the House of 
Representatives when we congratulate the Children's Network for twenty 
years of effective advocacy on behalf of children in Solano County.

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