The Berrien County Great Start Parent Coalition is holding a book drive during March to honor National Reading Month.  We’re collecting gently used books that will be donated to various literacy programs in the county (one being the Benton Harbor Sunrise Rotary’s Red Wagon Project).  These programs strive to put books in the homes of children whose families can’t afford them.  Countless studies show that literacy programs not only impact reading and academic skills, but also support the development of social and interpersonal skills.  In addition, early literacy is shown to have a significant impact on reducing chronic generational poverty.

You can drop off books at any Chemical Bank location in Berrien County all through the month of March, or you can contact me (rachel.wade@uwsm.org) and I’ll be happy to take them.  Our group is really passionate about literacy, and we’re hoping to collect more books than these programs will even know what to do with.  So please help us out!

The opening prayer at my church this past Sunday perfectly sums up the course that we must now embark upon as a community. The words of Marian Wright Edelman paint a vivid picture of what our end goal needs to be. Here is an excerpt:

“Grant us vision in our time. Help us to write it so large that even a runner can see it. Make it so compelling that even a cynic will pause, so convincing that a skeptic will risk trying to bring hope to others, and so inspiring that the committed will stand courageously in faith.”

My personal prayer for the Great Start Collaborative is that we craft this kind of vision, always remembering that our children are our future, and that they are counting on us. After yesterday’s meeting, I know that we’re now one step closer.

But if we want to make sure that our children don’t have to face this same kind of financial tragedy when they grow up, we need to invest now – in them.

The economic difficulties in Michigan have been devastating for many people, but none more so than our children. A report recently released by Kids Count in Michigan paints a stark picture of the future that many of our children face. Here are some troubling statistics for Berrien County:

In 2005, 27.2% of children under age 18 were living in poverty.
In 2006, 37% of the children born were born to mothers who received less than adequate prenatal care.
In 2007, 32.3% of children were on the Family Independence Program (cash assistance).
In 2007, 19.7% of children were confirmed victims of abuse or neglect.

And all of these numbers have been steadily increasing over the last several years.

But there can be a light at the end of the tunnel, if we as a community are willing to work together. This means sometimes blurring the lines between organizations and agencies to collaborate around common goals. It means looking at the challenges that we’re facing and evaluating whether current programs and services are meeting those needs. It means letting go of territorialism and realizing that failing to act now won’t just hurt our children, but the children of many generations to come.

We need to start looking at our children as an investment. The time, money, and resources we put into them and their families now won’t reap immediate rewards, but the long-term potential is staggering. Studies have proven this.

One such study is the High/Scope Perry Preschool study conducted in Ypsilanti in the early 1960s, which offered high-quality services to 140 black children. The two-year cost per child was about $15,000. But the study found that, 40 years later, the economic return on that investment was about $244,000 per child.

We need to embrace this example, and others like it, if we ever hope to make a real, positive change in Berrien County. It is our social responsibility to build physically and emotionally healthy children, who have the proper educational and social skills, because these children are our future. We can turn a blind eye as families in our community struggle, but understand that doing so will be at our own peril.

The fact is that for every dollar invested in high-quality, comprehensive programs that support children and their families from birth, there is a $7-$10 return to society in decreased need for special education services, higher graduation and employment rates, less crime, less use of the public welfare system, and better health. And as I look ahead to the future of my own children, I believe that’s an investment worth making.

Rachel Wade, Director
Great Start Collaborative of Berrien County