by Michael Karpman

As its investment in children and youth has soared six-fold over the past six years, the City of Philadelphia is achieving remarkable improvements in the health, safety and educational achievement of its young people. Since 2000, the city has increased this investment (including reallocation of state and federal dollars) from $15 million to more than $90 million.

?When I took office in the year 2000, I made a commitment to the children and youth of this city that my administration would expend unprecedented resources and political capital in an effort to improve their overall quality of life,? said Philadelphia Mayor John F. Street. ?Six years into the effort, we continue to uphold our commitment.?

Making an Impact
That commitment has made a positive impact from prenatal care to early childhood to high school graduation.

To strengthen families and support parents with young children, the city has increased the portion of its Department of Human Services budget going toward prevention from 2 percent to 13 percent. This shift led to the creation of parenting, family support and home visitation programs that have reached more than 4,000 families. The city has also invested $5 million in a fund to improve child care facilities.

Many signs point to progress. Philadelphia?s infant mortality rate has fallen 20 percent since 1997. Child abuse cases have dropped 35 percent since 1996. Cases of lead poisoning have been cut in half since 2000, while the number of children with age-appropriate immunizations has reached its highest level in six years.

There have been significant decreases in the number of youth arrested for major crimes and in births to unmarried teens. The percentage of children entering public school with some formal early care and education rose from 63 percent in 2001-2002 to 72 percent in 2003-2004.

Perhaps the largest success has been the city?s investment in afterschool programs. Leveraging federal and state dollars (such as TANF, 21st Century Community Learning Center grants and state child welfare funds) to be combined with municipal funding, the city provided 44,000 more students with afterschool services.

The $90 million ? of which approximately $5 million are city dollars ? increase in funding has created more than 150 new afterschool programs through schools, churches and community organizations, as well as over twenty school-based beacon programs and nine additional teen centers that provide youth with a safe haven for learning and recreation.

A recent analysis shows that Philadelphia?s juvenile crime has dropped more rapidly between 3:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. than at other times of the day since 2000. And graduation rates and dropout rates have also shown signs of improvement.

Philadelphia continues to face the challenge of reducing juvenile crime and homicide of youth through its nationally-recognized Youth Violence Reduction Partnership, which combines tough enforcement with positive supports to keep the highest risk young offenders from involvement in murder or violent crime.

Recent years have also witnessed consistent attention to the needs of older youth. For instance, the city?s Achieving Independence Center partners with community groups to provide older teens leaving foster care with custom-designed service plans that include job training, education, mentoring, employment and skills for self-sufficiency.

This spring, Philadelphia will be one of eight cities profiled for their vibrant collaborations for older youth in a new NLC document.

Why It?s Working
Several factors have been integral to Philadelphia?s accomplishments in improving outcomes for youth. The city?s collaboration with Philadelphia Safe and Sound, which works to promote reform within public systems serving youth, has shaped a new approach to monitoring the impact of its investments.

Essential to this approach is the use of data and research to drive policy, identify needs and track progress on measurable outcomes over a sustained period of time.

Safe and Sound releases a Children?s Report Card each year to track 26 different indicators of children?s health, safety, academic achievement, risky behaviors and family stability.

The report card helps hold government, corporations, child advocates and citizens accountable. It also informs the city?s investment in research-based prevention programs, which are monitored in a biennial Children?s Budget.

Philadelphia now uses a sophisticated geographical information system to map health and safety indicators and resources by neighborhood.

The city is also developing an integrated data program so that public social service agencies, the school district and the police department can share information about clients across departments, allowing for greater analysis and strategic planning.

While challenges remain, municipal officials and local civic leaders are optimistic about the prospects for sustained improvement.

?Clearly, the investments we have made in proven prevention programs are paying off,? said Safe and Sound CEO Anne Shenberger. ?Our younger kids, in particular, are getting better, healthier starts in life.?

Details: For more information on Philadelphia?s investment in youth, visit www.phila.gov, and to view the Children?s Report Card, visit www.philasafesound.org.

To learn more about municipal efforts to strengthen families and support youth, visit www.nlc.org/iyef or contact Michael Karpman at (202) 626-3072 or karpman@nlc.org.