How CSC Makes a Difference
Healthy, Safe, Strong
Children's Services Council, an independent district created by Palm Beach County voters specifically to meet the needs of Palm Beach County's children, is a unique entity. The Council provides leadership, funding and research on behalf of Palm Beach County's children, so they are born healthy, growing up safe and ready to learn when they enter school.
How do we do this?
We outline clearly defined goals and partner with local nonprofit and government agencies, who then employ best practices in providing services to children and their families.
The end result?
Children are given the fundamental tools for success, so they will be much less likely to:
This does more than save us all money. It gives us peace of mind and provides the foundation for a strong, safe community we are all proud to live in.
Need more proof?
Healthy
Palm Beach County taxpayers saved millions in health care costs in 2010 by helping to ensure that more babies were born healthy.
Why does this matter? Because just one very low-birthweight baby can amass more than $100,000 in hospital costs in the first year of life. But you’re helping to make a difference. In 2009-2010, 13.5% of high-risk pregnant women who received services funded by Children’s Services Council had a low-birthweight baby, compared to 22.5% of high-risk women who did not receive CSC-funded services.
Safe
Palm Beach County taxpayers helped keep children safe. In fact, 99.9% of children whose families participated in a prevention program funded by Children’s Services Council were kept out of the child welfare system for at least a year.
Why does this matter? When children grow up safe, everybody wins. Safe, secure children are much more likely to be emotionally, socially and academically ready for school – and for life. And Palm Beach County taxpayers save $23,000 a year, on average, for every child who doesn’t end up in foster care.
Strong
Palm Beach County taxpayers helped prepare more children for school. More than 70% of children in a Quality Counts voluntary pre-k program scored ready for kindergarten in 2010, compared to 65% of their peers countywide.
Why does this matter? Children who are ready to learn when they enter kindergarten are more likely to be reading on grade level by the end of 3rd grade, which makes them more likely to graduate high school and grow up to be productive adults. In 2009-2010, nearly 170 child care providers serving more than 11,000 children participated in Quality Counts, a quality improvement rating system supported by Children’s Services Council and other community partners.
Successful
Communities that invest in early childhood development see a 10% annual rate of return on their money, according to Nobel Laureate Economist James Heckman.
This kind of investment in our young children today increases future workforce skills, raises productivity and assures America’s competitiveness in the global economy. And that makes us all stronger.