40 Years of Impact
In 1986, Palm Beach County residents voted by a 70-30 margin to create Children’s Services Council to improve the lives of local children and their families. In 2014, local voters reauthorized CSC by a resounding 85%.
Today, CSC is one of the largest funders of programs for children in the county. Last year alone, CSC directly served more than 52,000 Palm Beach County children.
CSC is funded with property taxes, and has held the tax rate steady for three years in a row. The owner of a typical single-family home pays about $160 a year – less than 50 cents a day.
By investing in children and families early, CSC helps build a healthier, safer, stronger community for everyone – for generations to come.
A Major Funder
Children’s Services Council directly funds:
- Children’s Home Society
- Easterseals Florida
- Early Learning Coalition of PBC
- Families First of PBC
- Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition of PBC
- Literacy Coalition of PBC
- The Palm Beach County Food Bank
- United Way of PBC
- And more than 50 other local organizations
More than 725 local organizations that employ more than 1,400 people, including child care providers and afterschool programs, receive financial support annually from CSC.
Making Palm Beach County Stronger Every Day
CSC-funded programs and services mean …
More babies are born healthy, which saves lives and reduces health care costs. More than 90% of babies born to families receiving CSC-funded services were full-term (37 weeks gestation), compared to 88.9% of all PBC babies.
More young children are screened for developmental concerns, and receive needed services, so they’re ready for kindergarten. 11,534 children were screened last year, and those at risk were referred for services.
More children are safe thanks to CSC-funded swim lesson vouchers, car seats, cribs and bike helmets. Last year, CSC funded 921 car seats, 1,440 bike helmets and 1,686 swim lesson vouchers.
More parents and caregivers go to work knowing their children learning and growing in quality child care programs. To improve quality and retain high-performing staff, CSC distributed 2,280 STAR Awards ($2.59M) to early childhood education teachers
More youth are engaged in stimulating activities after school and during summer, which builds confidence and keeps children - and communities – safe. More than 32,000 children received child care, afterschool and summer camp scholarships last year.
More teens have mentors, which helps keep them on track to graduate. In fact, 5,715 youth benefited from a mentor thanks to support from CSC.
More organizations had the support they needed to grow and serve local families. With local match funding from CSC, Palm Beach County residents benefit from nearly $50 million in additional public funds.