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Message from the MayorI am glad that you have chosen to visit this website. It indicates that you are vitally interested in what I perceive to be our most precious commodity – our children.
About 2,000 children start kindergarten each year in Richmond. Too many of them do so without the necessary social, emotional and school readiness skills needed to experience success in school. The ultimate result is young people with poor academic performance, who are prone to truancy and a higher likelihood of dropping out, and with fewer skills to offer employers. Ultimately, this leads to greater crime, higher public expenditures, and a workforce with too many individuals that are ill-prepared to compete for family-sustaining jobs, acquire advanced workplace skills, or contribute to the community in a positive way.
My vision for the Year 2020 is a Richmond that has broken the endless cycles of poverty, violence, crime, joblessness, and aberrant behavior. And I believe that breaking these cycles begins with our children. As was noted in the Report of the Mayor’s Human Services Committee – Vision 2020, the city funds and provides a number of programs for children and families. Most City services, however, are focused on older children after there are major problems. It is essential that interventions take place earlier in children’s lives to avert these problems.
The Early Childhood Development Initiative is bringing together actors from across the sectors to ensure that all children 0 – 5 are healthy, well cared for and ready to succeed in school. Strategies related to public awareness, quality child care, home visitation, parent education and evaluation will help us to break the endless cycles.
I encourage you to participate with me in this significant undertaking. If you are a parent, grandparent or other caretaker of a young child, please read the home page and take advantage of the family and parent education services that are available. If you are in the private sector, please consider the unique contributions that you may be able to bring to this initiative. And if you are part of our government, education and nonprofit communities, please join me in spirit and in committed action to making the bold changes that will be necessary to protect, support and nurture our most precious commodity – our children.
L. Douglas Wilder
Mayor of Richmond |
If you have questions about…
Services in the Richmond Area for Children and Families |
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Information and Guidance on Raising Children |
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Opportunities to Develop Parenting Skills |
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