SOAR

Location: King County, WA

SOAR is the community coalition that advances the healthy development of children, youth & families in King County. Doing work that no single agency can accomplish alone, SOAR builds and strengthens effective partnerships and aligns community strategies to support children and youth (birth-18). SOAR is an initiative of the community and works to create alignment between systems, sectors, organizations, providers and practice to ensure children succeed in school and in life.

Highlights:

SOAR is a partnership of business and community leaders, grant makers, organizations, schools, governments, parents and faith-based groups in Seattle and King County. SOAR's Partnership Council and partner groups guide its direction and growth as a community-wide initiative.

Overall Goals:

• Improve the quality of information and support for parents.
• Improve the school readiness of children.
• Improve the quality and affordability of early learning and childcare.
• Improve the quality and affordability of afterschool programs and youth development.

Action Agenda Goals:

Early Childhood and School Readiness Action Agenda

• Nurturing: Children have strong bonds and nurturing relationships with their parents/guardians and other significant adults in their lives
• Prevention/Early Intervention: Children and families most in need of services to help their development get high-quality, affordable and culturally competent services early.
• Early Care and Education: Children and families have access to high-quality, affordable and culturally competent early care and early education.
• Successful Transitions: Children are prepared, from infancy, for a successful transition into school by the adults in their lives, working in concert with their communities and schools.

School Age Children and Youth Action Agenda

• Access to Quality Out-of-School Programs: Children and youth have full and safe access to local, quality, engaging and culturally relevant programs that help them succeed in school and in life.
• Meaningful Roles: Children and youth have culturally relevant and age-appropriate opportunities to be leaders, decision makers, and engaged members of a community that values them.
• Meaningful Relationships: Children and youth have positive, healthy, and nurturing relationships with caregivers, family, peers, mentors, program staff, and their community; these relationships guide and inspire them toward success.
• Resiliency & Valued Identities: Children and youth build resiliency and participate safely, without experiencing or expressing bias, as valued members of diverse, conscientious communities.

Action Teams: 

Action Teams transform goals into actions across the county. The strategies planned and implemented range from public awareness to community-based projects to impacting policy changes. The action team members represent organizations serving children and youth, businesses, grant makers, schools, governments and faith-based groups countywide, plus parents and community leaders.

SOAR policy guidance and investments have leveraged over $1,750,000 from community partners to advance the goals of SOAR Action Agendas.

The Future

• With SOAR partners, promote strategies and secure resources to sustain existing progress and further advance the goals of respective Action Agendas.
• Accredit 700 family childcare homes by 2014.
• Expand “play & learn” model and other support services to 7,600 family, friend and neighbor caregivers.
• Evaluate and expand School/Neighborhood Team model to all 19 King County school districts.
• Facilitate partnerships among school districts, early childhood educators, and parents to work together to implement school readiness and transition programs.
• Universal access to developmental screenings for children Birth-3 at critical age intervals.
• Expand afterschool opportunities for school-age children and youth.
• Expand service learning opportunities for school age children and youth.
• Assure that every child and youth in King County that needs a mentor will have one.

Links:

• SOAR - http://childrenandyouth.org/index.html

Submitted by Jason Lacoste on: Tuesday, September 13, 2011 - 3:33 pm

Tags for this entry:
community, early childhood, partnerships, soar