100 Best Communities for Youth- 2006 Results

100 Best Communities for Young People - 2006 Results

The 100 Best Communities for Young People competition honors outstanding efforts on behalf of young people by multiple sectors of communities. In cities, suburbs, small towns and counties across the country, this annual competition is leading communities to assess their efforts, work more effectively together for young people, and share best practices.

The following Michigan Communities were recognized as outstanding communities for young people in 2006:

Greater Midland Community

Greater Midland is one of the 100 Best Communities for Young People, in part, because The Midland County Circuit Court-Family Division encourages students to stay in school and out of trouble.

Since 2001, the Court has authorized a school official at every county public school to address school attendance problems before they come to the Court’s attention. Following a Truancy Protocol, when attendance becomes an issue, the school’s truancy officer meets with the student and his/her parents to sign an attendance contract. If truancy continues, Court Services gets involved.

Since 2002, truancy petitions in Midland County have declined by nearly 40%. More importantly, juvenile crime has declined by 50% from its peak in 1998 to 2005.

For additional information, please contact:
Mayor Bruce Johnson
City of Midland
333 Ellsworth
Midland, MI 48640
Email: bjohnson@midland-mi.org
Phone: 989-837-3300

Kalamazoo

Kalamazoo is one of the 100 Best Communities for Young People, in part, because of the Kalamazoo Promise.

Funded totally by anonymous donors, The Kalamazoo Promise is a 65%-100% tuition scholarship for all students who attend and graduate from Kalamazoo Public Schools. It covers four years of tuition and fees at any public college or university in Michigan. The Scholarship is guaranteed for all students currently attending kindergarten through twelfth grade and is expected to continue indefinitely. The donors will spend approximately 2 million dollars for the first year of Promise graduates.

For additional information, please contact:
Barbara Hamilton Miller
City of Kalamazoo
241 W. South Street
Kalamazoo, MI 49007
Email: bgmiller@chartermi.net
Phone: 269-337-8047

Lenawee County

Lenawee County is one of the 100 Best Communities for Young People, in part, because of Lenawee’s CHILD, a program created approximately 4 years ago to ensure all children enter kindergarten ready to learn. Playgroups highlighting teachable moments for parents and children and home visits are a featured component of the program. Through this effort, eleven of the county’s twelve school districts established a Family Resource Center to enable parent’s opportunities to obtain resources pertinent to the growth 0-5 and education K-12 of their children.

For additional information, please contact:
Christine MacNaughton
Communities In Schools of Lenawee
1040 S. Winter
Ste. 3013
Michigan
Adrian, MI 49221
Email: macnaughtonc@michigan.gov
Phone: 517-263-4591

Marquette and Alger Counties

Marquette and Alger Counties are being selected as one of the 100 Best Communities for Young People, in part, because of how it has recently addressed the issue of teen drinking. A standing-room only Town Hall Meeting to address underage drinking on April 3, 2006, drew parents, professionals, law enforcement officials, and community leaders who attended to learn about underage drinking. The meeting resulted in Safe Prom and Graduation radio announcements with messages from young people urging peers to be smart about year-end celebrations. The Substance Abuse Coalition launched the “0013” Campaign, which gave the community a definition of reasonable alcohol consumption at public events where alcohol is served.

For additional information, please contact:
Judy Watson-Olson
Great Lakes Center for Youth Development
307 S. Front St
Marquette, MI 49855
Email: watsonolson@glcyd.org
Phone: 906-228-8919

Saginaw County

Saginaw County is one of the 100 Best Communities for Young People, in part, because of the Saginaw County Business and Education Partnership (SCBEP), which works with local organizations and schools to establish programs. Junior and senior high school students can attend an after-school program and earn school credit and the “Career Ladder” program teaches youth about careers in the region that need employees through effort including a job shadow program.

For additional information, please contact:
Stephanie Wirtz
Communities In Schools-The Answer to Saginaw County's Promise
100 S Jefferson, Ste. 201
Saginaw, MI 48607
Email: stephanie@saginawfoundation.org
Phone: 989-755-0545



About Michigan's Promise Michigan’s Sites and Communities of Promise 100 Best Communities for Young People Public Policy Red Wagon Awards Resources Promise of Michigan’s Children Contact Us	100 Best Communities for Young People - 2006 Results The 100 Best Communities for Young People competition honors outstanding efforts on behalf of young people by multiple sectors of communities. In cities, suburbs, small towns and counties across the country, this annual competition is leading communities to assess their efforts, work more effectively together for young people, and share best practices. The following Michigan Communities were recognized as outstanding communities for young people in 2006: Greater Midland Community Greater Midland is one of the 100 Best Communities for Young People, in part, because The Midland County Circuit Court-Family Division encourages students to stay in school and out of trouble. Since 2001, the Court has authorized a school official at every county public school to address school attendance problems before they come to the Court’s attention. Following a Truancy Protocol, when attendance becomes an issue, the school’s truancy officer meets with the student and his/her parents to sign an attendance contract. If truancy continues, Court Services gets involved. Since 2002, truancy petitions in Midland County have declined by nearly 40%. More importantly, juvenile crime has declined by 50% from its peak in 1998 to 2005. For additional information, please contact: Mayor Bruce Johnson City of Midland 333 Ellsworth Midland, MI 48640 Email: bjohnson@midland-mi.org Phone: 989-837-3300 Kalamazoo Kalamazoo is one of the 100 Best Communities for Young People, in part, because of the Kalamazoo Promise. Funded totally by anonymous donors, The Kalamazoo Promise is a 65%-100% tuition scholarship for all students who attend and graduate from Kalamazoo Public Schools. It covers four years of tuition and fees at any public college or university in Michigan. The Scholarship is guaranteed for all students currently attending kindergarten through twelfth grade and is expected to continue indefinitely. The donors will spend approximately 2 million dollars for the first year of Promise graduates. For additional information, please contact: Barbara Hamilton Miller City of Kalamazoo 241 W. South Street Kalamazoo, MI 49007 Email: bgmiller@chartermi.net Phone: 269-337-8047 Lenawee County Lenawee County is one of the 100 Best Communities for Young People, in part, because of Lenawee’s CHILD, a program created approximately 4 years ago to ensure all children enter kindergarten ready to learn. Playgroups highlighting teachable moments for parents and children and home visits are a featured component of the program. Through this effort, eleven of the county’s twelve school districts established a Family Resource Center to enable parent’s opportunities to obtain resources pertinent to the growth 0-5 and education K-12 of their children. For additional information, please contact: Christine MacNaughton Communities In Schools of Lenawee 1040 S. Winter Ste. 3013 Michigan Adrian, MI 49221 Email: macnaughtonc@michigan.gov Phone: 517-263-4591 Marquette and Alger Counties Marquette and Alger Counties are being selected as one of the 100 Best Communities for Young People, in part, because of how it has recently addressed the issue of teen drinking. A standing-room only Town Hall Meeting to address underage drinking on April 3, 2006, drew parents, professionals, law enforcement officials, and community leaders who attended to learn about underage drinking. The meeting resulted in Safe Prom and Graduation radio announcements with messages from young people urging peers to be smart about year-end celebrations. The Substance Abuse Coalition launched the “0013” Campaign, which gave the community a definition of reasonable alcohol consumption at public events where alcohol is served. For additional information, please contact: Judy Watson-Olson Great Lakes Center for Youth Development 307 S. Front St Marquette, MI 49855 Email: watsonolson@glcyd.org Phone: 906-228-8919 Saginaw County Saginaw County is one of the 100 Best Communities for Young People, in part, because of the Saginaw County Business and Education Partnership (SCBEP), which works with local organizations and schools to establish programs. Junior and senior high school students can attend an after-school program and earn school credit and the “Career Ladder” program teaches youth about careers in the region that need employees through effort including a job shadow program. For additional information, please contact: Stephanie Wirtz Communities In Schools-The Answer to Saginaw County's Promise 100 S Jefferson, Ste. 201 Saginaw, MI 48607 Email: stephanie@saginawfoundation.org Phone: 989-755-0545
Copyright 2007 by Michigan’s Promise. Address: 1048 Pierpont Suite 3, Lansing MI 48854 Phone: 517-492-2440