About Our Work

Priority Children continuously collects data and regularly publishes reports on the well being of children in Genesee County. This information helps the community understand the problems affecting Genesee County's children. These publications are the bedrock of our advocacy efforts. We believe that by knowing the scope of the challenges our children face, our community can:

• Set priorities and benchmarks
• Design action steps to meet challenges
• Build financial support to sustain action steps
• Monitor the effectiveness of action steps taken
• Make recommendations for improvement
• Celebrate success

Priority Children provides advocacy leadership on issues affecting children and families and helps the community solve problems by sponsoring community forums, workshops, task forces and other events. These products and programs introduce strategies that individuals, businesses, employers, the faith community, civic clubs, policy makers and others can use to make a difference for children.

Products & Programs

Fact Sheets
Priority Children publishes numerous Fact Sheets that provide a detailed review of data for various indicators that specifically reflect the social, economic, health and educational well being of children in Flint and Genesee County, Michigan. Often used as quick reference sources for various factors of child well being, the Fact Sheets provide a useful format for information dissemination.

Status of Children Report
The Status of Children Report, formerly known as the "Report Card" was released at the Children's Summit. Changing the name to the Status of Children Report reflects the evolving nature of Priority Children's advocacy toward the broader policy context and its effect on children. Unlike the annual Kids Count in Michigan reports which help counties understand how they fare compared to one another and the state as a whole, the Status of Children Report tracks over a ten-year period the indicators of child well being in Genesee County. Noting the improvements and continued challenges our children face, the Report helps to focus the community's efforts on improving the situation for children in the most critical areas. The Status of Children Report also identifies the many resources that exist in Genesee County to help families and children.

Children's Champion Awards
A unique opportunity for the entire Genesee County community to rally around children and make them a priority. By celebrating the commitments of Children's Champion Award recipients, it is hoped others in the community will be inspired to make Genesee County the best place to raise children.

The Flint Carrera Replication Program
The Carrera Program is a holistic approach to teen pregnancy prevention. It is one of the most recognized, highly evaluated programs of its kind in the nation. The Carrera Program will enter its second year of implementation in the Fall of 2004. Thirty (30) students are currently participating in the program. Program components include medical, dental and mental health services as well as creative expression, lifetime sports, job club, family life education and personalized educational services.

Children's Summit
An opportunity to report to the community success and to build a greater linkage among those whose vision is to make Genesee County the best place to raise children. The Children's Summit builds a greater awareness of the exemplary programs making a difference for children and helping families achieve successful outcomes that improve their quality of life.

Legislative Breakfast
Priority Children sponsors a breakfast for its membership and representatives of community constituencies to heighten the awareness of issues affecting children and families. All participants receive information and data pertinent to the community with the purpose of affecting policy change. State and local elected officials, who are most able to leverage changes through policy and provide leadership in legislation, attend the event annually.

Child Watch Visitations
Child Watch is a site visitation program custom designed by Priority Children to inform community leaders of the needs of children in the Genesee County area. Each program is tailored differently to address specific issues affecting children. Child Watch is modeled after the Children's Defense Fund's Child Watch Program.

Faith Community Events
Priority Children strongly believes it will take individuals, families, people of faith, businesses and government working together in order to make a difference in the quality of life for children. The faith community is often an overlooked and untapped resource. By building partnerships with the faith community, Priority Children expands the base of those who share responsibility and commitment to our children, our community and our future.