2006 Florida Children's Summit
Compilation of Commitment Issues
The 2006 Florida's Children's Summit is being be convened by Sens. Durell Peaden (R-Escambia) and Nan Rich (D-Broward) and Reps. Loranne Ausley (D-Leon) and J.C. Planas (R-Miami-Dade), and in response to a request from supporters of Florida's children and families during the 2005 Children's Week IdeaRaiser session. Through the convening of state and community leaders, policymakers and providers, the purpose of the Summit is to create a shared vision of the State of Florida's commitment to support the healthy growth and development of Florida's children from birth through their transition to adulthood.
We seek to launch a long-term process that develops and implements strategies for moving the shared vision forward in 2007 and beyond, including specific legislative policy recommendations. More specifically, our intent is to identify essential conditions and services that our state agrees to provide for all children so they can become responsible adults - able to contribute to self, to family and to their community. To accomplish this objective we must build a society that enables all children to attain physical, intellectual and spiritual well-being; experience strong, positive family attachments; interact constructively in a social context; have a sense of hope, and live in an environment that enables them to succeed. In addition to emphasizing healthy starts, we need to ensure continued support throughout young childhood, adolescence and the transition to adulthood. This requires attention to all dimensions of a "whole child": physical and mental health, safe and nurturing environment, economic stability, quality education, social interaction and competence and spiritual foundation and strength.
The essential partners in building this shared commitment are youth, parents, families, business leaders, educators, faith-based organizations, service providers, civic groups, advocates and state and local elected officials. These partners will convene at the Summit and work together to create a collaborative system of care. The resulting statement of commitments to children will be presented at the Summit to legislators and gubernatorial nominees to emphasize the importance of putting the well-being of children at the top of their policy agendas. The legislative leadership that participates in the Summit will carry these commitments to the 2007 legislative session as a blueprint for building a holistic approach to child well-being. The child advocates and service providers who participate in this Summit will work collectively to seek statutory and budgetary support for all of the commitments and a state and local governance structure to guide their implementation.
The Summit partners will begin with commitment issues that have been developed by a planning committee during previous months with input from non-profit partners all over the state. At this historic event, Summit participants will - for the first time ever at the state level - break out of their own programmatic silos, engage in intense discussions with representatives from all other issue areas, and - together - develop priorities and commitments that Florida must make to its children and families as we move forward in the 21st century.