Commitments to Action

Before and after the Summit, leaders and organizations make commitments to carry forward the research and conversations into action. Commitments were made last year and several of them cross from early into middle childhood and the transition to adolescence. Key action steps will be listed here and updated periodically.

Commission on Out of School Time

University of Minnesota President Robert Bruininks created a commission to study the important role time outside of school plays in young people’s learning and development. The commission will be made up of parents, researchers, business representatives, young people, adult community members and people who program youth activities. Co-chairs of the commission are Don Shelby, WCCO TV News anchor and reporter, and Carol Truesdell, former executive director of Minneapolis Youth Trust Commissioners. Bruininks has asked the commission to craft the vision and strategies needed to ensure Minnesota’s young people--ages 8 to 18--have engaging opportunities to learn and develop during the times when they are not in school.

On average, young people have nearly 2,000 hours of discretionary time without structure or supervision, according to a report from the Carnegie Council on Adolescent Development. In Minnesota, 42 percent or nearly twice the national average of children ages 10 to 12 are home alone after school, according to Urban Institute research based on data from the 1999 National Survey of American Families. Nationally, only 24 percent of children are home alone after school.

Research indicates that making the most of youth programs and activities can improve a young person’s self confidence, connection to others, and academic and social competence. Research also shows a strong connection between youth involvement in intentional, challenging learning activities and their positive development. Students who participate in after-school programs have better school attendance, better grades and test scores and a more positive attitude toward school work. Time spent in dance lessons, sports programs, summer programs and similar constructive activities also make a difference.

The commission’s goals include building a foundation of public awareness surrounding the importance of out-of-school time, enhancing strategic use of public and private resources for out-of-school time programs, forming policies that enhance learning and development for Minnesota youth, enhancing the quality and impact of youth programs and activities and establishing clear benchmarks for the state when it comes to success in the area of out-of-school time.

Center Of Excellence in Children’s Mental Health

This cross-disciplinary center, led by the U of M in partnership with key community leaders and organizations, will work to promote emotional health and well-being among Minnesota children, prevent mental health problems that are preventable, and support optimal adaptation, learning and development among children with mental health problems or disorders. The center will link research, practice and policy in children’s mental health; identify and disseminate best practices in prevention, intervention and treatment; and develop and evaluate demonstration projects that engage all sectors of society in supporting the mental health of children from birth to adulthood.

The idea for this Center of Excellence originated with the Hennepin County Leadership Action Group (LAG) convened by the Hennepin County Board of Commissioners as part of their Children’s Mental Health Initiative, with Marti Erickson and Joan Sykora of the University’s Children, Youth & Family Consortium serving as liaisons between the University and the county. That initiative has promoted better coordination of children’s mental health services and has launched several school-based pilot projects aimed at preventing mental health problems among primary-grade children identified by their teachers as high-risk.

A cross-departmental group of U of M faculty, “Mental Health Faculty Partners” (convened by the Children, Youth and Family Consortium), will serve as the nexus for planning the Center of Excellence. That faculty group has worked together effectively over the past two years to develop policy briefing papers on mental health across the life span, to consult with the Hennepin County initiative, and, in general, to encourage University-community partnerships addressing mental health issues.

The creation of a Center of Excellence in Children’s Mental Health is especially timely because of its convergence with other community initiatives in which the U of M (through CYFC) already is involved. In particular, the Healthy Learners Board (chaired by MPS Superintendent Carol Johnson) brings together leaders of all major health care organizations to address pressing health needs of Minneapolis Public School Children. Building on successful efforts to 1) increase student immunization rates and 2) improve health and learning among children with asthma, the HLB now is launching a new initiative to improve the mental health of Minneapolis school children. Also, Fred LaFleur of Hennepin County Department of Corrections, recently requested CYFC’s assistance with a project to address the mental health needs of juvenile offenders. And CYFC and the Harris Center work with a wide range of community partners to disseminate best practices and build the capacity of professionals and parents to support the healthy social-emotional development of infants and young children in high-risk circumstances.

To put this work in a broader context, two major Federal reports have called strongly for this kind of broad-based approach to children’s mental health: The Surgeon General’s Report on Children’s Mental Health issued by Dr. David Satcher during the second term of the Clinton presidency; and a forthcoming report from the President’s New Freedom Commission on Mental Health, a major component of President Bush’s “New Freedom Initiatives.” In light of current Federal and State cuts in services for children and families – and the inadequate and disorganized approach to children’s mental health among insurers and health care providers -- the need for cross-sector, public-private partnerships is especially critical in order to address the social and emotional difficulties that compromise so many children’s learning and development. Contact the Children, Youth and Family Consortium for more information.

Commitments to Action: MN Children's Summit 2003