Greenville Magazine - April 2008 - (Page 20) local children in poverty.Their successes would be felt by all of us – economically, socially and morally. It’s about fairness, of course, because these kids didn’t choose their economic statuses and they deserve a fair shot. But it’s also about our collective economic efficiency. If we change the futures for these kids, we pour fuel into the economic engine we all depend on. If we don’t, there’s less fuel available for all of us.” Discovering just how much economic fuel we might be losing can be complicated. But several local agencies and leaders offer clues, and the numbers are staggering. For instance, The Phoenix Center – the county’s largest provider of addiction treatment and prevention services – states in their 2008 budget that more than $503 million is spent every year in Greenville County on addiction treatment. That translates to a $1,300 annual cash outlay for every man, woman and child in the county. Jane Pressley, a volunteer advocate with Faces and Voices of Recovery (FAVOR), says that people suffering from addiction are often lucky to get three months of this treatment. She believes that while addiction to drugs and alcohol can and does affect everyone, regardless of economic status, she points out, “Poverty adds considerably to people’s need for escape, and they can start using as young as age 11.” Mental illness is another common side effect of a child’s life under the poverty line. Kelly Troyer, the executive director of the Greenville Chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, says that costs can range from $60 to $75 for every counseling session. If the client requires medication, costs can surge to an additional $100 for every five minutes spent with a psychiatrist to prescribe and manage drug therapy.Troyer says Medicaid pays for those who can’t afford it, but adds,“Who pays for Medicaid? We [the taxpayers] do.” She estimates that 40 percent of those seeking help live in poverty.“There is a genetic factor to mental health disorders,” Troyer explains,“but when you have a single mom who is struggling to keep food on the table and therefore not be able to give to her children emotionally, she is likely to be depressed, and the kids are at greater risk, too.” Emaline Burnette, the foster care coordinator of Greenville County 20 DSS says that monthly fees for foster care for children under 21 ranges from $332 to $425, figures that she believes, “are nowhere near enough.” Medicare again, covers most of those costs. Burnette says that most of the cases that get referred to DSS are the result of abuse and neglect, not of poverty alone, but that almost all of them could be prevented with early intervention, education and a good support system. “There are a number of preventative programs that exist on a minimal level,” she says, listing First Steps and Success by 6 as examples, “but not a lot of money is directed to prevention.” “If we change the futures for these kids, we pour fuel into the economic engine we all depend on. If we don’t, there’s less fuel available for all of us.” Right now, despite the small scale, there are programs at work to prevent neglect and abuse, offer parenting guidance and support, provide quality child care and ensure that at-risk kids get the best early educations they can. Greenville County First Steps served 1,476 children directly, and another 1,032 at twenty-four child care facilities in 2006, according to their annual report. Executive Director David White says they will continue to work toward closing the achievement gap before children enter school because, he explains, “that gap begins to widen even before kindergarten.”White believes that with good, strategic planning and appropriate funding they can continue to reach out to more children and families. Last year, a pilot program at the Center for Community Services in the Golden Strip gave four year olds and their families an on-site learning environment as well as weekly teacher visits in the home.“No one else in the state is doing this,” he says, but he believes that to achieve really effective, long-term success the programs need to begin even earlier, for children 0-2 years of age.“The value of programs such as Head Start for 0-2 year olds is evident to all, so why not put money there?” Laurie Rovin, the leader of United Way’s Success By 6 initiative and the Director of the Nurturing Young Children Impact Council, does note improvements such as strengthened community programs, the Center for Development Services and A Child’s Haven – all at capacity and helping to fill critical gaps in services. In addition, the YWCA’s new accreditation is “like a gold star,” she says. Most important, Rovin says, is the increased awareness among business and community leadership on the importance of investing in early childhood. She admits there is still a long way to go. “Our future goals focus around Greenville being a place for children to have healthy development with the highest quality early care and education. We need to see innovation in early childhood, not just in business. They are our future leaders. We want to provide leadership to strengthen the community then leverage what we have here to help rest of the state. If the business community understands how this impacts our current and future workforce, they will see the critical importance to global economy. More public policy shifts are needed, and we still need to educate the general public, especially those without children.” To that end, she says Success By 6 will embark on partnerships with Vision 2025 and the City of Greenville. Let’s face it, any investment, business or personal, takes vision, longterm planning and money. Greenville business leaders historically have been visionary. When the Max Hellers and Charles Daniels of the city put forth their ideas, they knew Rome wouldn’t be built in a day. Likewise it is going to take some visionary business and community leaders to recognize that investing in the future of our knowledge economy must begin with the smallest, and sometimes poorest, members of the community. Mack Whittle asserts, “We have the assets to be successful, but does South Carolina have the will to put aside parochial interest? If we collaborate to create a talented workforce, starting from early childhood, the jobs will come.” GM Greenville MaGazine | april 2008
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