The document describes the Lawton Chiles Foundation's Whole Child Connection initiative, which aims to provide comprehensive support for families and children. It does this through an online system that allows parents to create a profile outlining their family's needs. The system then connects families to various social services and providers in their community to address issues like healthcare, childcare, education, and more. The initiative has helped thousands of families in Martin County access over 12,000 resources to meet their needs.

1. A Lawton Chiles Foundation Initiative

2. HISTORY The Lawton Chiles Foundation was created by Rhea Chiles in order to continue the Governor’s commitment to children by assisting communities to become Whole Child Communities. The Whole Child concept presented the opportunity to provide a preventative, holistic approach - one that considers the history of the parents, the physical home environment and the social, spiritual and cultural connections that help sustain and support the family.

3. HISTORY Governor Chiles understood that successful nurturing and development of all children required a dramatically new approach. An approach that: Starts early – before conception Provides continuous support to parents Is grounded in the family Is holistic, considering the physical, economic, social, cultural and spiritual environment in which the child lives Creates a “no wrong door” culture whereby service providers are committed to building collaborative service delivery networks instead of competitive, single strategy agencies and institutions Builds a partnership across all sectors of our society whose activities impinge on the lives of children

4. How Whole Child Connection Works The Whole Child Connection is a comprehensive web-based service delivery system that helps families access much needed services. Parents can go to the WCC website to complete a profile about their family. The profile covers the gamut of potential needs a family might have, many that are vital: heath care , insurance , housing , child care , school readiness , special needs programs , parenting education and so much more .

5. Once a profile is completed, the system identifies all the appropriate providers for the family. The families are then connected with the respective providers quickly and easily, either through the internet or with the help of an advisor. How Whole Child Connection Works

7. Adult Education Alternative Education Adult Health Animal Control Child Abuse Prevention Child Care Youth Organizations Child Health Code Enforcement Community Activities Cultural and the Arts Community Activities Faith Based, Religious Community Activities Mentoring Community Activities Parks and Recreation Community Activities Volunteering Community Support Groups Counseling Dentists Developmental Disabilities Screening Developmental Screening Domestic Violence Prevention Drug, Alcohol, or Substance Abuse Emergency Services Clothing Emergency Services Food Emergency Services Other Emergency Services Shelter Employment Assistance Family Literacy Family Planning Family Practice / Internists Financial Counseling Hearing Screening Housing Immunizations Infant / Child Mental Health Screening Law Enforcement and Legal Assistance Mental Health Services Neighborhood Crime Watch Nutritional Guidance Parenting Education Pediatricians Prenatal Care Safety School Readiness Speech Language Evaluation and Other Therapies Transportation Vision Screening Women’s Health Needs Nearly every service your children need is available in our community. The best way to find them is through Whole Child Connection. Get access to:

8. Confidentiality and Privacy The Whole Child Connection respects the need for confidentiality regarding the personal information entered in the Whole Child Profile. All of the information in this profile is confidential and will only be shared with the client’s permission with those he/she designates. Unauthorized users will not have access to any of the data.

9. How Families benefit from The Whole Child Connection Enables parents to examine their situation and make decisions about appropriate services to meet the needs of their children Electronically and quickly links parents to available services Strengthens accountability on the part of providers to be responsive Provides the community with immediate information on family needs, local providers and gaps in the system that need to be closed Ultimately propels families toward self-sufficiency, children toward healthy, productive lives and communities toward overall enhanced quality of life

10. Testimonies "Because of Whole Child Connection, I learned that Tykes and Teens counseling services were available at my child's school. Whole Child Connection enabled me to take action and positively affect my child's future by showing me how easy it is to access the services my children need.“ "When I was unable to secure the funding I needed to purchase a home, Whole Child Connection connected me to credit counseling services. Now, I have been approved for a home loan, my credit score has improved, and I continue to successfully manage my income more easily than ever before!"

11. Testimonies “ When I moved to Martin County, I had no idea where to find speech therapy for my son. The Whole Child Profile connected me with Easter Seals, and I am so impressed with how easy it was to find the help I needed through Whole Child Connection!” “ I was living at Safe Space after escaping an abusive relationship. I completed a Whole Child Profile at the shelter and was connected to a wealth of resources that helped me pick up the pieces and give myself and my children a fresh start."

12. Example of Whole Child Connection Accomplishments The Whole Child Connection system went live in Martin County in May 2006 and has provided access to more than 357 services. Currently, more than 4,281 profiles in Martin County have been submitted to the Whole Child system.

13. Example of Whole Child Connection Accomplishments Over 12,912 resources have been accessed through the Whole Child System in Martin County 4301 Service Requests have been generated to date, 99% of those were answered by a WCC Provider in Martin County

14. WCC Community Data is a Valuable Resource

15. Example: Highest Referral Rates amongst the Service Providers Health  Families who needed health insurance 982/1885, 52%  Families who have not waited 2 years in between pregnancies 37/61, 60% Environment  Families who needed transportation 614/1783, 34% Economic  Families who needed help paying for food, housing, utilities or clothing 1392/1795, 77%

16. Example: Highest Referral Rates amongst the Service Providers… cont’ Social  Families who were interested in youth programs for their children 116/224, 51% Education  Families who are not reading/sharing stories with their children several times a week 266/296, 89% Spiritual/Identity  Families who want information on how to teach their children to obey the rules 148/238, 62%

17. Example of Gaps in Resources in our Community Service # of Family Needs between 2006-2009 # of Current Service Providers Adult Ed 2963 29 Adult Health 3288 11 Case Management 1966 9 Child Health 2145 6 Mentoring 2269 6 Dentist 2504 5 Developmental Disabilities/Screening 1670 1 Emergency Services – Clothing 3628 10 Emergency Services – Food 3969 26

18. Gaps in Resources in our Community – con’t Service # of Family Needs between 2006-2009 # of Current Service Providers Financial Counseling 4298 15 Health Insurance 1563 9 Immunizations 983 2 Infant/Child Mental Screenings 1262 5 Nutritional Guidance 1257 4 Parenting Education 2713 22 Pediatricians 2701 11 Prenatal Care 1133 10 School Readiness 2089 10 Transportation 1465 7

19. Client Satisfaction Last fiscal year, 396 Martin County clients were randomly selected to answer a survey to address the measurable objectives listed below:

20. Advisors There are two kinds of Advisors: Community Advisors and Junior League Advisors

21. Whole Child Advisor The Whole Child Advisor has the following functions: To assist families in completing the Whole Child Profile To assist families in prioritizing services on the Whole Child Resource list to their specific needs To help families build a Whole Child Plan that is as comprehensive as possible To assist clients that have completed profiles on their own To educate the community (providers, advocates, civic groups, businesses, policy makers, funding agencies, faith-based groups and families) about WCC To advocate on behalf of the family To follow up on family and provider’s performance on their Plan

22. Whole Child Profile

23. Connecting Kids to the Community