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r e t n Community i W 12 Matters 20 Jacksonville Community Council Inc.
JCCI 72nd community study, Children: 1-2-3, underway Whitney Houston believed the children are our future. Do you? When you smiled at that baby in the grocery store, you helped build her brain and make it more likely that she will grow into a creative, problem-solving, welladjusted citizen instead of a struggling, maladjusted criminal. Children: 1-2-3 examines whether we are doing what brain science tells us we need to in order to prepare children to learn and grow into healthy citizens. One startling discovery in this study is that pregnancy does not end at delivery! Human babies require a healthy “fourth trimester” outside the womb, complete with human touch and exposure to sounds, sights, and smells that form brain structure. Most brain development happens years
before children sing about the ABC’s in school (synapse formation for language acquisition peaks at 6-9 months of age), so we are fast learning that “earlier is better” for screening for delays, as well as for interventions for all children. Economic studies confirm that money that would otherwise be spent on remedial education, prison, and social programs is better spent early in children’s development. Would you rather pay for a prison or a high quality preschool? Investing early gives us the most brain for our buck! Learn with us how Jacksonville can do this to help all of our community’s children thrive. To learn more, please visit the study blog at http://jccichildren123.blogspot. com or sign up to participate in the study by contacting Tonia@jcci.org.
UPCOMING MEETING DATES: All meetings are held in the JCCI Conference Room on Wednesday mornings from 8:15 a.m. until 9:45 a.m. January 11, 2012: Learning from other communities: The Early Learning Coalition of Miami-Dade/Monroe January 18, 2012: Group Discussion Meeting #2: What have you learned so far? What have you learned in your own research? What else does the committee need to know? January 25, 2012: *10:45a.m.-12:15p.m.* Exploring population-based measures for early learning. February 1, 2012: Topic: Not Prepared to Learn Study meetings are free and open to all. RSVP at www.jcci.org.
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JCCI releases City Finance Implementation Report On December 6, 2011, JCCI released the results of two years of advocacy and implementation work following its groundbreaking study on Jacksonville’s city finances. John Hirabayashi, chairman of the JCCI Board, welcomed 50 guests to the multipurpose room of the main library to be the first to hear the results from this committee. “The city finance study commenced in the fall of 2008 in the midst of the worldwide recession,” said Hirabayashi, “which made our financial problems locally even more acute.” The implementation process began following the completion of the Our Money, Our City: Financing Jacksonville’s Future study, in 2009, with efforts chaired by J.F. Bryan IV. Bryan shared the results of the report, emphasizing the progress made by the task force, and reminding the community that goal of all JCCI studies is to effect positive change in the community. “In spite of the economic conditions that continue to face our community today and have forestalled the progress on
many aspects of our task force’s work, a number of positive steps have been taken to address the recommendations in the city finances study,” said Bryan. The task force involved fortyeight members and was divided into four subcommittees, each responsible for one or more of the recommendations. “Of the total 7 recommendations, five were either fully or partially implemented,” said Bryan. “But I am quick to point out that most of the heavy lifting necessary to get Jacksonville on the path to sustainability is still ahead of us.” To view a copy of the full report, visit www.jcci.org.
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2012 nter WiCommunity Matters Jacksonville Community Council Inc.
Join us online!..........3 Member Spotlight...3 JCCI Forward............3 JCCI Events...............2 From the CEO...........2 Children: 1-2-3.........1
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