EARLY CHILDHOOD STUDY RELEASED BY WACO FOUNDATION
The 2009 McLennan County Childhood Quality of Life Index study was released by the Waco Foundation on April 26, 2010. The complete study can be found behind the Early Childhood Study button on the left. For the past several years, there has been a convergence of opinion among local leaders that in order to significantly improve educational outcomes, the Waco community needs more investment in the most critical developmental years—from birth through the age of five. Sending children to school ready to learn is the most common request of superintendents when asked what they feel the community can do to assist the schools.
Recognizing the need for heightened awareness of factors that impact early childhood development, the Alliance stated as the first of its eight assumptions that birth through the age of five is the most cost-effective time to invest in a child's life. The Alliance's second summit (November 2009) focused a great deal of attention on this critical area.
The Waco Foundation, a community organization dedicated to improving the quality of life in McLennan County and a partner in the Alliance, has long had an interest in early childhood. To help establish a baseline of local early childhood data, in late 2008 the foundation's board of trustees authorized $10,000 for a quantitative study of early childhood in Waco. The planned study was expanded to include a qualitative analysis that reflected input from the Alliance stakeholder groups. In addition, many Alliance partners provided input concerning information to be included in the study and comments about the community's needs and vision. The resulting study represents a broad base of data and public opinion about needs.
Overall, the report has one primary and challenging finding: Waco's early childhood quality of life index is a low 41.67. The disparities between zip codes range from a low of 23% to a high of 80%. Although this indicates that there is much work to do, the good news is that our community has numerous resources, both established and "developing," that can significantly impact this figure. By working together as a community, through the Alliance and other entities, we can focus our efforts on the most critical factors and change the face of the community.