KING COUNTY ACTION AGENDAS
 

Birth to Six Years Old	Six to Eighteen Years Old
King County Early Childhood & School Readiness Action Agenda Executive Summary Four Goals	King County Action Agenda for School-Age Children and Youth Executive Summary Four Goals

Why Action Agendas?

There is a great deal of excellent work already happening in King County to support children, youth and families.  However, despite this, many of our children and youth are not accessing the resources they need for success.  Where efforts could be coordinated, work happens in isolation. 

If we want system-wide results for kids, we must have systemic solutions that recognize local work   An Action Agenda does not supplant existing work – it strengthens it by developing tools to connect, convene and catalyze the community.  A shared agenda ties together all levels of efforts for children and youth into regional and countywide solutions.  This allows us to connect efforts that are already happening throughout King County, to streamline resources, to learn from each other, and to improve the lives of children and youth together.


What are the King County Action Agendas?

SOAR and the community have developed two Action Agendas that outline our community’s goals, priorities and strategies for ensuring children and youth from birth to age eighteen can thrive and succeed.  The Action Agendas focus on two different age groups: early childhood (birth to six years old) and school-age (ages six to eighteen).


What Are the Goals of Each Action Agenda?

Four Goals – Early Childhood & School Readiness

Goal 1.  Nurturing: Children have strong bonds and nurturing relationships with their parents/guardians and other significant adults in their lives.
Goal 2.  Prevention/Early Intervention: Children and families most in need of services to help their development get high-quality, affordable and culturally competent services early.
Goal 3.  Early Care and Education: Children and families have access to high-quality, affordable and culturally competent early care and early education.
Goal 4.  Successful Transitions: Children are prepared, from infancy, for a successful transition into school by the adults in their lives, working in concert with their communities and schools.

Four Goals – School-Age Children & Youth

Goal 1.  Access to Quality Out-of-School Programs: Children and youth have full and safe access to local, quality, engaging and relevant programs that help them succeed in school and in life.
Goal 2.  Meaningful Roles: Children and youth have culturally relevant and age-appropriate opportunities to be leaders, decision makers, and engaged members of a community that values them.
Goal 3.  Meaningful Relationships: Children and youth have positive, healthy, and nurturing relationships with caregivers, family, peers, mentors, program staff, and their community; these relationships guide and inspire them toward success.
Goal 4.  Resiliency & Valued Identities: Children and youth build resiliency and participate safely, without experiencing or expressing bias, as valued members of diverse, conscientious communities.

Cultural Relevancy

Cultural Relevancy, also known as cultural competency, is a shared value that shapes the Action Agendas and is central to all goals and strategies.  Cultural relevancy is rooted in the belief that respect, understanding, and awareness of cultures in one’s community is of paramount importance.  It seeks to expand our minds and hearts in shaping all aspects of community resources to reflect the needs, goals, values, languages beliefs, communication styles and strengths of children, youth and families.  Cultural relevancy helps ensure resources are accessible, meaningful, and tailored to meet community needs.

SOAR values work that challenges bias, recognizing that barriers children, youth and families face are often rooted in the cycle of poverty, discrimination, bias and oppression, a well as limited cultural relevancy in the provision of services.  The shared values of cultural relevancy and challenging bias are essential in order to support the development, learning and well-being of all children.


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