Chino, California
Third-time 100 Best winner Chino has established itself as a model community dedicated to its youth. For more than 20 years, organizations have worked together to ensure that every child in Chino is supported with the following services: recreational and sports opportunities, quality facilities, preschools, school readiness preparation, mental and physical health services, quality education and after- school programs.
Over 78 percent of the Community Services Department’s $6.9 million budget is dedicated exclusively to youth programming/facilities. The city’s update of its General Plan, with a public health element, demonstrates its desire to maintain safe, active, and healthy lifestyles for its youth. The Teen Advisory Committee (TAC), comprised of junior and high school students, is tasked with providing the City of Chino with vital input on teen issues. The Chino Valley Unified School District (CVUSD) has a similar program, which provides students with the opportunity to convert ideas into policies that impact their education and fellow students. Chino’s collaborative partners support several special youth populations by providing unique services to help the most vulnerable young people succeed.
The Focus on Youth (FOY) Coalition was established by the City, CVUSD, the YMCA, Chino Police Department, faith-based organizations, and businesses to "Making [Chino’s] youth a priority by providing opportunities through a network of shared resources with a common purpose that encourages positive development." The Healthy Chino Coalition is comprised of local businesses, CVUSD, local hospitals and community members. This collaborative has developed award-winning programs within the community to improve the mental and physical well-being of all residents. The Chino Community Center Corporation raises funds for youth programs and scholarships.
In 2006, the CVUSD unveiled the Attendance Counts Campaign. This campaign focuses on educating youth and their parents on the importance of attending school every day and making illness the only excuse. CVUSD has implemented the Response to Intervention (RtI) program, which provides universal intervention to all students in the core curriculum and benchmark testing for math and language arts. The CVUSD begins the intervention process as early as kindergarten, which is an early identification that leads to better student outcomes. Over the past decade, the city has developed the Chino University Corridor, providing access to postsecondary education through satellite course offerings.
In 2009, Chino reported over 39,600 hours of community service to support youth programs in the city. One new volunteer program component that has demonstrated effectiveness is teens helping at the elementary after school programs. Several teens visit each of the eight schools sites every school day to assist with homework and engage in recreational activities with the participants. This program provides the younger participants with mentors while the volunteers learn how to model caring behavior, develop an awareness of the needs of others, build a sense of personal responsibility and become community leaders.