Highlighting America’s 100 Best Communities for Young People
The 100 Best Communities for Young People competition honors outstanding efforts on behalf of young people by multiple sectors of communities. In cities, suburbs, small towns and counties across the country, this annual competition is leading communities to assess their efforts, work more effectively together for young people, and share best practices. Each week one of the 2007 100 Best Communities will be highlighted in the America’s Promise Bulletin and on our web site.
Bartholomew County, Indiana
By Christopher Epps
Formed in February 12, 1821, and named for Lt. Col. Joseph Bartholomew wounded in the Battle of Tippecanoe, the only battle in Bartholomew County is the one to keep its children safe and prepared for the future. With nearly 34 percent of Bartholomew’s households having children under the age of 18, the resounding theme here is that fostering a great place for kids takes a communal effort. People here point to a grassroots, community-based approach to problem solving, citing an ability to tackle issues facing their young as a consistently high priority.
Dubbed “Athens of the Prairie” for its love of the arts, this community also encourages the creativity of its teens, publicly displaying a total of nine murals and one freestanding work by its young artists. Winning acclaim as an All American City, the county seat, Columbus, was also named one of the Ten Most Playful Towns in America by Nick Jr. Family Magazine.
Bartholomew County recognizes that the foundation for academic success begins early in a child’s life. As a result, the community’s organizations provide, at no cost, training in early child care and quality education for parents and providers. Before- and after-school care and educational remediation programs are offered free of charge, while other programs offer scholarships and a sliding scale to allow low-income families to participate.
Created to focus on the effects of bullying and controlling behavior in teen relationships with the goal of breaking the cycle of violence through early intervention, the Bully-Free Task Force and Domestic Violence Action Team co-sponsored an anti-bullying campaign. The campaign kicked off with activities for parents and children while student-created slogans adorned banners and billboards.
Other initiatives that led Bartholomew County to be named a 100 Best community include:
Caring Parents:
A home visitation mentor program that focuses on building positive parent-child relationships, it also helps parents cope with stress. In addition to emotional support, Caring Parents provides current news on infant care and safety and education on the stages of child development.
Council for Youth Development (CYD):
Comprising representatives from schools, government, nonprofits, faith groups, among others, the CYD centers its efforts on the county’s young people. Notable accomplishments of the council include developing a comprehensive plan of desired key outcomes for children and youth ages 0 to 21; activating early childhood groups to form a consortium; and encouraging adult participation in organizations, building relationships between youth and adults.
Literacy Task Force:
This is a school-community partnership that promotes literacy and strives to reach the goal of all children reading on grade level by the second grade. Nearly 350 volunteers have been recruited as Book Buddies to tutor second graders, helping reach the task force’s goal.
With the goal of improving the health and quality of life of all residents of Bartholomew County, but more importantly, ensuring the children have a Health Start, Healthy Communities began over 10 years ago. A collaborative effort since its inception, Healthy Communities works in three major goal areas that promote healthy lifestyles and prevention. Over the years, its efforts have resulted in measurable gains across the county.