GENERAL QUESTIONS
Why is a dedicated funding source critical for children and families in Miami-Dade County?
Who benefits?
Why does this matter if you don't have children?
In what ways does The Children's Trust benefit the community?
By what authority does The Children's Trust levy taxes? What is a millage rate?
What does The Children's Trust cost us?
Does the money simply go on and on... forever?
Who administers The Children's Trust funds?
Who else is doing this in Florida?
How can I find out more about The Children's Trust?

GENERAL QUESTIONS

A. Children make up more than 25 percent of our population, but 100 percent of our future. Yet because kids don’t vote, they lack representation in government. A dedicated funding source helps ensure a stable, recurring source of dollars for children's services.

Still, some people ask: But don’t we already pay taxes for this?

Not really. Most public dollars spent to benefit children are used toward traditional education (like public school). But education is only a part of the services that children need to grow up to become functioning, contributing members of society. Children need much more support to develop socially, economically, physically and intellectually. They need access to health care, guidance toward healthy life styles and good parenting. Social services that prevent abuse, neglect, crime, school failure and teen pregnancy are vital. School-age kids and youths need quality after-school programs because most parents are working outside the home. Young children need quality child care to nurture their development and help them to be ready in school and in life. Funding from The Children’s Trust supports these programs and services.

In our difficult economic climate, state and local government have dramatically trimmed budgets. Thus, many services critical for children and families have been scaled back. Children’s Service Councils, like The Children’s Trust, were established to supplement and complement government funding – not replace it. But with these drastic cutbacks, The Children’s Trust also becomes a safety net for children and families in Miami-Dade.

Raising children is our society’s most challenging and important job. Early intervention and investment meet this challenge. Children left to find their way on their own too often get lost, and lost children too often become lost adults. A dedicated source of funding such as The Children’s Trust helps ensure that children receive at least some of the support and nurturing that they deserve and the chance to grow up to become contributing members of our community.

Q. Who benefits?
A. Everyone. Children. Parents. Grandparents. Educators. Law enforcement officers. Judges and the juvenile justice system. Doctors and health care workers. Child-care centers. Non-profit organizations and social service agencies. The Children’s Trust touches every individual and every aspect of our community in some way.

Most parents care deeply for their children. But many need help, and they deserve to receive that help in respectful partnerships. That's what The Children's Trust is all about. It is in everyone's interest for all children to have the chance to be successful and to grow up as good citizens.

The Children's Trust advocates and develops programs to meet the needs of all children and families. Different communities have different needs and some communities need more attention. The involvement of parents and the community in planning, implementing and evaluating programs is crucial.

Q. Why does this matter if you don't have children?
A. You may not have children. But maybe you’ve raised your own children – and are even a grandparent now. Maybe a colleague of yours at work or a close friend is a mother or father. Maybe you live next to a family with children, or there’s a school down the street. Truth is that it does take a village to raise a child, and that’s a wonderful thing. It means that we look out for and care for each other.

Here’s another truism. Children who grow up to be successful, contributing members of society and who pay their fair share of taxes and take part in civic life provide benefits to all of us. Hence, investments in programs that prevent school failure, hospitalization, foster care and juvenile crime save tax dollars in the long run. National research tells us, in fact, that a dollar invested in quality basics in the early childhood years will save at least $7 in later costs for police, prosecution, prison and remedial education.

A dedicated source of funding for children’s programs and services such as The Children’s Trust helps ensure that all children get the best start possible in life in terms of education, health care and overall well-being. That means that society – that you – don’t later have to shoulder the burden, financial and otherwise, to pay for errors, transgressions and corrective measures.

Q. In what ways does The Children's Trust benefit the community?
A. Created in 2002, The Children’s Trust is currently in its seventh full year of grant-making and program monitoring. Our initiatives and funding support are guided by a 2003 assessment of needs expressed by the community, by our Child Well-Being Report of Community Indicators and by ongoing research and community input. Our board identifies strategies and programs that best benefit the children and families of Miami-Dade County. Here are some initiatives created or funded by The Children’s Trust:

• Quality Counts is improving the quality of child care in Miami-Dade County. Launched in January 2007, the initiative already has 100 child care centers and 36 family child care programs selected and participating.
• Out-of-School Programs reach upwards of 45,000 children through our quality after-school programs and summer camps that stimulate learning, support physical fitness and impart valuable life skills.
• Children with Special Needs. Our efforts are removing barriers and promoting inclusionary practices for children with disabilities.
• 211 Helpline connects more than 35,000 parents, caregivers and teens a year to programs and services.
• HealthConnect. Health teams (including a nurse or nurse practitioner, a social worker and a health aide) are returning health services to public schools. When we launched HealthConnect in Our Schools in 2006, there were just 19 nurses and 24 health clinics in our public schools; this year our Health Teams are serving 165 schools. Family coaches are bringing services and counsel to the doorstep of first-time and teen moms through a voluntary home-visitation model. Navigators and community health workers work neighborhood by neighborhood to link children and families to the health care services they need.
• Parenting skills. Our programs for early learning and parenting strengthen families and provide parents with information and referral services, while increasing community and parental responsibility for all our children.
• Youth development and leadership. Our programs help youths become responsible decision-makers, cope with anger and anxiety, understand boundaries, resist the temptations of drugs and alcohol and prevent unwanted pregnancy, HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases.
• Inspiration through the arts. Our funding of culturally enriching visual and performing arts programs stimulate artistic expression, and build self-esteem and improve academic achievement.
• Youth Violence Prevention. This ambitious Trust initiative brings agencies and service providers together to reduce gun violence in targeted Miami-Dade neighborhoods.

Q. By what authority does The Children's Trust levy taxes? What is a millage rate?
A. The Children's Trust was established and reauthorized by voter referendum that passed Sept. 10, 2002, and which through Public Act, Chapter 2000-461 of the laws of Florida, authorized The Children's Trust to levy up to 50 cents per $1,000 of property tax income in Miami-Dade County.

What is a millage rate?

This is a tax rate charged against a property's taxable value to determine property tax due. The rate represents the tax dollars generated per thousand dollars of taxable value (e.g., a 1 mill levy on $1,000 of property equals $1).

Millage rates are typically voted on by elected representatives or by public referendum (as was the case with The Children's Trust referendum in 2002 in Miami-Dade County) after calculating the rate needed to generate sufficient revenue to meet projected budget and service needs.

Q. What does The Children's Trust cost us?
A. Much less than most people might think.

An owner of a median-assessed-value home (half the homes assessed higher, half lower) in Miami-Dade County will pay $43.57 a year for FY 2010-11.

As a dedicated source of funding for children's issues and services in Miami-Dade County, The Children’s Trust is authorized by Florida statute to levy up to 50 cents for every $1,000 of taxable property value (or “1/2 mill”). In comparison, Palm Beach and Pinellas counties both returned to referendum and received voter approval to increase their millage cap up to $1 for every $1,000 of taxable property value.

For our community, let's assume that your house is assessed at the median taxable value, which for FY 2010-11 is $87,143. At the Children’s Trust’s proposed rate of 0.500 (50 cents), a taxpayer with the homestead exemption will pay $33.82, or just less than $1 a week. The proposed tax rate of 0.500 will generate $106 million in revenues for The Children’s Trust in FY 2010-11.

Q. Does the money simply go on and on... forever?
A. On Aug. 26, 2008, Miami-Dade voters decided in overwhelming numbers – 86 percent – to reauthorize The Children’s Trust, the independent special taxing district for children’s services in the county. Miami voters - across tri-ethnic communities, voiced their support for the role of The Trust, especially so in these difficult economic times. The vote at the time authorized The Children's Trust "for perpetuity."

In 2010, however, the Florida Legislature rescinded that clause for children's service councils around the state and set a new timeframe requiring all councils to come before voters periodically to be reauthorized. In recognition of the recent authorization of The Children's Trust in Miami-Dade County, the Legislature extended the longest time-frame possible within the new guidelines: 2020.

Since its creation by voter referendum in 2002, The Children’s Trust has worked hard to point the way toward a brighter future for all children and families in our community. The Trust appreciates what this recent show of tremendous public support means: that we have earned your trust. We look forward to continuing to fund our major initiatives – after-school and summer camps, programs to assist children with special needs/disabilities, health education in the schools, community and for first-time moms, and 211 Helpline – even as we begin to reevaluate our present course.

Q. Who administers The Children's Trust funds?
A. An independent 33-member board, representing both the public and private sectors, decides how The Children’s Trust’s uses its funds. The board is comprised of representatives from children's organizations, as well as from key civic, religious, business, higher education, health, social services and parent organizations. Representatives of local government, law enforcement and labor, and a youth representative also are included. The board of The Children's Trust has at-large seats to ensure that the board reflects the diversity of our community.

The Children's Trust’s board makes its decisions in full accordance with Florida “Sunshine Law,” requiring transparency and openness for all meetings of government and quasi-government agencies. An original "needs assessment" survey and subsequent Child Well-Being and Community Indicators in Miami-Dade County report, and our active Research and Evaluation Department continually inform and guide the board in its decision-making process. Parents, neighborhood and community organizations are consulted, too.

Decisions and recommendations for funding are made in committees (Health, Procurement and Programs), then moved to the full board for consideration. The board generally meets the first Monday of each month, in open public forum, to discuss and communicate its decisions.

The Children's Trust is in its seventh full year of grant-making and program monitoring and, for the third time, faces a decrease in its operating budget due to decreased tax revenues. This means the board must become even more strategic and effective in seeking to fulfill the mission “to improve the lives of children and families in Miami-Dade County by making strategic investments in their futures.”

The board is vigilant in monitoring how many dollars are used for administrative costs. For FY 2010-11, 9 percent of the total budget was assigned to administrative management of The Children’s Trust.

Every January The Children's Trust publishes an annual report which details spending on programs and services, and analyzes the impact on the community (in terms of quantifiable results and outcomes for children and families).

Click here to download Annual Report

Q. Who else is doing this in Florida?
A. This concept of a dedicated funding source for children dates more than a half-century to a decision made by voters in Pinellas County (St. Petersburg). Today eight Florida counties have such a dedicated source – The Children’s Trust in Miami-Dade, the original in Pinellas, plus Hillsborough (Tampa), our South Florida neighbors in Broward and Palm Beach, as well as Okeechobee, Martin and St. Lucie counties.

Visit the Florida Children’s Services Council, the umbrella organization for children's service councils in the state, at www.floridacsc.org

Q. How can I find out more about The Children's Trust?
A. Visit our Web site www.thechildrenstrust.org for a detailed, user-friendly listing of The Children’s Trust. Sign up to receive our weekly Bulletin which publicizes funding opportunities, workshop and trainings, events and job opportunities. Our “Kids Matter” bimonthly e-newsletter provides articles about programs we fund and initiatives we’re supporting, and “Legislative Newsletters” keeps you in step with legislative developments regarding issues that affect children and families.

• View the Community Calendar to learn more about trainings and workshops sponsored or facilitated by The Children’s Trust.
• Find descriptions of the many program and initiatives funded by The Children’s Trust.
• Access and download our Annual Report, Summer and After-School Programs Guides as well as other information-rich reports and documents.
• Brochures, logos and media kits are available, too.

Of course, we’d love to hear from you, too. Call us at 305-571-5700.