Therapeutic Mentoring -Therapeutic Mentoring is a school-centered program designed to keep high-risk youth free of drug and crime involvement.  Participants are 4th – 9th graders identified as at-risk of failing by school counselors, principals, and teachers in the Kent County Public Schools.  Using intensive and coordinated preventive services and one-on-one mentoring, Therapeutic Mentoring addresses the individual needs of participants as well as the broader problems in their families and communities.  It operates on four levels: 1) to build resiliency in the child, 2) to strengthen the family, 3) to make neighborhoods safer, 4) to be an advocate for the child, serving as a liaison between child, home and school.  Therapeutic Mentoring employs a positive youth development framework and uses intensive case management to coordinate and provide services to counteract the factors that make children vulnerable to substance abuse, delinquency, and failure in school.

School-Based Mental Health - This program is a partnership among Kent County Public Schools, public and private mental health providers, and the LMB to provide mental health services to students at all eight Kent County Public Schools.  Created in the fall of 2005, the program continues to develop a full range of services, including prevention, early intervention, and targeted intervention.  Services are provided to students and to families.  The partners are working together to create the physical space and logistical support for this program in each school, and to develop systems to manage each student’s needs effectively, efficiently, and confidentially. 

Adult Education/Vocational Services/Family Support - This program has several components.  Adult Basic Education serves individuals who do not have a high school diploma, who are interested in continuing their education and, typically, who have small children in need of child care while their parents are studying to earn the General Equivalency Diploma (GED). The Vocational Services program assists unemployed or underemployed individuals by providing assistance to them in developing a résumé, conducting mock interviews, and monitoring the number of job applications filled out.  Additional support and encouragement is also provided to participants.  Finally, the Family Support Program supports children and parents in Kent County by providing parent training, fostering child growth and development among participating children, and providing prompt referrals as necessary for children who may have developmental delays. 

High School Engagement - The LMB provides funding to support voluntary, extra-curricular clubs at the high school, such as dance, gymnastics, book club, and ESL homework support.

Academic Achievement - The Extended Day Drop-Out Prevention program offers an extended day (a fifth and sixth period) attached to the normal four-period school day at the Kent County High School.  These two additional class periods allow participating students to make up as many as two credits each semester.  Class sizes are smaller, and class time is compressed into one-hour classes three days per week.  The program allows extra time for staff members to provide one-on-one support to students who need extra help on a fourth day during the week, as well as time for school staff to meet with parents.  It also includes time for a teacher/counselor to provide support to students in completing additional graduation requirements – serving learning hours, senior portfolio, and senior project.  Eleventh and twelfth grade students are eligible to participate.  Students who have a combination of academic failure, behavioral issues manifested in absenteeism, high levels of disciplinary actions, low grades, substance use, and/or violence are recruited for this program.

HSA Remediation - Assistance is provided to at least 20 students who need remediation in order to prepare for the High School Assessment (HSA) tests which are now required by the State in English, Biology, Government and Algebra/data analysis.  

Adolescent Parent Support - This program supports high school-aged girls who are expecting a birth or who are mothers by providing peer support groups to encourage them to stay in school.  The program seeks to prevent low birth weight and infant mortality to the teen mothers by providing pre-natal and post-natal education at the high school. 

Extended After-School - This program will increase parent involvement with their middle-school aged children and the schools through extended after school programming.  Existing middle school after-school programming will be extended until 6:00 pm at least one night per week at each middle school to offer parent or parent-child activities (bus transportation home will not be provided). 

Truancy Diversion - The purpose of this program is to reduce truancy in Kent County, and to build a county-wide expectation that all children must be in school.  Truancy Diversion Case Managers, or TDCM’s will be hired by the Department of Social Services (DSS), and contracted to the Schools. By being contracted to KCPS, the individuals will have access to individual student attendance information.  The TDCM’s will identify the obstacles that are keeping students from attending school, and work with the schools, students, families, and other service providers to remove those barriers.  If truant behavior continues, the TDCM’s will support prosecution by the State’s Attorney’s Office.  Additional truancy reduction strategies supported under this grant include an early morning drop off program at four schools, the installation and operation of an Auto Dial Valet to call parents if students are not in class, and the development of a middle school attendance incentive program. 

Home Visiting - The In-Home Intervention Program provides in-home services to fragile families with children aged birth through five years old.  The program combines intensive parent education (life skills improvement and childhood development) and case management.  The IHI specialist visits the family to build a relationship, establishes family goals and life plans, and provides parenting and health education.  The IHI specialist also seeks to engage the family to participate in community-based resources available outside the home.  The target population is at-risk children and families, many of whom participate in the Judy Center Program. 

Youth 2 Youth - Kent County ranks high in youth substance abuse indicators, this program seeks to involve youth in developing and implementing prevention strategies.  Y2Y is a teen-centered program in which the teens themselves play a significant role in the decision-making process.  Y2Y emphasizes leadership skills, communication skills, decision-making and problem-solving skills; participating youth develop and deliver messages to younger groups of youth. 

Youth as Resources - This program will offer youth leadership opportunities within our community.  Starting with training and retreats to strengthen leadership skills, this program will support youth-led community service projects. 

Character Count Coaches, Child Care Providers/Foster Homes and Mentor Recruitment -
This initiative supports efforts to increase the numbers of Character Counts Coaches, Child Care Providers, Foster Home Providers and Mentor resources in Kent County.  Marketing, training and recruitment strategies will be targeted in Kent County. Requirements for family daycare license and child care centers in incorporated towns or in the county, information about requirements to be a foster parent, how to meet requirements and information about becoming character coaches or a mentor are provided.  The program supports foster care training in Kent County.  This committee explores partnerships between the Kent County retirement community and KCPS to bring retirees into schools to support reading skills or build mentor relationships. 

Community Enrichment Grants - Funding for Community Enrichment Grants has been made available to the Local Management Board by the Children's Cabinet Interagency Fund via the Governor's Office for Children.  The rules that apply are specific to seeding new, locally driven initiatives to fill gaps, or to enhance existing programs by adding a totally new idea or component, not simply expanding what already exists.  Funds are used for one-time-only projects in Kent County, and are limited to the categories of: Equipment/Supplies, Training, Consulting and Renovations.  These grants are not provided in order to sustain programs, but rather to move programs to evaluate and take action to improve outcomes in the community.  All proposals must impact one or more of the Local Management Board's identified priority result areas: Healthy Children, Children Successful in School, and Stable and Economically Independent Families. 

Cultural Competence - KCLMB provided a Training-of-Trainers program that consisted of the Board of Education personnel and 12 community organizations.  There were varying degrees of competence in the information presented, many attendees requested additional support with the curriculum and presentation of this information during the following months.  The LMB continues to support our community and agency members through discussion and support groups where we can safely “test” new activities and critique them on effectiveness and impact. Partners in this group can continue to explore their own issues around stereotyping, prejudices and unfair practices within this group. A facilitator from NMCI can be available to provide new and useful techniques for presentations via conference call. Resources and other “hand outs” will be purchased for presentation purposes. Cultural Competence is a huge endeavor regardless of the community that you are attempting to affect.

Kent County Emergency Fund Policy -This program was developed to meet the needs of children and families who fall short of the guidelines for LCC Flex Funds, or who fall into the cracks in meeting mandated eligibility criteria for a variety of funding sources.  Occasionally there is a case where the child and their family is not quite within the realm of how LCC Flex Funds can be used to support the child, yet, we have no dollars available to meet the need that we have locally determined to be significantly for the family. The LMB seeks to identify monies to be used over the next 10 quarters to fulfill this need in Kent County. A LMB policy identifies the Interagency Committee (IAC) and the Local Coordinating Committee (LCC) as entities that would ensure appropriate determination of use for dollars to assist children and families.