The Tie That Binds

Commons has had six Executive Directors in its 118 year history.  On May 7th, I am leaving to move to Oregon after a great 8 years as Director and 15 years of service to Commons.  The fact that my tenure is "short" compared to past Directors is amazing to me.   

I have been thinking about exactly what kept me here so long?  

The tie that binds is the historic, inspirational culture of this organization.  

In the words of Commons’ founder, Graham Taylor, this is a place that truly works WITH people, not just FOR them.  This is such an important distinction.  There are no hand-outs at Commons.  Successes are earned here.  

This is a place (a ‘Commons’) where people come together to make life better on an individual, family and community level.  I witnessed countless lives improved for the better.  And my own life has improved by sharing in the mission with so many other wonderful people.  The lessons I have learned here will serve me well for the rest of my life.  And I will always consider myself part of the Commons’ family.

Cutting Terraces into the "Cliff"

Mayor Emanuel and City of Chicago are starting to release information about the Ready to Learn initiative (which was announced last year at the Commons' Nia Family Center!) .

One of the first highlights, a new "sliding scale" allowing parents to pay for half-day Pre-K according to their ability to pay.  Sun times headline is that more affluent families will pay up to $4,000 per year for a half day Pre-K program.  But this misses the point a little.

This new sliding scale is a big step away from the awful "eligibility cliff" that is the norm in early learning programs for parents with modest incomes (see past blog post on the cliff.)   This approach creates a "terraced hillside" instead of a cliff that boots parents from the program once their income crosses an invisible line.

Unfortunately, this will only apply to the city's Pre-K program, and will not change Head Start or State funded Child Care programs (Commons' operates both of these).  So the cliff will continue to a big problem for many parents and many programs like Commons.  Let's hope President Obama's stated desire to create a more terraced approach will eventually move forward in Congress!

Nothing Fair about it

The sequester is an "across the board" cut that slashes all discretionary federal spending.  Across the board cuts are sometimes called "fair" because they are proportional.  But there is nothing fair about this one.

There has been some good coverage showing how geographically skewed the cuts are.  States like Alaska, New Mexico, Kentucky, Alabama and Virginia will take the brunt.

Another group taking the big hit is low-income families with children.  Cutting Head Start is particularly short-sighted.  By either reducing number of days that programs are open or cutting number slots, it will make it more difficult for parents to work and go to school.  Reducing family stability and opportunities for early learning is as terrible for our economy as it is for the individual families.

Let's get something done Congress... go here to find your Congressperson's phone number and tell them to fix this.

Early Learning Push

Watch for early childhood education in President Obama's State of the Union on Tuesday.  There are rumors that he is considering a big push in early learning.

At Chicago Commons, any focus on early learning is welcome news overall.  But, there is a lingering question:  Will this create more robust support for quality early learning or will it allow state governments to serve more children by watering down quality?

One idea to consider -- extend subsidies to working and middle class, but require these families to pay a significant share of the cost.  And at the same time, give special subsidies to high poverty neighborhoods that have created local educational plans/systems.  Give these neighborhoods special funding for early learning to underwrite high quality early learning centers, like what Chicago Commons.  These centers are irreplaceable and reach the highest need families.  And I, for one, am worried that the effort to extend pre-k to the middle class (while good) will actually threaten the survival of high quality centers that are focused on serving the lowest income families.

Economic Glimmers

Re-assuring to see some glimmers of economic hope in Crain's, we sure need it.  Awesome to see Bob Smietana, CEO at HSA Commercial Real Estate and Commons' Board Member, get a shout-out for recent positive moves.

However, the non-profit outlook was pretty gloomy.  In large part due to ridiculous situation in Springfield.  It is unconscionable there is NO action on pensions yet.  Legislators will not hesitate to cut social services again this year, like they did last year.  But state pensions?  So far, untouchable.

We all need to keep raising our voices for fairness in Springfield.  Unfortunately, EVERYONE needs to pay for the years of irresponsibility.  But so far it is largely being borne by the poor and vulnerable.  And if we keep this up, the economic glimmers of hope in Chicago will not be sustainable.

Future of Health Care

The future of health care is all about "networks" and "outcomes".  Although Commons is not a traditional "medical" organization, we can help improve health outcomes.

Together4Health is a new network of groups that are going to be part of an experiment to work with 1,000 patients to improve health outcomes while also reducing health care expenditures.  See article in Crains.

Chicago Commons Home Care and Adult Day Care will play a role in this creative effort.  It is going to be journey and we are going to learn a lot..  join us and follow along!

Exercise Your Rights!

Voting is such a fundamental right, one that we must not take for granted!

No matter your political persuasion, please take the time to vote.

At the end of September, during National Voter Registration Day, Chicago Commons registered 25 new voters at the Nia Family Center and Adult Education and Training Center (ETC).

It is not too late to register to vote, registration locations can be found here.

And early voting is underway also, location look up here.