This is the lead in on the COJ page of the Children's Commission, but it doesn't give anyone even an inkling to what these folks are involved in.  Pretty much what the people of Jacksonville have is the largest entitlement program run this side of the Mississippi River (unless another city has allowed something like this to run rampant as well).

When you read this, please keep in mind that the commission has been running for 17 years, and in that 17 years, ask yourself if all the millions of dollars spent by these folks have improved the quality of student we have in the school system.  Are children doing better?  Are our schools improved because of the existance of these folks and thier right over the top budget?

Homepage:

Welcome to the Jacksonville Children’s Commission! Created in 1994 as an expression of the community’s commitment to children and to a vibrant, safe and prosperous future, the Jacksonville Children’s Commission, also known as JaxKids, is an autonomous entity of the City of Jacksonville. Operating under the philosophy that children are assets in the making, our goal is to help Jacksonville's families grow great kids into well-educated, independent members of the community, building a better future one child at a time. This is accomplished by sponsoring research-based programs to help ensure that children from birth to age 18 have stable, nurturing families; are prepared to enter kindergarten and succeed in school; have support and guidance during out-of-school times; and get extra help when and if they need it.

About the commission:

The Jacksonville Children's Commission was created in 1994 as an expression of our community's commitment to children and to a vibrant, safe and prosperous future. One of only eight children's services councils in Florida, the Commission is an autonomous entity of the City of Jacksonville.

The Commission's work is based upon a vast body of evidence which shows that investing in the development of children is one of the most cost-effective ways to prevent crime and dependency in adults. Research shows that children who grow up with appropriate guidance and support tend to stay in school, become part of the workforce, contribute to the community and raise successful children of their own. The reverse is also true.

Operating under the philosophy that children are assets in the making, the Children's Commission supports prevention and early intervention programs for at-risk children and provides resources for parents and caregivers. Our goal is to help Jacksonville's families grow great kids into well-educated, independent members of our community, building a better future one child at a time.

The Commission sponsors a continuum of research-based programs to help ensure that children from birth to age 18 have stable, nurturing families; are prepared to enter kindergarten and succeed in school; have support and guidance afterschool and in the summer; and get extra help when they need it.

Children's Commission–supported programs assist with everything from good parenting and nutrition to early learning, high-quality afterschool activities, summer camps and help for children with special needs. Other initiatives include quality improvement work in early learning centers, developmental screening for young children, mentoring, and mental health and case management services for children with behavioral, economic or family barriers to success. In addition, we provide training opportunities for caregivers and those who work with children and youth.

I also believe if we were not doing this, we might have been able to run our city more efficiently and perhaps we wouldn't have to cut actual city services, but between this program and Journey, a huge portion of our budget is dedicated already and the council is deathly afraid of touching these folks because supposedly this is for children (I contend this is for the folks who run the program, because thus far in education at least, we aren't seeing it as an aid to bettering the quality of students in our school system or the mayor would not have asked for a huge sum to hire tutors).

Here is the list of programs these folks have expanded into, and I warn you that you will be shocked at some of the things the taxpayers of our city pay for. Some of these programs have 2 other people who are involved and Children's Commission as close as I can tell just tags along to get paid for it.

• Advocates and Legislative Issues

• Summer Camps

• Child Care
• Early Learning
• Grands/RAPPJAX
• Healthy Families
• JaxKids Book Club

• Nutrition

• After-school, Mentoring and Youth Development Programs

• Nutrition Services
• Research and Publications
• Special Needs and Homeless Programs

Here is a link to the home page of the Children's Commission on the COJ website:  http://www.coj.net/Departments/Childrens-Commission.aspx