There are more than 300 agencies and organizations in the St. Louis metropolitan area working to provide programs and services for children, according to Richard Patton, director of Vision for Children at Risk (VCR).<\/a><\/p>\n

One might then logically ask:\u00a0 with this kind of attention focused on them, why are our kids in such bad shape?<\/p>\n

There is no question that many of our children are suffering.\u00a0 Patton\u2019s organization, which does research and collects data, has been publishing \u201cChildren of Metropolitan St. Louis\u201d<\/a> every other year for the past 18 years.\u00a0 The most recent publication revealed that 22 percent of the children in our five-county metropolitan area live in zip codes where \u201cthe risks to their well-being are severe.\u201d<\/p>\n

Even affluent St. Louisans who rarely venture from their suburban zip codes know what these children need.\u00a0 They need what all kids need:\u00a0 adequate housing.\u00a0 Safe neighborhoods.\u00a0 Good medical care.\u00a0 Plenty of healthy, nutritious food.\u00a0 Loving caregivers.\u00a0 Quality education, which begins early.<\/p>\n

Patton estimates that there are 150,000 children in our area who are not getting these things.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not because people haven\u2019t tried.\u00a0 Most of the 300 organizations working on behalf of kids have mission statements and action plans.\u00a0 They\u2019ve assessed needs and written policies.\u00a0 They\u2019ve collected information and developed strategies.\u00a0 They\u2019ve set goals and objectives.\u00a0 They\u2019ve raised money.\u00a0 They\u2019ve involved stakeholders and set up committees.\u00a0 They\u2019ve launched initiatives and measured outcomes.\u00a0 They\u2019ve organized and lobbied.<\/p>\n

In the name of the children, they have continued to re-arrange the deck chairs on the Titanic.<\/p>\n

No one is more frustrated by this than Patton.\u00a0 For the past several years he has focused much of his time and effort trying to convince legislators and business and civic leaders that quality early childhood education is a good idea.<\/p>\n

\u201cStudies have shown the importance of early brain development, and people who are looking for a good return on their investment need to look at what happens when we invest in quality early childhood education\u201d he says.\u00a0 He admits that he has not been successful in \u201cstriking a spark\u201d in the local business community to make early childhood education a part of economic development efforts.\u00a0 And the state of Missouri\u00a0 \u201cdoesn\u2019t care about this stuff,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Patton continues to press on.\u00a0 His latest effort is something called the St. Louis Regional Early Childhood Council<\/a>, which will \u201cdevelop a community vision for a comprehensive system that addresses the full range of early childhood needs for all St. Louis area children.\u201d\u00a0 Council members will work together to achieve that vision, \u201cimplementing and coordinating policies and programs in collaboration with involved systems, programs and initiatives all playing their appropriate roles.\u201d<\/p>\n

With all due respect to the underpaid, overworked, idealistic individuals who are laboring to keep this ship afloat, maybe it\u2019s time to consider something else.\u00a0 Maybe what this ship needs is a captain.<\/p>\n

Someone like Geoffrey Canada, founder of the Harlem Children\u2019s Zone, an aggressive (and expensive) effort to change schools, families and neighborhoods in a poverty-stricken area of New York City so the children who live there will be able to compete with their middle-class peers.<\/p>\n

At the local level we do have Chris Krehmeyer, executive director of Beyond Housing<\/a>, who has led the effort to develop a project called 24:1 in the Normandy School District.\u00a0 Under Krehmeyer\u2019s direction, individuals and organizations in the two dozen municipalities that make up the Normandy School district are working together to create good schools, healthy children and successful communities.<\/p>\n

But Canada is not here and Krehmeyer is busy, so the field is wide open for others.\u00a0 Someone who is creative, and energetic, and knows how to lead.\u00a0 Someone who has plenty of money, or who knows how to get it.\u00a0 Someone who is willing to take chances.\u00a0 Someone who cares about kids.<\/p>\n

Undoubtedly that will be someone who has had more advantages than the 150,000 at-risk kids who are waiting for him or her to get here.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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