Slated Budget Cuts Make 14th Annual Florida Children’s Week More Important Than Ever

Kick-off to local events to bring attention to children’s services across the state, offers prelude to March 31 celebration in Tallahassee

Throughout Florida, funding and staff for children’s programs and services are at great risk of being lost to the 2009-10 slated budget cuts. Communities across the state are responding by gearing up to kick-off the 14th Annual Florida Children’s Week to raise awareness about important children’s issues. This year’s Children’s Week activities will focus on the anticipated impact of severe budget cuts to vital programs for Florida’s youth.

{sidebar id=1}“Children’s Week has become the largest statewide civic education event for children and families inFlorida,” says Children’s Week coordinator Jason Zaborske. “With events happening in all 67 counties and thousands of families traveling to Tallahassee to participate in the Children’s ‘Capital for a Day’, it is the one time during the year that the Capitol is transformed into a living classroom where elected officials, youth leaders, advocates, communities and families can come together with one voice to advocate for Florida’s children.”

From now through April, more than 75 statewide partners and corporations including Comcast, Tobacco Free Florida, Nemours, Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children, Department of Children & Families, Publix Super Markets Charities, Salter>Mitchell, United Way of Florida and other non-profit organizations are teaming up to host a multitude of events and activities designed to promote the health, safety and well-being of children and families across the Sunshine State. In addition, local organizations will emphasize the importance of maintaining current levels and securing new sources of funding for children and youth services.

During the next ten weeks, communities will offer children’s activities and events that include:

Children in schools and child care centers throughout Florida are coloring and designing more than 100,000 paper cut-outs of their hands, which will be transported to Tallahassee via the “Caring Hands Caravan.” Hundreds of volunteers from across the state will arrive at the Capitol on Sunday, March 29 at 1 p.m. to help with the traditional “Hanging of the Hands” in the Rotunda.
The “Capital Steps for Kids” program presented by Nemours is giving away 10,000 pedometers to Children’s Week local event coordinators to organize walks and promote healthy and active lifestyles through a pedometer challenge. Nemours will highlight the effort and announce how many steps were walked statewide during the pedometer challenge at the Capitol on March 31.
The “Children’s Capital for a Day” is scheduled for Tuesday, March 31 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the State Capitol. The day includes free walking tours of the Capitol, hands-on educational activities for children, and legislators reading and distributing books to children. Free healthy boxed lunches will be provided by Crispers to all children and teachers who RSVP by March 16, 2009.
Community advocates in all 67 counties are contacting local government leaders to sign resolutions and hold press conferences to proclaim April 5, 2009 as “Parents and Children's Day” throughout Florida. Recognized in state law, this day takes place on the first Sunday in April each year and encourages parents and children to spend quality time together and participate in fun, healthy and educational activities in their communities.

Additional information and a listing of local events in communities across Florida are available at http://www.childrensweek.org . All activities are free and open to the public.

This information originally published on February 2, 2009.

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