CHILDREN FIRST
From the Re-Echo, December 2004

The Children First Initiative started in St. Louis Park. The initiative was developed by and for St. Louis Park and has currently spread to over 450 communities in the United States.

The Children First concept took shape in 1992 when Dr. Carl Holmstrom, the Superintendent of the St. Louis Park public schools, gave what he thought was a routine talk to the St. Louis Park Rotary Club. The gist of Dr. Holmstrom’s talk was that schools worked when there is a partnership between schools and families. As more and more families became stressed and dysfunctional, kids were lost and the community suffered. He concluded that we needed to invest more of our time and ourselves in the children and youth.

These Rotary talks were routine and generally soon forgotten, but this time someone was listening. Within days a retired businessman and fellow Rotarian, Wayne Packard, offered a sizable amount of money to solve the problem. Within a month another Rotarian, Gil Braun, offered to match Packard’s contribution. Other early contributions came from the General Mills and Methodist Hospital Foundations. 

The problem was that Dr. Holstom did not have a plan that he felt would accomplish the needed results. A committee was formed to develop a solution, without results.  In late 1992, the Search Institute, a non profit youth research organization, was brought on board to help identify issues and create a plan whereby the community could help children become principled and caring adults. 

The Search Institute headed by Peter Benson, identified 30 (later 40) assets that serve as building blocks for positive student improvement. Students with the most number of these assets achieve the most. These assets served as the framework for the Children First initiative. An unsuccessful search was conducted nation wide to find a model for the program. St. Louis Park turned out to be the first and had to develop the basics. What developed was a community-wide plan to increase the assets in every child.

The Search Institute's 40 assets cover the following categories: Support, Empowerment, Boundaries and Expectations, Constructive Use of Time, Commitment to Learning, Positive Values, Social Competencies, and Positive Identification.

The Children First Partnership was officially launched in the Fall of 1994 with the hiring of coordinator Karen Atkinson.  Once it got started, the “village” embraced it passionately. When the first steering committee meeting was held, the following people showed up: School Superintendent, Retired Asst. Superintendent, School Board Members, State Representative, Mayor, Students, Retired Citizens, State Senator, Chief of Police Rabbi, Ministers, Head Librarian, Health Department Staff, Boy Scout Staff, YMCA Staff, Judges, Hospital Foundation President, and Community Education Director.

The initiative became a partnership of public and private schools, students, health and business communities, service organizations, the city, and the faith community. Thousands of St. Louis Park residents were and are enthusiastically involved in asset building for the youth of the city. Initially when the children were tested they averaged 16.7 assets per child. In the latest tests this has increased to 19.4. Overall evaluation by the Search Institute indicates the program is working.

Children First is not a government funded program. The only paid employee is the coordinator, Karen Atkinson. Her job is to spread the “good news” about people who are helping build assets so other people start asset building on their own.

The Children First story is documented in a book written by Robert Ramsey Ed. E. The book is available for $10.00 plus $3.50 for mailing and handling from: Karen Atkinson, Children First Coordinator 6425 West 33rd St., St Louis Park MN 55426, 952- 928- 6075.

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This information comes from a variety of sources: newspapers, books, yearbooks, phone directories, interviews, etc. Given the varied sources, we cannot guarantee that all of this information is correct, and welcome any additions and corrections. Please contact us with your contributions and comments.