Tuesday, March 25, 1997
First Four Years Committee dedicated to welfare
of city's youngsters
By ANTHONY WILSON Staff Writer
City Hall's newest committee will be concerning itself with
kids' stuff.
Mayor Gary McCaleb on Monday announced the creation of the
First Four Years Committee, a group dedicated to the welfare of
Abilene's youngest citizens. At its first meeting Wednesday, McCaleb
will charge the task force with delving into "every element
of the community" that impacts a child's development.
"The primary initiative can't be limited," McCaleb,
surrounded by gurgling babies, said at a press conference at the
Day Nursery of Abilene. "I want it to be wide open. I want
them to look at everything that can affect the development of
children from birth to age 4."
McCaleb, who constantly preaches the importance of being a
"child-centered" community, reported he was as particular
as he's ever been in choosing the 16 appointees to the committee
- a mix of teachers, preachers, parents and business people.
The mayor is issuing no deadline for the group to offer recommendations,
some of which may require City Council action and some of which
will seek to mobilize the community.
"This has nothing to do with government interfering in
the vastly more important roles of parents and churches,"
McCaleb said. "It has everything to do with the collected
impact a community can have on children.
"The environment in a community matters. Everything a
baby sees, hears and touches is powerfully important in their
first four years. It continues to have an impact for the rest
of their lives."
Committee co-chair Ernesto Segura agreed.
An Abilene High assistant principal, Segura said it's often
too late to change children once they graduate to his campus.
"We see a lot of parents crying for help and it's hard
because it's difficult to remold teen-agers," he said. "When
a child opens his eyes, he starts learning. We have to work with
babies and parents who don't know how to be parents. If we can
help them, we can help develop children emotionally and educationally."
In 1994, McCaleb initiated Abilene's Children Today (ACT-1),
a strategic plan to address children's issues and make Abilene
a "child-friendly" city.
While the report yielded 21 goals and 156 actions to be taken
in areas such as parenting skills, community involvement, race
relations and youth activities, the mayor noted it didn't fully
address the concerns of babies.
Nancy Paup will co-chair the committee with Segura. Other members
are Sabrina Arnic, Carolyn Beckham, Dr. Elvira Garcia, Gertrude
Garza, Geoff Gilbert, Kay McDonald, Durward Minor, Cynthia Pearson,
Susan Preston, Teri Reece, Paul Rotenberry, Darlene Stevens, Dr.
Robert Wiley and Charlie Wolfe.
The group is a temporary rather than standing committee.
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Copyright ©1997,
Abilene Reporter-News / Texnews / E.W. Scripps Publications
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