One of the investment areas under the Best Starts for Kids plan addresses stopping the School to Prison pipeline. We are currently seeking a Program Manager to help develop and coordinate this work including working with key stakeholders to:
- Develop a shared vision, outcomes, measures and principles of practice to Stop the School to Prison pipeline with a strong focus on reducing disproportionality
- Prevent deeper involvement into the juvenile justice system for young people by offering an immediate connection to a mentor, job training/employment services, and/or services requested by the young person and their family;
- Provide access to services/programming that allow young people to create relationships and gain the skills needed for more pro-social behavior;
- Establish on-going partnerships with community-based agencies providing services to young people involved or at-risk of involvement in the juvenile justice system ages 12-24 years;
You can view the details of the position on the King County jobs site.
More about stopping the School to Prison pipeline
All of Best Starts for Kids – from Prenatal to 24 Years – contributes toward stopping the school–to-prison pipeline. We believe that we can, and we must, partner effectively with communities to support children, youth and families in ways that strengthen protective factors and build systems of supports that are accessible, relevant and culturally-appropriate. However, while we are working upstream to address systemic issues there are children and youth today who need a different kind of support from us.
Many youth who are involved, or at high risk of involvement, with the criminal justice system, gangs, homelessness, substance abuse and other dangers have routinely been exposed to multiple risk factors and less of the protective factors that other youth experience. These include caring supportive adults, safe neighborhoods, strong sense of self and culture, and living situations free of violence, illness and abuse.
Through Best Starts, we will invest in a comprehensive approach to support our youth through prevention, intervention, reentry, education and employment strategies. Our approach proposes partnerships with geographic communities, or hubs, to create unique government/community partnerships. We will also seek to partner with community members who share experiences with our youth. Click here for more information about the stopping School to Prison pipeline plan (pages 80-83).