What is the Child Watch Visitation Program?

CHllDWATCH VISITATION COMMITTEEBy Michelle ReaganThe Child Watch Visitation Programwas developed by the Children'sDefense Fund as a means of training abroad range of leaders across thecountry on the need to invest in ourmost precious nationalresource-children. Through a series ofcarefully planned visits to a variety ofchildren's services and programs, thesecommunity leaders can confront childsuffering on a very personal level and,hopefully, become motivated to workfor positive change.The Child Watch Program showsthe participants not only problemsfaced by local children, but services inthe community that are experiencingsuccess in dealing with them. Theseservice providers receive a welldeserved pat on the back as well asaccess to a newly emergingconstituency to aid them in their work.The Association of Junior Leagues,Int., is joined by Kiwanis International,the American Association of RetiredPersons, Jack and Jill of America, theNational Council of Churches, t~eNational Council of La Raza, and theNational Council of Negro Women insponsoring the Child Watch Programnationally. Fifty cities now havePrograms in the planning or executionstages.The Junior League of Wichita istaking the lead in designing a ChildWatch Course for Wichita. OnSeptember 29, the Child WatchCommittee held their first communitycollaboration meeting which broughttogether local affiliates of the nationalsponsoring organizations. The goal tocreate a large and diverse coalition ofcommunity groups to design andimplement the Program wassuccessfully begun with that firstworkshop and will continue withmeetings throughout the fall andwinter.The Child Watch committee is cochairedby Michelle Reagan and formerWJL president lane Murphy. Membersinclude Sarah Robinson, JudeLanghurst, Lynn Cody Hawks, andPatty Dengler. Judy Frick serves asSustaining Advisor.The program format will combinewritten materials and policy briefingswith the site visits. The writtenmaterials will provide participants withbackground information on the issues28Left to right. back row: Sarah Robinsonand Michelle Reagan. Front row: JudyFrick and Jane Murphy. Not pictured: JudeLonghurst, Lynn Cody Hawks, PattyDengler and Carol RupeBelow is a picture from the Child Watchcoalition meeting held on November 2 atheadquarters planning the Child Watchvisitation program.presented and give them a tangiblerecord of the program. The policybriefings will try to illuminate the mazeof public policy issues that surroundchildren's problems. Finally, the visitsthemselves will resemble our ownCommunity Course by providing toursof local child service providers. TheChildren's Home, a Head Start center, acounty health department, a neonatalintensive care unit are all possible sites.Programs participants williearn-ashave many a WJL member-that theycan make a difference in the lives ofchildren.December 1992 Propeller 9