NCJ Number
167795
Journal
Corrections Today Volume: 58 Issue: 5 Dated: (August 1996) Pages: 108,110-112
Date Published
1996
Length
4 pages
Annotation
The Kentucky Educational Collaborative for State Agency Children (KECSAC) is a collaborative effort to enhance educational opportunities for at-risk and delinquent youth.
Abstract
KECSAC is a collaborative effort that currently involves more than 100 public and private youth treatment programs; 55 local school districts; and the State Departments of Education, Social Services, Juvenile Justice, and Mental Health/Mental Retardation. The Collaborative is managed by the Training Resource Center at Eastern Kentucky University under a contract with the Cabinet for Families and Children. Since the inception of KECSAC in 1992, there have been dramatic increases in both services and resources available for the education of State agency children, and the number of children served has increased from 1,000 to 3,000. The keys to the program's success are collaboration, coalition building, and community involvement. The establishment of a collaborative organization managed by a neutral university partner has served as a catalyst that brought various State and local agencies to the table to focus on the education of these children. The building of a coalition has given a much stronger voice to the education and treatment needs of State agency children and the demand for the resources to serve their needs. Further, local school districts and communities involved in the education of youth in out-of-home placements have been essential to KECSAC's achievements.