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R <br />Seek first to understand. <br />This Community Needs Assessment should function as a <br />snapshot of current and anticipated conditions that need urgent <br />attention and as a guidepost for donors — it is not a catalogue <br />of solutions. The donor community, nonprofit experts, govern- <br />ment agencies and creative citizens will review this document, <br />discuss with each other and <br />Stimulating discussion come up with their own <br />and creative thinking, varied approaches — both <br />launching more ef- refinements of successful <br />fective programs and ongoing programs and <br />encouraging all mem- innovations. Stimulating <br />bers of the community discussion and creative <br />to support them is the thinking, launching more <br />goal of this Communi- effective programs and <br />ty Needs Assessment. encouraging all members of <br />the community to support <br />them is the goal of this Community Needs Assessment. <br />Highlights for some of the more significant conclusions in <br />the five areas examined in the Community Needs Assessment <br />include the following. <br />Children <br />• Gains are being made in children's early learning reading <br />levels and English proficiency but school absentee rates for <br />older children remain high. <br />• Infant mortality is decreasing, although progress is uneven <br />across demographic groups. <br />• Fewer of the youngest children have access to health insur- <br />ance, with the greatest discrepancy in lower income families <br />due to the structure of the programs or the ability to access <br />these resources. Access to mental health services and dental <br />services is especially of concern. <br />• More availability of quality pre-school and quality after school <br />programs is needed for both student achievement and <br />healthy socialization, and for parents' employment security. <br />Economic opportunity <br />and employment <br />• Employment rates are historically high but wage increases for <br />the most common employment categories substantially lag <br />cost of living increases, especially in the housing and health <br />care categories. <br />• The household poverty rate appears to resist all efforts at <br />reduction. <br />An increasing number of families are employed but asset <br />-poor. Short-term debt levels greatly exceed available cash <br />and liquid assets, leaving them with no financial cushion to <br />handle the costs of unexpected events, for example, auto. <br />repairs, medical bills, job loss or short term job transition. <br />Households in these categories together make up more than <br />half the County's households. <br />