(1) The community network's plan may include a program to provide postsecondary scholarships to at-risk students who: (a) Are community role models under criteria established by the community network; (b) successfully complete high school; and (c) maintain at least a 2.5 grade point average throughout high school. Funding for the scholarships may include public and private sources.
(2) The community network's plan may also include funding of community-based home visitor programs which are designed to reduce the incidence of child abuse and neglect within the network. Parents shall sign a voluntary authorization for services, which may be withdrawn at any time. The program may provide parents with education and support either in parents' homes or in other locations comfortable for parents, beginning with the birth of their first baby. The program may make the following services available to the families:
(a) Visits for all expectant or new parents, either at the parent's home or another location with which the parent is comfortable;
(b) Screening before or soon after the birth of a child to assess the family's strengths and goals and define areas of concern in consultation with the family;
(c) Parenting education and skills development;
(d) Parenting and family support information and referral;
(e) Parent support groups; and
(f) Service coordination for individual families, and assistance with accessing services, provided in a manner that ensures that individual families have only one individual or agency to which they look for service coordination. Where appropriate for a family, service coordination may be conducted through interdisciplinary or interagency teams.
These programs are intended to be voluntary for the parents involved.
(3) In developing long-term comprehensive plans to reduce the rate of at-risk children and youth, the community networks shall consider increasing employment and job training opportunities in recognition that they constitute an effective network strategy and strong protective factor. The networks shall consider and may include funding of:
(a) At-risk youth job placement and training programs. The programs shall:
(i) Identify and recruit at-risk youth for local job opportunities;
(ii) Provide skills and needs assessments for each youth recruited;
(iii) Provide career and occupational counseling to each youth recruited;
(iv) Identify businesses willing to provide employment and training opportunities for at-risk youth;
(v) Match each youth recruited with a business that meets his or her skills and training needs;
(vi) Provide employment and training opportunities that prepare the individual for demand occupations; and
(vii) Include, to the extent possible, collaboration of business, labor, education and training, community organizations, and local government;
(b) Employment assistance, including job development, school-to-work placement, employment readiness training, basic skills, apprenticeships, job mentoring, and private sector and community service employment;
(c) Education assistance, including tutoring, mentoring, interactions with role models, entrepreneurial education and projects, violence prevention training, safe school strategies, and employment reentry assistance services.
(4) The community network may include funding of:
(a) Peer-to-peer, group, and individual counseling, including crisis intervention, for at-risk youth and their parents;
(b) Youth coalitions that provide opportunities to develop leadership skills and gain appropriate respect, recognition, and rewards for their positive contribution to their community;
(c) Technical assistance to applicants to increase their organizational capacity and to improve the likelihood of a successful application; and
(d) Technical assistance and training resources to successful applicants.
