The president and CEO of the Children's Services Council of Broward highlights prevention, mental health, family stability, and youth engagement as pillars for the county's future.

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For the past 25 years, the Broward County Children's Services Council (CSC) has sought to transform how the county responds to the needs of its children, youth, and families. Under the leadership of its president and CEO, Cindy Arenberg Seltzer, the organization has championed a model based on prevention, community engagement, and long-term investment.

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Arenberg Seltzer believes that one of CSC's greatest achievements has been to move from a system that mainly reacted to crises to one that seeks to anticipate them.

 

“What I am most proud of is that we have changed our approach: from responding to crises once they occur, to preventing them before they happen,” he says.

 

From dealing with crises to preventing them

When CSC began in 2000, many child and family services operated independently and struggled to secure stable funding. Now it functions as a community framework that brings together service providers, nonprofits, municipalities, businesses, and families.

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The strategy covers different stages of child development, from birth to youth, with investments aimed at school readiness, literacy, mental health, child safety, family stability and youth development.

 

For the CEO, the goal is for families to be able to find support before a difficulty turns into a crisis.

 

Mental health and safety in a digital world

Children's needs have changed considerably over the past 25 years. While CSC maintains many of its original priorities, it has also broadened its focus to address new challenges, such as increased concerns related to mental health, emotional crises, and risks associated with the digital environment.

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CSC supports community initiatives and works with resources such as 2-1-1 Broward and the 988 Suicide and Crisis Helpline, in addition to supporting programs aimed at building resilience among children and youth.

 

The digital world presents another challenge. Cyberbullying, online exploitation, social media pressure, and internet safety are problems that require parents, schools, and community organizations to be prepared. The answer, according to Arenberg Seltzer, combines education, prevention, resources for families, and community collaboration.

 

Invest today to avoid problems tomorrow.

One of the main challenges for publicly funded CSCs is balancing immediate needs with investments whose results can be seen in the long term. Both priorities are essential.

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Families may need immediate help in situations such as food insecurity, housing problems, or a mental health crisis. But addressing only emergencies doesn't solve the underlying causes. “If we focus solely on emergencies, we will never address the underlying causes,” explains Arenberg Seltzer.

 

The goal is to demonstrate that public resources produce concrete benefits in the present and in the future.

 

The impact of potential changes to property tax

CSC's funding depends on a property tax approved by voters. For this reason, any significant change that reduces revenue from this tax could affect the amount of resources available for programs aimed at children and families.

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Arenberg Seltzer emphasizes that the concrete impact would depend on the details of any eventual constitutional or legislative change.

 

It also highlights the importance of taxpayers knowing the scope of the investment.

 

According to the CEO, CSC represents a relatively small part of the property tax, but its resources allow for the funding of programs such as school readiness, literacy, prevention of child abuse, family strengthening, and mental health.

 

More opportunities for small community organizations

In Broward County, many small, community-based organizations have close relationships with the families they serve. However, they don't always have the necessary infrastructure to compete for grants or manage large contracts.

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The philosophy is that funding a program is not enough. It is also necessary to strengthen the organizations that implement it so that they can sustain its impact for many years.

 

Young people also have a voice

Another element highlighted by Arenberg Seltzer is the direct participation of young people in planning.

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“Young people are the experts in their own experiences,” he says.

CSC seeks to understand your opinions through surveys, focus groups, advisory groups, program evaluations, and community conversations, among other mechanisms.

 

These voices can influence both program design and investment priorities.

 

The principle is simple: systems designed for young people should be built with them and not just for them.

 

Strengthening families in the face of economic difficulties

The economic hardships faced by some Broward families have also led CSC to expand its support for programs that combine immediate assistance with tools to achieve greater stability.

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Areas supported include family support services, food security, parenting programs, home visits, job placement support, guidance on community resources, and eviction prevention.

 

The goal is for a family not only to be able to overcome an emergency, but also to have tools that reduce the possibility of facing a similar crisis in the future.

 

The great challenge: opportunities for all

Looking ahead, Arenberg Seltzer identifies a central challenge: ensuring that all children have equitable access to opportunities, regardless of where they live, their family circumstances, or the difficulties they face.

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CSC's experience, he argues, demonstrates that no single program can solve the needs of children.

 

A coordinated system is needed to support children from their early years into adulthood.

 

That approach will be especially important for Broward as the county faces new economic, social, technological, and mental health challenges.

 

A vision that looks ahead to the next 25 years

After a quarter of a century, CSC's vision remains centered on a fundamental premise: prevention and early investment can change a child's trajectory and, at the same time, strengthen the entire community.

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For Arenberg Seltzer, the ultimate goal is for every child in Broward County to have the opportunity to thrive and for every family to have the necessary support to do so.

to make it possible.

 

The challenge for the coming years will be to maintain that commitment as the needs of new generations change and to ensure that public resources continue to reach those who need them most.