By Mike Bryant

Amid all of this year’s headlines about cuts to government programs, it was easy to overlook one program that the U.S. Senate has decided should not get cut — thanks to the amazing work being done right here in Teller County by our very own Community Partnership Family Resource Center (CP for short).

When a Senate committee was considering whether to cut the social services block grant for the upcoming year, they turned to an academic paper written about CP. This paper explains a study finding that CP’s efforts reduced child abuse cases in our community by 63%.

Think about that – 63%. Child abuse in Teller County has been more than cut in half by the work CP does in teaching parents to navigate the stress and frustration in their lives without taking it out on their children. Behind that number are dozens of children in our community who did not get beaten, who do not have to hide bruises and who do not act out at school.

The Senate committee cited this finding verbatim in its rationale for preserving the block grant, which funds family resource centers all across the United States. These organizations exist in major cities with budgets many times larger than CP’s. But it was our CP the researchers selected for their study and our CP that impressed even a U.S. Senate famously skeptical of government programs.

Another finding in the study explains this: the researchers determined that for every dollar CP spent, it saved the taxpayers of Teller County $2.92. It’s expensive for the Department of Human Services to investigate and manage a child abuse case. The Senate committee cited a similar return on investment from another family resource center in its recommendation. Funding organizations like CP, it turns out, is a way to save tax dollars as well as protect children and strengthen families.

Like a lot of you, I suspect, I had the good fortune to have been raised in a stable home with parents who provided me with a good template for parenting my own children. Not everyone is so lucky. That’s why I support Community Partnership. They’re helping folks less fortunate than me build the parenting skills that make for strong families. And stronger families are the foundation for a stronger Teller County. As you consider your year-end giving, I encourage you to think local and support CP, an organization that shows the world who Teller County is. And, hey, it may also save you a few tax dollars down the road.