A Message to Our CommunityA Message for the HolidaysWinter 2004

Some cause happiness wherever they go. – Oscar Wilde

This time of year finds many of us celebrating in our own personal, traditional or spiritual way. Whether it is Chanukah, Kwanzaa, Las Posadas, Christmas or another special festival, we also use this season to reflect on the accomplishments of the past year and set goals for the coming year. Our diverse celebrations have another universal theme that ties us together: a message of light, hope and peace.

The importance of that theme couldn’t have been made clearer than in a recent report by UNICEF. Half of the world’s children do not experience a safe or healthy childhood due to poverty, war and HIV/AIDS. The report also showed that one in six children is severely hungry; one in seven has no access to health care; one in five has no safe water; one in three has no toilet or sanitation facilities at home.

These alarming numbers aren’t only from developing nations. Closer to home, 17.6 percent of U.S. children younger than 18 (or 12.9 million) live in poverty, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. In California, it’s more than 1.7 million children (or 18.6 percent of California’s children).

These statistics serve as a sobering reminder of the ever-growing need for greater commitment to helping the most vulnerable people in our society.

At Alameda County Office of Education, we understand that there are real lives behind these numbers. Many of us at ACOE see these children’s faces on a daily basis. As public servants in education, we are charged with working with some of the toughest, poorest, lowest performing students, schools and districts. Many children we serve lack basic necessities, often struggling just to show up at school. Our job is to provide them with a safe haven and access to a quality education.

As we take time with our own friends and family to celebrate the holidays, and we reflect on the blessings of our own lives, let us, as Oscar Wilde suggests, remember to cause happiness wherever we go.

All our best for a wonderful holiday season and Happy New Year.

Sheila JordanSuperintendent, Alameda County Schools

Yvonne CerratoPresident, Alameda County Board of Education

Sheila Jordan is the County Superintendent of Schools. She may be reached at 670-4144 or by e-mail at acoesuperintendent@acoe.org.