“In the richest nation in the world, our children’s well-being, measured across multiple dimensions, ranks 26th out of 29 rich nations. Why that is and what we can do about it matters to all of our children and to the future of our society,” excerpt from documentary film series, The Raising of America.

Hundreds of organizations are using the series, The Raising of America, in community dialogs, policy forums, trainings, and other events to spark new conversations about what we as a society, can - and should - do to make a strong start the birthright of every infant in the U.S.

Jefferson County is offering three opportunities to view the film series and engage in active, results-oriented, critical, and creative thinking discussions. The goal in showing the documentary is to increase awareness, educate, and engage our community about how to best support Jefferson County’s youngest children and their families.

The Raising of America documentary film series seeks to promote a community conversation about the link between early child relationships and environments to their impact on the biology of young children, and how these in turn influence adult outcomes as well as the future of our communities.

This series and public engagement campaign reframes the way we look at early child health and development. It illustrates how a strong start for all our children, leads not only to better individual life course outcomes (learning, earning, and physical and mental health), but also leads to healthier, safer, better, more prosperous, and equitable communities. The Raising of America Partnership of Jefferson County is holding three community-wide viewings with facilitated discussion of the signature documentary episode at three Jefferson County library locations:

Belmar Library (555 South Allison Pkwy, Lakewood) – Saturday, April 1, 1pm-3pm (Spanish Translation available)
RSVP at https://roa-belmar.eventbrite.com

Standley Lake Library (8485 Kipling St., Arvada) – Monday, April 3, 9am-11am
RSVP at https://roa-standley-lake.eventbrite.com

Golden Library (1019 10th Street, Golden) – Monday, April 17, 5pm-7pm
RSVP at https://roa-golden.eventbrite.com