Why a Master Plan?

Creating a Children, Youth and Family Master Plan is a strategy that an ever-increasing number of cities, towns and counties are beginning to explore in their attempt to more effectively and efficiently address what they perceive as the seemingly overwhelming number of issues that impact their younger citizens and their families. Many localities try to address the myriad challenges facing their children, youth and families with the traditional approaches and providers to which they have always turned. While in most cases these approaches and providers are very competent and have had success with many individuals addressing the issue in a more inclusive and comprehensive way requires new experiments and approaches to be tried. Another common “mistake” is that the focus of many community-planning efforts is almost entirely on reduction of problem indicators and not the creation of thriving indicators. No community will be able to continue to provide the ever-increasing resources that will be needed to address issues as they surface. With these two realities as their guides, La Plata County, in partnership with the municipalities of Durango, Bayfield and Ignacio, have embarked on an extensive and inclusive planning effort that will hopefully increase the level of thriving of each of La Plata’s children, youth and families are thriving.