By: Moncrief S.R. No. 976
1-1 SENATE RESOLUTION
1-2 WHEREAS, The Senate of the State of Texas is proud to
1-3 recognize the many significant accomplishments of John A. Widner
1-4 on the occasion of his 25th year of service as Executive Director
1-5 of the Day Care Association of Fort Worth and Tarrant County; and
1-6 WHEREAS, The Day Care Association was formed in 1968, when
1-7 three Fort Worth child care providers merged to avoid fragmentation
1-8 and disparate services by forming a single, nonprofit agency
1-9 offering an array of programs serving children in developmental
1-10 day care and early intervention settings; and
1-11 WHEREAS, Mr. Widner has been director of the organization
1-12 since its establishment; under his management and with the guidance
1-13 of the board of directors, the agency has seen consistent,
1-14 impressive growth in its services; and
1-15 WHEREAS, The Day Care Association has expanded from serving
1-16 130 children in 1968 to 13,000 in 1993; the staff has grown from
1-17 30 to 600; and services have expanded from Tarrant County to 13
1-18 counties in North Texas; and
1-19 WHEREAS, A vanguard in the child care industry, the
1-20 agency has provided relief and support to over 100,000 North
1-21 Texas families through its innovative, collaborative approach to
1-22 subsidized day care; the organization's programs include Day Care
1-23 Centers; Head Start Services, which provide early intervention and
2-1 health care screening; the Comprehensive Child Care Development
2-2 Program, a six-year federal study to measure the impact of case
2-3 management, collaboration, and child care services; the Child Care
2-4 Management Service, an open-market, parent-choice system; and
2-5 Family Day Homes; and
2-6 WHEREAS, Internationally recognized child care experts
2-7 have remarked on the success of the agency; along with the Hogg
2-8 Foundation, the Day Care Association was cited as one of the two
2-9 effective collaborations in Texas by the Bush Center in Child
2-10 Development and Social Policy at Yale University; its comprehensive
2-11 and diverse services to children and families and the level of
2-12 community support it has garnered have been called "most
2-13 impressive" by Dr. Bettye Caldwell, Donaghey Professor of
2-14 Education at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock; and
2-15 WHEREAS, The agency's success has made it a magnet in
2-16 attracting new additions and grants; the Comprehensive Child Care
2-17 Development Program recently received one of only 22 available
2-18 national grants and the Head Start Family Home Project was
2-19 one of a select few to receive a recent grant for a national study;
2-20 and
2-21 WHEREAS, Talented, resourceful, and hardworking, Mr. Widner
2-22 has been integral to the securing and effective use of the diverse
2-23 funding base which is a hallmark of the agency; and
2-24 WHEREAS, The Day Care Association owes much of its success
2-25 to Mr. Widner's vision, leadership, management expertise, and
3-1 commitment to the children and parents of North Texas; now,
3-2 therefore, be it
3-3 RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas,
3-4 73rd Legislature, hereby commend and applaud John A. Widner
3-5 and recognize his 25 years of outstanding service to the Day
3-6 Care Association of Fort Worth and Tarrant County and to the
3-7 citizens of Texas; and, be it further
3-8 RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution be prepared for
3-9 him as an expression of esteem from the Texas Senate.
3-10 _____________________________________
3-11 President of the Senate
3-12 I hereby certify that the
3-13 above Resolution was adopted by
3-14 the Senate on May 19, 1993.
3-15 _____________________________________
3-16 Secretary of the Senate
3-17 _____________________________________
3-18 Member, Texas Senate