Jacksonville 'Milk Party' holds first meeting

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Free milk and cookies may be enough to get you to go to a meeting. But for a small group of adults gathered around a table in a downtown Jacksonville office Wednesday, it was a lot more that got them there: it was the idea that they can change children's lives.

"They're our future and if we don't invest in them now, then it has ramifications down the road," said Mario Rubio, Chairman of the Jacksonville Chapter of the Children's Movement.

Wednesday the first five members of the Jacksonville chapter met for their first official meeting. They are part of a Tea Party style movement that focuses on advocating for children's issues.

"We need to make sure they have healthcare, they have good high quality voluntary pre-kindergarten, and high quality child care, pre-natal care, mentoring. The movement really will bring all those things to light," said Susan Main, Executive Director of the Early Learning Coalition of Duval.

The Children's Movement says the majority of brain development happens before the age of five and sometimes before children can speak out for themselves. That's why they're encouraging you to be a voice.

"We want to move forward in creating an advocacy program that basically lets people be aware of the need to put children as the highest priority as possible," said Rubio.

Leaders are planning the first "Milk Party" rally in Jacksonville on September 27. They're inviting parents and children to attend, even if they have to bring the milk and cookies to get them there.

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