Measures & Actions

BCVision implements action strategies to change policies, programs, and institutions to achieve our targets and see measurable improvements in our community.

Jobs
Measure	Baseline (2015)	Current	Target (2025)	Michigan
Labor force participation rate Disaggregated	60%	60%	63% Rationale: This is the median labor force participation rate among a set of nine Midwestern cities of comparable size, demographics, and education levels; it is also the rate seen statewide in 2010. Source: PolicyLink analysis of demographic data from the US Census.	61%
White	60%	59%	-	62%
Black	57%	59%	-	58%
Latino	74%	68%	-	67%
American Indian or Alaskan Native	66%	64%	-	57%
Asian	67%	71%	-	63%
Some other race	86%	56%	-	67%
Two or more races	53%	61%	-	61%
Unemployment rate Disaggregated	12%	10%	6% Rationale: This is the second lowest unemployment rate among a set of nine Midwestern cities of comparable size, demographics, and education levels; we chose this instead of the median given the fast decline in the unemployment rate in recent years.Source: PolicyLink analysis of demographic data from the US Census.	9%
White	11%	9%	-	7%
Black	19%	16%	-	18%
Latino	7%	4%	-	11%
American Indian or Alaskan Native	7%	7%	-	13%
Asian	N/A	N/A	-	6%
Some other race	8%	7%	-	11%
Two or more races	24%	16%	-	15%
Median household income Disaggregated	$37,250	$38,216	$56,710 Rationale: This is the income needed to meet minimum standards given the cost of living in Calhoun County. Source: MIT Living Wage Calculator: Calhoun County (1 adult and 2 children).	$50,803
White	$40,937	$41,783		$54,331
Black	$24,021	$24,422		$30,732
Latino	$31,034	$38,023		$41,318
Asian	$61,752	$61,146		$76,370
Some other race	$26,512	$40,000		$38,461
Two or more races	$21,255	$25,917		$38,157
Disposable income	$62,652	$62,573		$70,299
Small businesses (per 1,000 residents)	35	33	35	33
Small businesses (number)	3,206	2,978	3,206

What does the data tell us?

Economic growth has consistently worsened
Low labor force participation and high unemployment rate
Unemployment concentrated in communities of color

To learn more about Jobs in Battle Creek, please see the “Economic Vitality” section of the Battle Creek Equity Profile.

Goals for Jobs:

For Battle Creek to thrive, all residents — regardless of race, gender or socio-economic background — must have equitable opportunity to gain the skills needed to secure and grow in jobs that can support a family.
Specifically, we strive to:

Increase the number of permanent jobs
Provide adequate training to prepare Battle Creekers for jobs and better jobs

Strategies & Tactics to achieve the goals:

Increase permanent jobs:

Attract new businesses
Streamline regulations
Attract more government funding and involvement
Encourage larger businesses and government to buy more from small businesses
Create public/private partnerships to build a stronger, fairer environment for entrepreneurs

Provide job training

Connect job seekers with available jobs
Strengthen transportation, childcare and other supports to allow people to take and keep a job
Partner with employers to reduce hiring barriers
Create partnerships among employers, nonprofits and funders to strengthen job skills and remove barriers to employment

Initiatives and programs already in action (coming soon…)

New work being planned (coming soon…)

Partners in this space (coming soon…)

Quick Links:

Learn more about the measures…

Community resources…

Battle Creek Area Chamber of Commerce
Battle Creek Unlimited Work Force Data
City of Battle Creek
Community Action of South-Central Michigan
Michigan Works! SW

Talent Development
Measure	Baseline (2015)	Current	Target (2025)	Michigan
Public preschool enrollment (percentage) Disaggregated	34%	35%	100% Rationale: “High quality universal pre-K for three- and four-year-olds could significantly reduce the financial burden facing families with young children and help ensure that children are prepared for kindergarten.” When universal PreK is articulated as a goal, it largely can be achieved, as evidenced in states such as WV, VT, WI, AL, NY, IL. Source: https://www.newamerica.org/in-depth/care-report/policy-recommendations-universal-pre-k/; http://nieer.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/YB2017_Executive-Summary.pdf	17%
White	26%	26%		14%
Black	38%	37%		29%
Latino	19%	40%		22%
Public preschool enrollment (number) Disaggregated	483	474	1,356 Rationale: “High quality universal pre-K for three- and four-year-olds could significantly reduce the financial burden facing families with young children and help ensure that children are prepared for kindergarten.” When universal PreK is articulated as a goal, it largely can be achieved, as evidenced in states such as WV, VT, WI, AL, NY, IL. Source: https://www.newamerica.org/in-depth/care-report/policy-recommendations-universal-pre-k/;http://nieer.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/YB2017_Executive-Summary.pdf	37,760
White	204	190		21,318
Black	114	103		11,472
Latino	27	48		4,218
Kindergarten readiness (Battle Creek public schools only)	24%	30%	100% Rationale: During kindergarten children develop foundational skills for math and reading. A goal of 100% of Battle Creek kindergartners scoring above the 50th percentile nationally on the MAP assessment ensures that all children are set up for academic success. Source: https://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/about-us/article/head-start-program-facts	N/A
3rd-Grade Reading Proficiency Disaggregated	36%	32%	62% Rationale: Third-grade reading proficiency predicts future educational success. Measuring proficiency early allows for timely interventions to improve a child’s reading skills. 60% is the average third-grade reading proficiency of the top 25 best cities to raise a family. Source: PolicyLink analysis of demographic data from the US Census and the 25 best cities list from SmartAsset.com.	44%
White	43%	40%		52%
Black	15%	8%		19%
Latino	25%	25%		33%
Asian	46%	46%		64%
Two or More Races	31%	19%		42%
3rd-Grade Math Proficiency Disaggregated	36%	36%	70% Rationale: Third-grade math proficiency predicts future educational success. Measuring proficiency early allows for timely interventions to improve a child’s math skills. 70% is the average third-grade reading proficiency of the top 25 best cities to raise a family. Source: https://smartasset.com/mortgage/the-best-cities-to-raise-a-family	46%
White	43%	46%		54%
Black	15%	11%		19%
Latino	25%	26%		33%
Asian	46%	65%		73%
Two or More Races	31%	42%		42%
8th-Grade Reading Proficiency Disaggregated	46%	30%	56%	43%
White	45%	34%		48%
Black	21%	11%		20%
Latino	36%	11%		31%
Asian or Pacific Islander	49%	60%		69%
Two or More Races	42%	26%		40%
8th-Grade Math Proficiency Disaggregated	29%	21%	42% Rationale: 75th percentile of M-Step test scores (SY16-17), as MI Math tests for G6-8 are aligned with and “correspond to the College and Career Readiness (CCR) anchor standards.” Note: range is 5%-93%. Source: https://www.michigan.gov/documents/mde/Mathematics_Grade_8_Crosswalk_Claims-Targets-Standards_502014_7.pdf	34%
White	36%	24%		39%
Black	7%	4%		11%
Latino	16%	9%		20%
Asian or Pacific Islander	39%	43%		68%
Two or More Races	23%	17%		29%
On-time high school graduation Disaggregated	84%	87%	90% Rationale: High school graduation helps predict how well teens are prepared for further education and employment and has wide-ranging health, social and economic impacts. 90% is the highest rate of on-time high school graduation in the top 25 cities to raise a family. Source: https://smartasset.com/mortgage/the-best-cities-to-raise-a-family	81%
White	84%	87%		84%
Black	78%	82%		70%
Latino	84%	90%		74%
Asian	N/A	87%		73%
Two or More Races	90%	89%		81%

What does the data tell us?

Low access to early childhood education
Racial inequities in access to early childhood education
A potential education and skills gap for people of color

To learn more about Talent Development in Battle Creek, please see the “Readiness” section of the Battle Creek Equity Profile.

Goals for Talent Development:

For Battle Creek to thrive, all students — regardless of race, gender, or socio-economic background — must be able to pursue career and life paths that lead to economic stability. All students must be prepared to fulfill their optimal potentials.
Specifically, we strive to:

Improve kindergarten readiness
Increase college and career readiness for all students

Strategies & Tactics to achieve the goals:

Improve kindergarten readiness

Create adequate, accessible, affordable and culturally appropriate early childhood education opportunities serving all children in Battle Creek
Promote a shared, county-wide definition of kindergarten readiness
Adopt early education as an explicit workforce development strategy
Increase the quality of early learning experiences through training and coaching for teachers
Strengthen and better coordinate policies and services that support kindergarten readiness
Help more children get access to high quality and culturally appropriate early learning opportunities.

Increase college and career readiness for all students

Create an equitable academic and career pathways for students
Build an excellent, equitable, quality pre-K to 16 education system in the greater Battle Creek area

Initiatives and programs already in action (coming soon…)

New work being planned (coming soon…)

Partners in this space (coming soon…)

Quick Links:

Learn more about the measures…

Community resources…

Calhoun Intermediate School District
Calhoun Area Career Center
Early Childhood Connects
Goodwill
Kellogg Community College
Regional Manufacturing Technology Center
Michigan Rehabilitation Services
Battle Creek Public School
Harper Creek School District
Lakeview School District
Pennfield School District
BC Pulse
Burma Center
Urban League
Voces
Willard Library

Culture of Vitality
Measure	Baseline (2015)	Current	Target (2025)	Michigan
Crime rate (per 1,000 people)	30	32	10 Rationale: Crimes are not only costly to the victims and families affected, but also on the community through lower property values and higher taxes. A crime rate of 10 would place Battle Creek in the 75th percentile of the top 10 safest cities. Source: https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/rankings/crime-and-corrections/public-safety	12
Low birth-weight babies Disaggregated	8.0%	10.4%	7.8% Rationale: This is the median labor force participation rate among a set of nine Midwestern cities of comparable size, demographics, and education levels; it is also the rate seen statewide in 2010. Source: PolicyLink analysis of demographic data from the US Census.	9%
White	7%	8%		7.1%
Black	12%	19.1%		14.4%
Latino	N/A	7.4%		7.4%
All other races	3%	0%		8.1%
Homeownership Disaggregated	60%	60%	64% Rationale: 64% is the national average for Homeownership Rate. As Battle Creek works to attract and retain millennials, and create a dynamic and progressive workforce, the target should reflect the national trend for housing this workforce. Source: https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/battlecreekcitymichigan,mi,calhouncountymichigan,US/AGE295217	71%
White	65%	65%		76%
Black	41%	40%		42%
Latino	51%	60%		55%
American Indian or Alaskan Native	62%	55%		60%
Asian	63%	65%		58%
Some other race	48%	63%		53%
Two or more races	31%	30%		53%
Workers living in Battle Creek	27%	27%		N/A

What does the data tell us?

A high share of youth are disconnected from work or school
Poverty is highest in northeastern neighborhoods
Many neighborhoods experienced increases in poverty
Half of the renters in the region are housing burdened

To learn more about Battle Creek’s Culture of Vitality, please see the “Connectedness” section of the Battle Creek Equity Profile.

Goals for Culture of Vitality:

For Battle Creek to thrive, we must embrace what makes our community special and nurture a culture that celebrates our city.
Specifically, we strive to: