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Early Childhood Success Tools and Resources
 Action Kit on Supporting Early Childhood Success
This action kit for municipal leaders outlines a wide range of steps they can take to support parents and promote early childhood success, such as assessing community needs and resources, making early childhood a community-wide priority, strengthening families by connecting parents to key information and resources, promoting child health and safety, enhancing early learning opportunities, and expanding access to high-quality childcare.
The action kit also includes a broad range of city examples of progress as well as facts and resources on early childhood.
Download the Action Kit »
 Supporting Parents: Promising City Efforts to Promote Early Childhood Success (2007)
This report highlights lessons for promoting early childhood success from six cities that participated in NLC's Cities Supporting Parents of Young Children technical assistance project.
These cities focused on supporting parents of young children through communication campaigns to educate parents about how they can support healthy early childhood development; initiatives to connect families with early childhood resources; programs to engage and empower parents; and efforts to establish or expand family-friendly workplace policies.
Download the Report »
 Strategy Guide on Financing Early Care and Education (2003)
This strategy brief for municipal leaders contains an overview of the major federal and state funding sources for early care and education, as well as a discussion of a number of financing options and approaches that city leaders can employ when funding early childhood initiatives.
These options include tapping into direct funding, connecting families to financial help for early care and education, linking local early childhood service providers to funding opportunities, leveraging funding through partnerships, using existing city resources and investments, and investing local revenue.
Download the Strategy Guide »
 Little Kids, Big Plans Week Organizing Guide for Hosting a Community Forum (2003)
This guide was prepared specifically for cities participating in Little Kids, Big Plans Week, which took place Oct. 19-25, 2003. However, the guide provides information that can be used in designing a community forum any time of year, and includes suggested steps, format options, and sample agendas and press releases.
Key steps listed include identifying outcomes for the event; choosing a format; deciding on a target audience; developing an agenda; forging strategic partnerships; and utilizing NLC assistance.
Download the Guide »
 Our Children, Our Future: Promoting Early Childhood Success in America's Cities and Towns (2002)
This 2002 NLC Futures Report, developed by NLC's Advisory Council, provides an overview of the importance of early childhood success and highlights reasons why local elected officials should be engaged in this issue.
In particular, the report, focuses on addressing the issue of early childhood development, taking action, assessing community needs, building local support, making early childhood a city government-wide priority, and coordinating and leveraging funding.
Download the Report »
 Strengthening Families in America's Cities: Early Childhood Development (2003)
Research findings published in this report are from NLC's Strengthening Families in America's Cities Survey of municipal officials, which examined issues affecting children and families in American cities and towns.
Among the findings are that early learning opportunities are seen as critical needs in cities; four in ten city officials dedicate funding to early childhood development; city leaders believe their cities have a stake in early childhood success; and local officials strongly support federal policies benefiting families with young children.
Download the Report »
Early Childhood Needs and Resources Community Assessment Tool
This tool is designed to help local officials better understand the status of young children in their cities, as well as the existing local activities or initiatives that support successful early childhood development.
Download the Assessment Tool »
Growing Up Healthy: What Local Governments Can Do to Support Young Children and Their Families (2003)
This brochure is a joint publication of NLC, the Zero to Three Policy Center, and the National Association of Counties (NACo). It provides a succinct review of the scientific research on early brain development, discusses why investments in early childhood services pay enormous dividends for communities, and highlights how local officials can support birth-to-five initiatives.
Download the Brochure »
Campaign for Early Childhood Success (2003)
In 2003, under the leadership of then-NLC President John DeStefano, Jr., mayor of New Haven, Conn., NLC launched a year-long campaign to encourage municipal involvement in promoting early childhood success. The focal point of the campaign was the City Challenge for Early Childhood Success, which asked NLC members to develop multi-year early childhood plans for their communities. By the end of 2003, 108 cities and towns made this commitment. The following resources offer more information about the campaign and the City Challenge:
Campaign for Early Childhood Success Activities »
City Strategies Paper: NLC's City Challenge for Early Childhood Success »
List of cities and towns committed to the City Challenge for Early Childhood Success »
Early Childhood Strategy Spotlights: Assessment and Strategic Planning (2006)
The YEF Institute has developed six strategy spotlights to provide a concise overview of useful strategies for promoting early childhood success, what municipal leaders can do to implement these strategies, examples of cities that have made progress in these areas, and additional resources for further information. This first spotlight focuses on five areas:
- Assessing local needs and resources;
- Developing a city children's budgets;
- Using geographic information systems (GIS);
- Outcome-focused city-planning; and
- Measurable outcomes for early childhood plans.
Download this Strategy Spotlight »
Early Childhood Strategy Spotlights: Making Early Childhood a City Priority (2006)
These strategy spotlights focus on:
- Building public will and public education campaigns;
- Creating a family-friendly municipal workplace;
- Making the business and economic case for action;
- Identifying funding for early childhood success; and
- Coordinating early childhood efforts
Download this Strategy Spotlight »
Early Childhood Strategy Spotlights: Expanding Access to Child Care (2006)
These strategy spotlights focus on:
- Public/private partnerships;
- Child care facility development;
- Collaborations among service providers;
- Support for care during nontraditional hours; and
- Addressing cultural issues to improve accessibility and quality.
Download this Strategy Spotlight »
Early Childhood Strategy Spotlights: Promoting Children's Health and Safety (2006)
These strategy spotlights focus on:
- Child safety campaigns;
- Promoting children's health insurance;
- Lead poisoning prevention; and
- Children's health fairs;
Download this Strategy Spotlight »
Early Childhood Strategy Spotlights: Supporting Parents of Young Children (2006)
These strategy spotlights focus on:
- Family resource centers;
- Home visiting programs;
- Parent resource kits; and
- Parent leadership and advocacy training.
Download this Strategy Spotlight »
Early Childhood Strategy Spotlights: Strengthening Early Care and Education (2006)
These strategy spotlights focus on:
- Improved care for infants and toddlers;
- Stronger kith and kin care;
- Caregiver recruitment, retention, and professional development; and
Download this Strategy Spotlight »
 Nation's Cities Weekly Articles
NLC's Nation's Cities Weekly newspaper regularly features articles on how municipal leaders are promoting early childhood success.
View the Nation's Cities Weekly Archives for Articles About Early Childhood »
Audioconference Transcripts
The YEF Institute's monthly audioconference series features talk-show style discussions between Institute staff, national experts, and city leaders to highlight best practices in a broad range of program areas. The Institute makes transcripts of these calls available for local officials who are unable to dial into the calls.
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