Family Strengthening Initiatives Spring Up As Cities Continue to Adopt NLC Platform

Many of these cities are using NLC’s City Platform for Strengthening Families and Improving Outcomes for Children and Youth as a tool to guide local initiatives. Developed by NLC’s Council on Youth, Education, and Families (YEF Council), the platform has been adopted by 90 cities since it was published two years ago.  

These cities are forming new partnerships to establish the “essential infrastructure” for sustained progress outlined in the platform: identifying needs and priorities through a task force of key stakeholders; promoting city-school collaboration; supporting youth voice in local government; and measuring progress over time. 

Fall River, Mass.
In Fall River, former Mayor Edward Lambert joined youth from B.M.C. Durfee High School in congratulating the city council for passing a resolution adopting the platform. 

“The city has been doing a great deal for youth and has already taken many of the action steps (recommended in the platform),” said Lambert. “The platform allows us to create a unified vision so that all the stakeholders will be on the same page. This will enable us to better meet the needs of our youth. We have worked with the National League of Cities in the past and look forward to working with them again.”

The city’s next steps include developing a strategic youth master plan outlining short- and long-term goals, strategies and accountability measures, and organizing a youth action summit. The city is also focused on supporting a mentoring initiative to connect youth to caring adults, reducing truancy and promoting youth leadership.

“I was lucky because at a young age someone suggested I had something to contribute, and I want to pass that message along to these young people,” said Lambert.

Morgantown
Local officials in Morgantown used their adoption of the platform to announce a new Mayor’s Childcare and Out-of-School Time Task Force.

Morgantown leaders are coordinating community resources to ensure access to high-quality child care and afterschool enrichment programs, enlisting youth to map local resources and supporting efforts to help low-income residents meet their basic needs. These efforts are aimed at reducing waiting lists at day care centers, and mitigating the burden of high child care costs for local working families.

“Morgantown is fortunate to have leadership that will move our platform forward to support all aspects of youth development in the future,” said Mayor Ron Justice. “We will continue to build on this leadership in order for Morgantown to be a leader for the nation on these issues.”

The city is also working with local nonprofit Vision 4 Our Children, United Way and others to raise awareness about existing services, create a community calendar of events and host a teen job fair.

“This initiative really emphasizes cooperation, making sure that we’re using all of our resources, mixing the business community, West Virginia University, the school district and others,” said Councilmember Jennifer Selin.

St. Paul
The City of St. Paul is convening conversations with educational institutions and community partners on creating a comprehensive children, youth and families plan and promoting a seamless approach to learning. 

“We know that giving our children every opportunity to succeed is the most important thing we can do to ensure a bright future for the City of St. Paul,” said Mayor Chris Coleman. “From early literacy to college access, we are continually finding new partners and developing new programs to ensure we are doing everything we can to continue St. Paul children down the path to success.” 

St. Paul has numerous initiatives that benefit young people and families, such as The Doorway: College and Career Resource Centers, a Preschool Scholarship Pilot program and the Second Shift out-of-school time initiative. For more information, visit www.stpaul.gov/education.

Pico Rivera, Calif.
In southeastern Los Angeles County, the fast-growing city of Pico Rivera recently adopted the platform with an aim of protecting services for children and families as residents air concerns about school funding.

Councilwoman Gracie Gallegos-Smith said that the platform’s guidelines and NLC assistance will help the city develop new classes and activities for children and families, and hopes that it will focus local efforts to improve physical health and combat childhood obesity. 

“It’s a resource,” said Gallegos-Smith. “It’s kind of like a Google for advocating health for families and children.”

The city’s adoption of the platform coincides with a state budget crisis that has led to school closures and layoffs of El Rancho Unified School District teachers and staff. 

“It is our objective through financial crisis and turmoil to be able to continue to deliver services in the manner that people have become accustomed without really sacrificing,” said Assistant City Manager Jeff Prang. Adopting the platform “keeps us at City Hall and the City Council focused on what is really important.”

Additional Progress Coast to Coast
Other cities that have adopted the platform are making progress as well. The City of Greenville, S.C., has convened a Family Friendly Communities Task Force, led by Vice Mayor Pro Tem and YEF Council Member C. Diane Smock, to encourage collaboration and multi-jurisdictional support for a youth master plan. Task force members have borrowed ideas from neighboring Rock Hill, as well as Savannah, Ga., Denver and Hampton, Va.

In Salinas, Calif., programs such as the City at Peace violence prevention initiative, a city youth commission, neighborhood meetings and resource fairs and proactive enforcement of housing code violations are making the city a better place for children and families.

Orlando, Fla., is using the platform to reinforce its commitment to child care and afterschool programs, youth mentoring by city employees, an Earned Income Tax Credit outreach campaign, and expanded access to health care and college and career preparation in high-poverty neighborhoods.

York, Pa., is coordinating with its existing Community Advisory Council — a collaboration of government, business and nonprofit leaders — to implement the platform’s recommendations. The city recently passed a youth curfew ordinance that created a truancy center through a collaboration of the police department, the county children and youth services department, local judges, mental health professionals and counselors from a local nonprofit agency.

“The City of York supports the NLC platform and hopes to use it as another resource to provide healthy activities for our young people and families,” said Mayor John Brenner.

Finally, Chandler, Ariz., recently conducted a community needs assessment, which will guide the creation of a strategic plan around youth development, education, afterschool and neighborhood- and community-building. 

“This is a program that will complement the work we already do in the community to encourage greater opportunities for our city’s youth,” said Mayor Boyd W. Dunn in his February 19 State of the City Address. “Much of what we do now fits into the practices outlined in the platform, and is a main reason we have been recognized three consecutive times as one of the (America’s Promise) 100 Best Communities for Young People.”

Details: To learn about and adopt the Platform for Strengthening Families, visit www.nlc.org/iyef or contact Michael Karpman at (202) 626-3072 or karpman@nlc.org.