Tennessee Cities Challenge to Help Cities Improve Services for Children and Youth
The Forum for Youth Investment, working in collaboration with NLC, recently launched the Tennessee Cities Challenge to help local policymakers develop a shared and actionable vision for youth in their communities. Through this initiative, 5-7 selected communities in Tennessee will receive training to implement the principles of Ready by 21® – a set of innovative strategies that helps communities and states make a measurable difference in the lives of children and youth.
Webinar on Sharing Data to Better Connect Youth Services
The Forum for Youth Investment recently hosted a webinar on “Connecting the Dots: Data Sharing in States and Communities to Better Connect Youth Services.”
Coming Soon: A Blueprint for Cities Developing Citywide Afterschool Data Systems
A new YEF Institute report, to be published later this spring, will provide the most thorough review available of what it takes to build the management information systems to strengthen and coordinate citywide out-of-school time (OST) programming for youth.
Webinar Focuses on Collective Impact Strategies
The YEF Institute and the Foundation Strategy Group sponsored a recent 90 minute webinar on “Improving Outcomes for Children and Youth through Collective Impact.” The webinar explored how municipal leaders, staff and partners can maximize results by better coordinating and aligning their efforts to improve outcomes for children and youth.
Register for the free recording | PowerPoint slides
Webinar Recording Available on Adopting Effective Data Management Systems
America’s Promise Alliance recently hosted a webinar in partnership with nFocus Solutions that explored the challenging process of adopting a comprehensive data management system to ensure all students are on track to graduate from high school, college and become career ready.
Nashville’s “Data Warehouse” at Center of City-School Partnerships for Smarter Youth Services
The LEADS (Longitudinal Education Analysis and Decision Support) data warehouse is playing a central role in facilitating city-school partnerships to better support Nashville students.
City and United Way Leaders Discuss Aligning Efforts for Children and Families
On April 20-21, mayors, senior city staff and United Way leaders from more than 30 cities gathered in Alexandria, Va., to discuss effective city-United Way partnerships for child well-being and two key national initiatives: the Mayors’ Action Challenge for Children and Families and the Campaign for the Common Good.
City Officials Discuss Local Structures for Reengaging Disconnected Youth
Cross-system teams from six cities convened in Hartford, Conn., in April 2011 to deepen city strategies to reengage disconnected youth — 16-24 year-olds who are out of school and out of work, including many who are “aging out” of public care systems. The YEF Institute organized the meeting as part of its Municipal Leadership for Disconnected Youth initiative, which is made possible by the support of the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation.
First Mayors' Institute on Children and Families Focuses on Data-Sharing Challenges
On December 10-11, 2009, Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper and St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay participated in the inaugural Mayors’ Institute on Children and Families, the first of two pilot sessions sponsored NLC in partnership with Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago and the Seattle-based Institute for Community Change.
State of City Leadership Report Highlights Hartford Data-Sharing Innovation
The YEF Institute's State of City Leadership for Children and Families report, published in Oct. 2009, describes innovations and trends in municipal leadership. A chapter on local infrastructure for children and families highlights the Hartford Connects initiative, a multi-sector effort to share data across local agencies and school districts.
Full report (PDF) | Local infrastructure for children and families chapter (PDF) | Hartford Connects
Nashville, Grand Rapids, Denver and Mountain View Develop Data-Driven Youth Master Plans
In recent months, mayor's offices and city departments focused on children, youth and families in Nashville, Tenn.; Grand Rapids, Mich.; Denver, Colo.,; and Mountain, View, Calif. have moved forward in developing comprehensive, data-driven youth master plans.
Nashville Children and Youth Master Plan | Grand Rapids Youth Master Plan | Denver Youth Agenda (PDF) | Mountain View Youth Action Plan (PDF)
Collecting and Using Information to Strengthen Citywide Out-of-School Time Systems (2011)
Published with support from The Wallace Foundation, this strategy guide developed by the YEF Institute and the Harvard Family Research Project highlights six strategies for collecting and using data to assess and improve local afterschool programs.
The State of City Leadership for Children and Families (2009)
The YEF Institute's first-ever report on The State of City Leadership for Children and Families identifies the nation's most cutting-edge city strategies to help children and families thrive. Several chapters highlight ways in which city leaders are effectively using data to guide progress on behalf of children, youth and families.
Full report (PDF) | Local infrastructure for children and families chapter (PDF) | Education chapter (PDF) | Afterschool chapter (PDF)
Early Childhood Needs and Resources Community Assessment Tool (2006)
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.
Assessing Local Afterschool Resources and Needs (2003)
This strategy guide outlines six clear steps that municipal leaders should consider when conducting a needs assessment of local afterschool programs: defining goals, focus, and scope of assessment efforts; developing multiple ways to gauge family needs; using survey and mapping techniques; exploring multiple uses of compiled data; looking for partners in survey design, data collection and analysis; and sustaining assessment efforts over time.
Join a YEF Institute Peer Network
Looking for ways to learn from and share ideas with city officials in other communities? The YEF Institute's peer networks provide exciting forums for discussing key local challenges and opportunities. Current networks include:
Afterschool Policy Advisors Network (APAN) | Early Care and Education City Network | Education Policy Advisors Network (EPAN) | Family Economic Success Network (FES) | Municipal Network on Disconnected Youth (MNDY) | Municipal Network for Combating Obesity (MNCO) | Youth Participation Advisors Network (YPAN)
Network members receive periodic e-mail updates, invitations to special conference calls and events, and other opportunities to interact with peers and colleagues from across the nation.
Subscribe to one or more peer networks
Tennessee Cities Challenge (2012)
The Forum for Youth Investment, working in collaboration with NLC, recently launched the Tennessee Cities Challenge to help local policymakers develop a shared and actionable vision for youth in their communities. Through this initiative, 5-7 selected communities in Tennessee will receive training to implement the principles of Ready by 21® – a set of innovative strategies that helps communities and states make a measurable difference in the lives of children and youth.
Educational Alignment for Young Children (2010-11)
The YEF Institute has launched a new initiative to help cities better align local early care and education programs with their public school systems. Through the initiative, made possible with support from the Annie E. Casey Foundation and an anonymous donor through Wellspring Advisors, and with early support from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, the YEF Institute will identify, explore and document strong city models for aligning early childhood and K-12 systems.
Communities Learning in Partnership (2009-13)
The YEF Institute serves as managing intermediary for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's Communities Learning in Partnership project, which seeks to boost postsecondary graduation rates by better coordinating the services that colleges, schools and cities provide to students. The initiative is part of the Foundation’s postsecondary success strategy aimed at doubling the number of low-income young adults who earn postsecondary degrees or credentials by the age of 26.
In September 2010, the cities of New York City, San Francisco, Mesa, Ariz., and Riverside, Calif., were selected to each receive $3 million over three years to align academic standards between high school and college, strengthen data systems, implement early assessment and college prep strategies, and create support systems to help dramatically increase the number of students who earn a postsecondary degree or credential. These four cities were selected from seven sites that received $250,000 planning grants in September 2009.
Municipal Leadership for Postsecondary Success (2010-12)
With support from Lumina Foundation for Education, the YEF Institute launched a two-year initiative to engage cities in efforts to help young adults complete postsecondary education. The Municipal Leadership for Postsecondary Success initiative will stimulate and strengthen local collaborations to increase the rate and shorten the time within which residents finish higher education with a degree, certificate, or other credential.