Why is This So Important?
Your municipality’s governance structure shapes how decisions are made, who holds influence and what levers can be pulled to drive change. Understanding governance structures can also be beneficial for municipal leaders who are interested in establishing intergovernmental partnerships with federal, state and county governments, strengthening cross-systems collaboration and working with community stakeholders in moving your city’s PN8 agendas forward. Having a clear understanding of these dynamics can help early childhood leaders at the municipal level navigate systems more effectively, align early childhood priorities and build sustainable support across administrations.
Governance structures inform process and power. To effectively advance funding, programs and systems serving young children, it is essential to understand the various government authorities and the key levers that can be used to make the most impact in communities. It is important for municipal-level champions of early childhood success to understand:
- Types of local government structures and their impact on power, functions and essential procedures;
- How laws and budgets are passed, and whether a municipality has home rule;
- Where formal and informal powers lie within local government and the community; and
- Intersections between early childhood and other municipal priorities.
What Should I Know About My City’s Governance Structure?
Local governments across the U.S. operate under different structures. Knowing which one your city uses can help you navigate city services, attend the right meetings and hold the right people accountable. Here’s a breakdown of the key elements:
- The Municipal Charter -Defines the powers, functions and essential procedures of local government.
The two most common forms of government found in American cities, towns and villages are Council-Manager and Mayor-Council.
- Council-Manager – With the Council-Manager form of government, the Council is the legislative body of government. Elected by the community, the Council oversees the general administration while appointing a city manager to carry out day-to-day administrative operations. The Mayor is typically chosen from among the Council.
- Mayor-Council – In the Mayor-Council form of government, the Mayor is elected separately from the Council and typically holds significant administrative and budgetary authority.
Understanding whether your city has a strong or weak mayor system helps clarify where political and administrative power lies.
- Strong Mayor – A strong mayor has significant executive power, typically overseeing the city administration and making key decisions.
- Weak Mayor – A weak mayor shares power more equally with the city council, often requiring approval for major actions.
Elected officials who are strong supporters of early childhood may not always be in office due to term limits, election results or retirement. To build sustainable support, it is important to connect with other relevant officials and newly elected officials or candidates as well as members of the community with influence.
Key Questions to Ask Yourself
Reflecting on the following questions can help you identify opportunities, align priorities and strategically advance early childhood efforts within your city. Ask yourself these questions to identify key policy and funding levers and guide your understanding in municipal governance structures and power influences:
- What opportunities within your governance structure can you leverage to support young children, their families and the early childhood workforce?
- What is your local government structure and the municipal positions that fall within them (i.e., Council-Manager, Mayor-Council, etc.)?
- How are laws, regulations and ordinances passed at the city level?
- Are you a Home-Rule or Dillon Ruled state?
- What is the municipal budget approval process?
- What parts of the municipal budget include early childhood investments?
- Who are the formal and informal influencers outside of government who are driving the local agenda?
- How are you identifying alignment between early childhood priorities and broader municipal goals and engaging your peers across government to advance this work?
Your Next Steps for Getting Started
Municipal leaders can consider best practice approaches or strategies to help prepare your municipal staff and local stakeholders to advance your early childhood efforts and help you get started. Here are some helpful tips for leveraging PN8 governance structures and power influences:
- Create opportunities to bring early childhood educators to the table and set strategic vision that includes clear goals and objectives for the path forward. Plan for leadership transitions, as elections can bring significant changes to the early childhood agenda, including new policies, funding priorities and program expansions.
- Review the municipal budget and identify potential opportunities for new or enhanced early childhood investments.
- Learn the priorities of current and prospective elected officials and seek opportunities for early childhood alignments.
- Provide clear definitions of what it means to be part of the early childhood system, aligning with broader community-wide issues, and offering ways to coordinate efforts and develop shared priorities to help municipal leaders envision themselves and what their role could be within the ecosystem.
- Identify and cultivate champions for change across city councils and their respective committees and staff within municipal departments.
Potential Outcomes & Impacts
Having a better understanding of your governance structure and power influences can lead to the following outcomes:
- Increased Funding: Resources are allocated equitably, placing young children and their families at the forefront of municipal budgets.
- Improved Access to Services: Systems are streamlined and coordinated to ensure young children and families have better access.
- Enhanced Early Childhood Programs: Investment in and access to high-quality early childhood education programs is expanded.
- Increased Community Engagement: Stronger community partnerships and collaboration enhance initiatives that benefit children and families.
City Examples
Dayton, Ohio: The Preschool Promise initiative in Dayton, Ohio began as a local pilot that evolved into a citywide program thanks to strong mayoral and city government leadership. In 2016, the City of Dayton passed an income tax increase, dedicating a portion of the revenue to fund Preschool Promise, and in turn demonstrating a deep commitment to early childhood education. The city government has played a central role by providing sustainable public funding, aligning departments to support early learning and partnering with Montgomery County to expand access and improve quality.
Hartford, Conn.: The Mayor’s Cabinet for Young Children aims to foster partnerships among early childhood program providers, identify the need for quality programs and enhance the coordination of services for children and families. The cabinet is made up of the Mayor, the Superintendent of Hartford Public Schools, and representatives from stakeholder groups such as municipal leaders, parents, advocacy groups and local organizations.
Las Vegas, Nev.: The City of Las Vegas demonstrates how municipal leadership and structure can effectively support early childhood development. Through its Department of Youth Development and Social Initiatives, the city directly administers programs like Strong Start Academies, which provide high-quality preschool education aligned with school readiness goals and a direct pathway to the first public-private dual language immersion K-5 charter school in Nevada. City leadership has also embedded early childhood into its broader governance by coordinating across departments to remove regulatory and policy barriers for small business owners and entrepreneurs opening home-based child care businesses in the community and partnering with schools through initiatives like ReInvent Schools Las Vegas, which delivers wraparound services to families.
Resources to Help You Get Started
Navigate the roadmap
Homepage
Making the Case for Early Childhood Investments
Facilitating Cross-Departmental Collaboration
Strengthening State & Local Alignment
