NLC Launches Mayors Institute on Children and Families, New Approach to Helping Cities
NLC has launched an exciting new model for providing practical help and advice to individual cities called the Mayors' Institute on Children and Families. Building on the model of the Mayors' Institute on City Design, these sessions are organized around well developed case study problems prepared and presented by mayors, who then engage other mayors and city staff from a small group of 2-3 cities, as well as leading experts, academics and practitioners, to discuss solutions.
On December 10-11, 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. Topics for the first demonstration sessions were drawn from the goals established by the Mayors’ Action Challenge of providing children with “opportunities to learn and grow.”
New NLC Report Describes the State of City Leadership for Children and Families in 2009
A groundbreaking new report published by the National League of Cities' (NLC) Institute for Youth, Education, and Families (YEF) highlights the broad range of innovations and trends in municipal leadership to promote child and family well-being, and identifies 32 of the nation's most cutting-edge city strategies to help children and families thrive.
The report, entitled The State of City Leadership for Children and Families, was unveiled before more than 350 municipal leaders and community partners on Tuesday, Oct. 13, in Boston at the 2009 National Summit on Your City's Families. The biennial Summit is the nation's largest gathering of municipal leaders who are working to improve the lives of children, youth and families in their communities.
Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino Keynotes 2009 National Summit on Your City's Families
Mayor Thomas M. Menino Boston, Mass.
Mayor Menino, who is one of the Founders of the Mayors' Action Challenge for Children and Families, joined Pittsburgh social entrepreneur William Strickland in delivering keynote addresses at the 2009 National Summit on Your City's Families.
The Summit is the nation's largest gathering of municipal leaders who are working to improve the lives of children, youth, and families in their communities. High-quality training sessions, workshops, and site visits featured cutting-edge city innovations and strategies for helping families cope with the economic downturn.
North Texas Leaders Gather for Regional Summit on Children and Families
Participants in the Mayors Summit on Children and Families of North Texas
More than 40 mayors, councilmembers, city managers, and senior municipal staff gathered in Burleson, Texas, recently to share best practices and sign on to the Mayors' Action Challenge for Children and Families.
Boynton City, Fla., Mayor Jerry Taylor on Using the Challenge to Promote Out-of-School Time Fitness
More than 100 Mayors Join National Challenge to Improve Child and Family Well-Being
The Mayors' Action Challenge for Children and Families has reached an historic milestone as 97 mayors currently in office, as well as 13 mayors no longer in office, have now joined this national initiative to improve child and family well-being. Two-thirds of these mayors have set specific goals and targets to ensure that every child has: opportunities to learn and grow, a safe neighborhood to call home, a healthy lifestyle and environment, and a financially fit family in which to thrive.
Charleston, S.C., Mayor Joseph P. Riley, Jr., Connects Challenge to Local Afterschool Initiatives
Mayor Joseph P. Riley, Jr., Charleston, S.C.
2008 Chair
NLC Council on Youth, Education, and Families
There are many ways in which mayors are moving their local agendas and priorities forward under the Mayors' Action Challenge for Children and Families framework. In Charleston, S.C., Mayor Joseph P. Riley, Jr., has collaborated with Charleston County School District and other community leaders to transform city schools into "community learning centers" that offer an array of afterschool programs and services.
Mayor Riley recently authored a commentary on how he has connected the Challenge to his efforts to expand out-of-school time learning opportunities in Charleston.
Left to right: Charleston, S.C., Mayor Joseph P. Riley, Jr.; Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak, Michelle Norris, National Public Radio; Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper; and Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker unveil the Mayors' Action Challenge.
On Nov. 15, 2008, at the National League of Cities' 85th annual Congress of Cities and Exposition, Charleston, S.C., Mayor Joseph P. Riley, Jr., Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper, Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak, and Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker unveiled the Mayors' Action Challenge for Children and Families and discussed innovative efforts in their communities to help children and families thrive.
A groundbreaking new report published by the National League of Cities' (NLC) Institute for Youth, Education, and Families (YEF) highlights the broad range of innovations and trends in municipal leadership to promote child and family well-being, and identifies 32 of the nation's most cutting-edge city strategies to help children and families thrive.
