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Jacksonville, Fla., Mayor John Peyton speaks at a meeting of city and United Way leaders in Alexandria, Va.
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On April 20-21, Jacksonville, Fla., Mayor John Peyton, Hartford, Conn., Mayor Pedro Segarra, and Alexandria, Va., Mayor William Euille joined senior city staff and United Way leaders from more than 30 cities at United Way Worldwide's (UWW) Mary M. Gates Learning Center in Alexandria, Va., for a day-long series of peer learning and discussion sessions hosted by UWW and NLC with support from the Annie E. Casey Foundation. In addition to highlighting effective city-United Way collaborations for child and family well-being, participants discussed the role that national initiatives such as the Mayors’ Action Challenge for Children and Families and UWW’s Campaign for the Common Good can play in supporting efforts on the ground
» Read more
» Campaign for the Common Good
Omaha Recognized for School-Based Health Services and Afterschool Programs
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Mayor Jim Suttle celebrates Omaha's recognition as one of the 100 Best Communities for Young People
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A community collaboration in Omaha, Neb., has gained recognition for developing six school-based health centers (SBHCs) that began offering services to 35,000 students at the beginning of the 2010-11 school year. Led by Omaha nonprofit Building Bright Futures, and staffed by medical professionals from community health centers, basic physical health care services are now being provided at five elementary schools and one middle school to students and their siblings living in low-income neighborhoods of north and south Omaha.
» Read more in Nation's Cities Weekly
» Omaha Mayor Jim Suttle's Challenge goals
» Building Bright Futures
Youth Master Plans Guide Local Action in Nashville, Grand Rapids, Berkeley
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Grand Rapids, Mich., Youth Master Plan
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In recent months, three cities — Nashville, Tenn.; Grand Rapids, Mich.; and Berkeley, Calif. — have moved forward with new youth master plans, each completing a goal set as part of their participation in the Mayors’ Action Challenge for Children and Families.
» Read more in Nation's Cities Weekly
» Download the Nashville Children and Youth Master Plan
» Download the Grand Rapids Youth Master Plan
» Learn more about the Berkeley's Vision 2020
» Learn more about Grand Rapids Mayor George Heartwell's Challenge goals
» Learn more about Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates' Challenge goals
Virginia Beach Mayor Announces 500 Financially Fit Families for the Future Initiative
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Mayor William D. Sessoms, Jr.
Virginia Beach, Va.
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At a City Hall press conference held Oct. 12, 2010, Virginia Beach, Va., Mayor William D. Sessoms, Jr., announced his participation in the Mayors' Action Challenge, outlining a set of citywide goals and a new initiative to help 500 low-income families become more financially secure by 2015. Five Hundred Families Financially Fit for the Future (5F’s) will help low-income families file for the Earned Income Tax Credit, enable unbanked families to access mainstream financial services through a Bank On Virginia Beach program, and offer financial education on reducing debt, combating consumer fraud and predatory lending, avoiding foreclosure and stretching budgets in tough economic times.
» Read more in Nation's Cities Weekly
» Learn more about Mayor Sessoms' goals for the Challenge
» Read the city press release
St. Petersburg, Fla., Mayor Bill Foster Carries on Education Legacy of Predecessor
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Mayor Bill Foster
St. Petersburg, Fla.
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Building on the Mayor's Mentors & More initiative launched by former Mayor Rick Baker in 2002, current St. Petersburg, Fla., Mayor Bill Foster has not only sustained the city’s leadership role in education but has actively pursued areas for continued improvement and committed to specific benchmarks despite the city’s challenging economic circumstances. Over the past eight years, these mayors have helped recruit nearly 1,300 mentors for local schools and raised private funds for more than 1,000 "Doorways Scholarships."
» Read more in Nation's Cities Weekly
» Learn more about Mayor's Mentors & More
Bank On Louisville Reflects Mayor's Focus on Outcomes for Children and Families
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Mayor Jerry E. Abramson announces the launch of Bank On Louisville
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Mayor Jerry E. Abramson is reaching out to Louisville’s 28,000 “unbanked” citizens with a new program called Bank On Louisville. The mayor’s goal is to have at least 1,200 individuals or families open new low-cost bank accounts by the end of 2011. Launched on July 1, Bank On Louisville will help residents reduce their reliance on high-cost check cashers and other fringe financial services. The program exemplifies Mayor Abramson’s results-focused leadership on behalf of young people and families in Louisville, which includes efforts to reduce dropout rates, ensure every child is reading at grade level, enhance community wellness, and promote family economic self-sufficiency.
» Learn more about Bank On Louisville
Minneapolis Promise Prepares Students for College and Career Success
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Mayor R.T. Rybak encourages local high school students to visit AchieveMpls College and Career Centers
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Mayor R.T. Rybak has made progress toward fulfilling his goals for the Minneapolis Promise — an innovative cluster of coordinated programs designed to eliminate barriers to college and career success. The initiative has three main components: offering college and career counseling to help youth plan for their future after high school; providing students with the financial assistance needed to complete postsecondary education; and expanding access to quality summer jobs for youth ages 14-21.
» Read more in Nation's Cities Weekly
» Learn more about the Minneapolis Promise
Mayor John Peyton Links Challenge to Jacksonville Anti-Crime Initiative
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Jacksonville, Fla., Mayor John Peyton announcing his participation in the Mayors' Action Challenge
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At a press conference on May 6, Jacksonville, Fla., Mayor John Peyton announced his participation in the Challenge, using the occasion to highlight measurable goals for child and family well-being and innovative local programs that are part of his comprehensive, citywide anti-crime initiative, The Jacksonville Journey. Mayor Peyton joined Councilmember Michael Corrigan, Jacksonville Children's Commission CEO Linda Lanier, and NLC Institute for Youth, Education and Families Executive Director Clifford M. Johnson on a tour of some of these programs prior to the press event.
» Learn more about Mayor Peyton's goals for the Challenge
Mayor Sam Adams Co-Hosts Portland Education Summit
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Mayor Sam Adams
Portland, Ore.
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On April 10 and 12, 2010, hundreds of Portland, Ore., parents, educators, business leaders, students and city and county officials attended a summit on “Uniting for Excellence and Equity in Education: Making Portland the City that Learns.” Education Cabinet co-chairs Sam Adams, Mayor of Portland, and Jeff Cogen, Multnomah County Chair, convened the Summit in partnership with WorkSystems Inc., the Portland Schools Foundation and United Way of Columbia-Willamette.
Mayor Adams and the Education Cabinet’s goals focus on increasing high school graduation rates by 50 percent and doubling the number of high school graduates who receive postsecondary education and training by 2013.
» Learn more
Second Mayors' Institute Session Focused on Out-of-School Learning Opportunities
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San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro at the Mayors' Institute on Children and Families
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Nashville, Tenn., Mayor Karl Dean, San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro and St. Paul, Minn., Mayor Christopher Coleman brought stakeholder teams to Chicago on April 5-6 for the second pilot session of the new Mayors’ Institute on Children and Families.
» Learn more
Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper Unveils Citywide Youth Agenda
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Mayor John Hickenlooper Denver, Colo.
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On April 6, 2010, the City of Denver formally announced "Denver's Youth Agenda: Advancing the Mayor's Action Challenge." The agenda builds upon more than a year of work dating back to Dec. 2008, when Mayor John Hickenlooper convened city agencies, elected officials, community organizations, and leaders of the education, juvenile justice, health and mental health systems to improve coordination.
Developed with the support and leadership of Mayor Hickenlooper and Councilmember-at-large Doug Linkhart, the data-driven youth agenda aligns with the Mayors' Action Challenge for Children and Families, and focusing on specific, measurable local goals in health, safety, and education; promoting cross-sector partnerships; and connecting several large systemwide initiatives.
» Read the Denver Youth Agenda
Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter Opens College Assistance Office
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Mayor Michael Nutter
Philadelphia, Pa.
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On Feb. 23, 2010, Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter opened a new PhillyGoes2College Office (PG2C) within City Hall and launched a companion website, www.PhillyGoes2College.com. These two sources of college access information are part of Mayor Nutter’s education agenda to double the percentage of Philadelphians who attend and complete college in the next 5-10 years. The other education goal set by Mayor Nutter for the Challenge is to cut the city’s dropout rate in half in 5-10 years.
» Read more in Nation's Cities Weekly
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.”
» Learn more about the Mayors' Institute on Children and Families
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.
» Download the report
» Summit information page
Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino Keynotes 2009 National Summit on Your City's Families
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Mayor Thomas M. Menino Boston, Mass.
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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.
» View Mayor Menino's Challenge goals and targets
North Texas Leaders Gather for Regional Summit on Children and Families
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Participants in the Mayors Summit on Children and Families of North Texas
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More than 40 mayors, councilmembers, city managers, and senior municipal staff gathered in Burleson, Texas, in April 2009 to share best practices and sign on to the Mayors' Action Challenge for Children and Families.
» Learn more in Nation's Cities Weekly
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 101 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.
» View the full list of participating mayors and their local targets
» Join the Challenge
» Download the April 6, 2009 press release
» View mayors' goals and targets by city size and category
Charleston, S.C., Mayor Joseph P. Riley, Jr., Connects Challenge to Local Afterschool Initiatives
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Mayor Joseph P. Riley, Jr., Charleston, S.C.
2008 Chair
NLC Council on Youth, Education, and Families
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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.
» Read the full commentary
» View Mayor Riley's goals and targets for the Mayors' Action Challenge
Mayors Unveil Challenge at NLC Congress of Cities
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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.
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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.
» View the live webcast of the session on NLC-TV (Note: fast forward to 1:16:45 for the panel discussion on children and families)
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