Dear Mayor:

On behalf of 26 mayors from across the nation, I am writing to invite you to join us in signing on to a new Mayors’ Action Challenge for Children and Families that highlights the importance of city leadership and innovation and calls upon mayors to set bold, measurable goals to guide local action.  

As original Founders of the Challenge, we know that strong cities are built on a foundation of strong families. Every day, we witness how important investments in children and families are to the vitality of our communities, as well as the immense costs when children and families fail.  The Mayors’ Action Challenge focuses on four priorities that comprise the building blocks of what every child needs, at a minimum, to live a full, healthy, and productive life:

• 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.

In signing on to the Challenge, we as mayors will commit ourselves to setting at least one local goal or target in each of these areas, while also sharing best practices with other communities, calling upon federal and state governments and school districts to join us as full partners, and inviting other mayors to become part of this national call to action.

We have launched this Challenge at a critical time in our nation’s history. Economic turmoil and the inadequacy of federal and state responses to the needs of struggling families and children at risk have exacerbated the problems we confront in our communities. A new Administration and Congress, along with new governors and legislative leaders in a number of states, present an opportunity to chart a new course that prioritizes investments in children and families.

However, we cannot wait.  The issues we face – from unacceptably high rates of school failure, youth homicides, and foreclosures to rising financial instability and soaring health care costs for families – must be addressed now. In recent years, municipal leaders have embarked on innovative efforts in areas such as school readiness, violence prevention, afterschool programming, access to postsecondary education, community wellness, and family economic success. With a firsthand understanding of these issues and a growing knowledge base of what policies and practices are effective, we as mayors are in a unique position to find our collective voice and build on our progress to improve the lives of children and families. 

While we share many common concerns, the goals and targets we set to address them must be tailored to our unique local circumstances and needs. Whether you are focused on reducing the high school dropout rate, expanding access to prekindergarten and afterschool programs, guaranteeing college tuition, preventing youth violence, promoting healthy eating and active living, or bringing more families into the financial mainstream, we encourage you to set targets or benchmarks that bolster your agenda and make sense for your community. The National League of Cities, through its Institute for Youth, Education, and Families, stands ready to assist us in our local efforts.

Enclosed please find a statement of principles and call to action, and a form indicating your endorsement of the Mayors’ Action Challenge and the specific targets you will establish in each of the four areas. We hope you will join us and other mayors across the nation in this important leadership initiative.

Sincerely,

Joseph P. Riley, Jr.

Mayor, Charleston, S.C.

2008 Chair

NLC Council on Youth, Education, and Families