Local Goals and Targets:

Opportunities to Learn and Grow

• Expand access to quality early education and increase kindergarten readiness for 1,600 children by providing financial scholarships to low income families to choose and pay for quality early care and learning programs for their 3-5 year old children.  

Actions/Innovations: The City of Saint Paul is launching the Saint Paul Early Childhood Scholarship Program, a nationally-recognized pilot project that gives families information and scholarships to help them choose, pay for, and stay in high-quality child care and early education programs. Families will also receive home visits from parent mentors.

» Learn more about the St. Paul Early Childhood Scholarship Program and other early education initiatives

• Ensuring all young people have access to quality learning opportunities beyond the classroom through the Second Shift Initiative.

Actions/Innovations: St. Paul's Second Shift expands access to out-of-school time learning opportunities through a Virtual One-Stop Shop of available programs, a community-based circulator providing transportation to neighborhood afterschool activities, No School Day programs, the East Side Learning Collaborative and efforts to improve program quality.

» Learn more about Second Shift

• Ensuring all Saint Paul students and families are provided the information and support they need to succeed in educational experiences beyond high school through community based college access resource centers in libraries and recreation centers.

Actions/Innovations: In partnership with institutions of higher education, community partners, and young people, Mayor Coleman recently launched The Doorway: College and Career Resource Centers in two locations.
These centers will spark young people's aspiration for participating in postsecondary education, broaden their concept of "college," and help them plan for life beyond high school. 

» Learn more about The Doorway: College and Career Resource Centers

A Safe Neighborhood to Call Home

• Provide shelter and services to at least 1,500 domestic violence victims through the Bridges to Safety Center in its first year. 

Actions/Innovations: Mayor Coleman led the charge for the city to donate 5,000-square-feet in St. Paul City Hall to establish the Bridges to Safety Center - a “one-stop” center where domestic violence victims can seek safe shelter, file a restraining order, meet with victim’s advocates, file a police report, obtain medical attention, seek free civil legal services, and consult with a prosecutor all in one location.  The center also features a play area for children and computers, including a Saint Paul Public Library computer kiosk for victims and their children to check out materials.

"A safe neighborhood begins with safe families.  Prior to the opening of the Bridges to Safety Center, domestic victims faced a fragmented process when attempting to end abuse. A victim of domestic violence must run from one location to another,” Mayor Coleman said. “This maze can be an overwhelming barrier for those who wish to break their silence.” 

» Learn more about the Bridges to Safety Center

• Decrease the average daily population in Ramsey County’s juvenile detention center by at least 35 percent.

Actions/Innovations: Mayor Coleman is partnering with other leaders in the Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI), an effort which seeks to create more effective, community-based alternatives to juvenile detention for youth who do not pose a significant risk to public safety.  Addressing racial disparities in juvenile detention is a primary goal behind this initiative. 

» Learn more about the Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative

A Healthy Lifestyle and Environment

• Construct the Central Corridor Light Rail Transit line connecting downtown Saint Paul to downtown Minneapolis through the University of Minnesota, expanding transit services for thousands of residents travelling to work and school.  Take full advantage of that public investment by establishing new signature parks at each station area to support higher density transit-oriented development, developing safe and attractive bicycle and pedestrian connections from the surrounding neighborhoods to each station, and setting cutting-edge standards for energy use and storm water management in the Corridor.

Actions/Innovations: Central Corridor is a light-rail transit (LRT) line that will connect downtown Minneapolis and Saint Paul.  The Central Corridor is a major connection between the two downtown areas. This LRT line will increase connectivity and slow the growth of traffic congestion. The Central Corridor is also an opportunity for reinvestment in the area.

» Learn more about the Central Corridor

• Support neighborhood-based community gardening and nutrition initiatives by offering land for community gardens, including cooking and nutrition classes as part of the city’s park and recreation/community education program, providing appropriate spaces for both formal and informal farmers’ markets, and partnering with Second Harvest Heartland in assisting the 41% of qualified families who have not applied for the federal nutrition assistance to which they are entitled.

Actions/Innovations: St. Paul Parks and Recreation is home to more than 75 community gardens. The city partners with Second Harvest Heartland, which distributes more than 41 million pounds of food and grocery products annually to hungry children, family and seniors through more than 1,000 member agencies and programs in Minnesota and Western Wisconsin.

» Learn more about the city's community gardens

» Learn more about Second Harvest Heartland

A Financially Fit Family in Which to Thrive

• In 2008, over 17,000 taxpayers received free tax preparation assistance resulting in over $25 million in cash refunds for low and moderate income Minnesota families.  In 2009, the city hopes to surpass the number of taxpayers served and the amount of cash refunds by at least 10%.

Actions/Innovations: Since taking office in 2006, Mayor Chris Coleman has partnered closely with community organizations to maximize outreach efforts for the Earned Income Tax Credit Campaign (EITC).  Mayor Coleman has participated in the annual launch of the EITC Campaign, has given it repeated visibility throughout his speeches during tax season, and has stocked libraries and recreation centers with EITC information materials. 

» Learn more about Claim It!, the Greater Twin Cities EITC Outreach Campaign