The National League of Cities (NLC), through its Institute for Youth, Education, and Families (YEF), offers a broad array of tools and resources to help mayors take action in each of the Challenge’s four key areas:

• Opportunities to Learn and Grow
• A Safe Neighborhood to Call Home
• A Healthy Lifestyle and Environment
• A Financially Fit Family in Which to Thrive

The Institute provides mayors and other municipal leaders with direct access to effective strategies and innovative local approaches for strengthening families and improving outcomes for children and youth, as well as networking opportunities that promote cross-city peer learning and exchange.  The following resources are available to municipal officials, and more information can be found on the YEF Institute page of the NLC Web site at www.nlc.org/iyef:

The State of City Leadership for Children and Families

A groundbreaking new NLC report 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 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. 

» Download the report

2009 National Summit on Your City’s Families

The biennial National Summit on Your City’s Families is the nation’s largest gathering of municipal leaders and their school and community partners working to improve the lives of children, youth and families.  The 2009 Summit took place October 11-13 in Boston, Massachusetts, focusing on cutting-edge city innovations that are inspiring local officials throughout the country, as well as strategies to help families cope with the recession.

» Learn about the 2009 National Summit on Your City's Families

City Platform for Strengthening Families

The Challenge builds on NLC's City Platform for Strengthening Families, which was developed in 2005 by NLC's Council on Youth, Education, and Families.  The Platform outlines the "essential infrastructure" necessary for sustained progress and provides a framework for local action on behalf of young people and their families.  Many cities have used the Platform as a self-assessment tool to guide the development of comprehensive plans for helping children, youth, and families thrive.

 » View and download the City Platform for Strengthening Families

Action Kits for Municipal Leaders

The Institute’s signature series of action kits offers a menu of action steps that municipal leaders can consider, and provides city examples and other informational resources to guide local efforts. 

Additional reports, strategy guides, toolkits, and other publications draw upon lessons and experiences from cities across the nation that have made strong efforts to improve the lives of children, youth, and families.

» View and download the Institute's action kits and other publications

The Mayors' Institute on Children and Families

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

Peer Networks

Municipal officials can join one of seven networks that help them stay connected to their peers in other communities and share information on progress, pitfalls, and lessons learned.  These peer networks and learning communities focus on education, afterschool, disconnected youth, early childhood success, youth participation, family economic success, and community wellness.

» Learn about and join one or more of these peer networks

Technical Assistance

NLC staff are standing by to assist municipal leaders in developing and implementing strategies and to answer questions on specific topics.  The Institute also sponsors technical assistance projects in selected communities to provide in-depth help and support to municipal leaders who are committed to taking action on behalf of children and their families.

» Learn about the YEF Institute's assistance to cities

Audioconferences

These free, hour-long calls allow participants to listen by phone to lively discussions between Institute staff, national policy experts, and city officials on best practices and key opportunities for municipal leadership on behalf of children, youth, and families. 

» Learn about and register for the Institute's audioconferences