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National League of Cities Techincal Assistance Projects
Supporting Parents of Young Children/ Early Childhood Education Project:
Provide information for parents that helps them find and assess the quality of available child care and pre school options, utilizing both printing and web-based materials developed in partnership with community agencies.
Expanding Afterschool Opportunities Project:
Establish a local after school coalition or task force, including both city agencies and community-based providers, that works to identify new funding sources and create quality standards for after school programs.
Municipal Leadership in Education Project:
The National League of Cities in 2001 launched a 30-month Municipal Leadership in Education (MLE) project with financial support from Carnegie Corporation of New York. The MLE project set out to support and assist local communities and to illustrate the leadership roles that mayors and council members can play to promote and support school improvement. The project also sought to identify promising practices in municipal leadership and school improvement, while developing a range of tools and resources for mayors and council members who are interested in strengthening K-12 education. Charleston was one of six cities that participated in the project.
National League of Cities Youth Master Planning Initiative:
Young people need and deserve a role in shaping and influencing local policies and programs. The NLC MetLife Foundation City-Schools Youth Planning Initiative provided the resources and expertise needed to create a community-wide youth master plan, which serves as a guide for community leaders when creating programs, policies, and allocating funds. Charleston was selected to take part in this initiative with six other cities.
In fall 2005, the City of Charleston embarked on the process of creating Youth Master Plan for Charleston County youth. The process of creating this plan was guided by a team of community leaders comprised of representatives from local municipalities, community and public agencies, businesses, the faith community, and youth. The plan was based on input from the community, which will be obtained through adult and youth focus groups, forums, and surveys.
The Plan includes goals and strategies for 7 common focus areas that affect the lives of Youth: Health and Wellness; Mobility; Education; Recreation and Entertainment; leadership Development and Communication; Behavioral and Social Skills; and Employment. The Vision for the Youth Master Plan is: Charleston is a community where youth feel sage and secure; have the values, skills, and resources to reach their highest potential; are optimistic about their future; and take responsibility for their actions in order to become responsible citizens.
National League of Cities Childhood Obesity and Wellness Policies Project:
Charleston was one of six cities selected to participate in a Childhood Obesity Technical Assistance Project.
Today, 9 million children over age six are considered obese. These children have a higher risk if developing serious health problems later in life including heart attack and stroke, Type 2 diabetes, and high blood pressure. In addition, increases in childhood obesity may cost governments, businesses, and families $100 billion per year in future health costs, undermining the long-term health and vitality of communities.
Ninety-two present of all Americans surveyed by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation consider childhood obesity to be a serious national problem. If unchecked, the growing problem of childhood could undermine the long-term health and economic vitality of every community in America. By promoting active living and health eating, city leaders can take practical steps to help reverse the epidemic.
The goal of the YEF Institute’s childhood obesity programs is to:
- Stimulate and support development of models for city-level policy change and successful collaboration between city and school leaders;
- Continue to build a vibrant network of city officials committed to efforts to reduce childhood obesity;
- Raise awareness among municipal leaders about the childhood obesity epidemic and potential city-level;
- Distill lessons learned from the experiences of six technical assistance sites and disseminate them through a new publication for city and school leaders.
Municipal leaders can promote healthy lifestyles by encouraging physical activity and good nutrition. While there are no “quick fixes” city officials can stimulate and shape local initiatives, promote collaboration across organizations and programs, and support effective programming that improves the health of the nation’s children and youth.
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