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City Platform Section I, Step 4:
"Measure progress over time through the use of a community "scorecard" or set of benchmarks that tracks key outcomes and places them within the context of a broader report on the status of children, youth, and families."
In order to make systematic progress to improve outcomes for children and their families, it is important for city officials and their partners to understand how those children and families are currently doing and identify community goals for the future. It is also necessary to understand what resources the city and others in the community are already committing to efforts on behalf of children and families to improve efficiency and make the most of any new investments.
City Examples
Philadelphia, Pa.
The City of Philadelphia has gained a better understanding of the status of local children and the role of city investments in young people through the work of a local nonprofit organization called Philadelphia Safe and Sound (PSS). Each year, PSS produces a "report card" at the end of the school year, which is a comprehensive assessment of the health, safety, and development of Philadelphia's children and youth.
PSS also produces a Children's Budget as a companion to the report card, which measures and analyzes all government spending for children and youth in Philadelphia. The Children's Budget presents spending data by funding source, the purpose of the spending, and the type of services being provided. This document also provides comparisons of spending for children over time and allows comparison between government spending decisions and the areas of need.
Learn More About the Report Card »
Learn More About the Children's Budget »
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Tualatin, Ore.
Tualatin, Ore., Mayor Lou Ogden used NLC's City Platform for Strengthening Families and Improving Outcomes for Children and Youth to create a community scorecard assessing the city's efforts on behalf of children, youth, and families. Turning the platform into a checklist, Mayor Ogden sought to identify all of the areas in which the city has already taken steps that are related to the platform's recommendations.
The mayor's "gap analysis" showed where the City of Tualatin has made significant progress in many areas, such as joint-use agreements that have turned Tualatin schools into centers of community life and the city's efforts to identify safe places for children to play and for youth to get together. The analysis also highlighted areas - including, most notably, family economic success - in which the city is not yet engaged and opportunities for future progress could be explored. One particularly exciting venue for pursuing some new initiatives for children and youth is the formation of a new community coalition for youth called Tualatin Together.
Learn More »
Tualatin Gap Analysis »
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Resources
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