Align policies and resources

Specifically, Ready by 21 helps leaders build broader partnerships, set bigger goals, collect and use better data, and take bolder actions. This webinar will guide participants through the essential components of Ready by 21 – the rationale behind Ready by 21, tools and services available to communities and leaders, and the Ready by 21 National Partnership, an unprecedented coalition of organizations representing the government, education, non-profit, business, research and philanthropy sectors.

Sometimes, the left hand even holds the right hand down. That’s because policies, practices and funding streams that have been instituted over many years by many different people aren’t aligned – and young people suffer. This webinar highlighted concrete examples and specific policy language at the local, state and federal level. Participants learned how they can improve policies and align resources to maximize their positive impact on youth.

You need to make high-quality interactions between young people and adults routine. Approaching quality improvement from a community-wide perspective helps to ensure that the good work done in one corner of a community - such as a school, afterschool program or gymnasium - is complemented by work done elsewhere in the community. Joe Bertoletti of the David P. Weikart Center for Youth Program Quality and Gina Gallo from the United Way of Asheville and Buncombe County discussed the work of assessing the quality, reach and coordination of services in Asheville, NC.