As Alexandria welcomes in the start of a new school year, this new beginning also provides an opportunity to remind us that a child’s success in school and life is inextricably linked to what happens inside and outside of the school building.
For a child to reach their full potential, many actors must embrace and be prepared to play their respective roles to reach this desired outcome. At a very basic level, parents must attend to the material, emotional and physical needs of their children. Schools must employ educators who are skilled at tailoring instruction to meet the diverse learning needs of the many different children who enter their classrooms. The community must have resources and supports to help parents and schools when there are gaps and unmet needs if every child is to succeed. An extensive body of knowledge documents that the interaction among actors in these systems — family, school, and community — will either support or undermine our ability to foster positive outcomes for children.
Alexandria is on a path to make sure that every child succeeds today and tomorrow. This is the vision as stated in the Children and Youth Master Plan (CYMP), developed by the Children Youth and Families Collaborative Commission with extensive input from hundreds of stakeholders, including the voices of our youth. The plan, adopted last year by City Council and the Alexandria City School Board, represents a blueprint that aims to align and integrate services and supports to meet the needs of children from birth through 21. When the Alexandria City Public Schools created its 2020 Strategic Plan, there were intentional efforts to ensure that it aligned with relevant elements of the CYMP. When the city Department of Community and Human Services awarded grants to invest in several organizations dedicated to supporting children, youth and families, there was alignment with the goals and strategies reflected in the CYMP.
The plan has been very instrumental in shaping current activities of the Early Care and Education Work Group (ECEW), convened by ACT and supported by the Bruhn-Morris Foundation and other donors, to build a stronger system of early care and education in Alexandria. The ECEW has made great progress, publishing a resource for parents that makes it easy to understand where they can access high quality free and low cost preschool education in Alexandria. Early childhood educators across several organizations, including our schools, are also participating in joint professional development activities over the course of the next three years to enhance the quality of early learning experiences in these environments. There is momentum building around the power of collective impact as a framework to help us achieve our goals.
We know that there are gaps that we have to bridge if we are going to realize that bold vision of having every child succeed today and tomorrow. We know that while some are succeeding, too many are falling through the cracks. The Campagna Center is prepared do her part to inspire action and help support this movement of working towards shared community goals. Our 70-year history of success is deeply rooted in the power of partnerships and working with others. We know that we do not do this work alone.
As nonprofit organizations prepare for the start of another school year, there are things you can do to join them in working towards our city’s vision for children and youth. You can invest your time, talents or treasures in organizations that align with your interests to help them continue to have impact. They all likely have websites with information about how you can support their efforts. You can use the search term “children and youth master plan” on the city’s website to find a copy of the plan if you are reading about it for the first time. If you are interested in the work of the Children Youth and Families Collaborative Commission, you can complete an application to serve as vacancies on the commission emerge. To learn about vacancies, use the search term “boards and commissions” to quickly locate the link on the City of Alexandria’s homepage or contact the City Clerk’s office. There are countless ways to get involved to help more children and youth succeed because we know when they do not, everyone, those with and without children, pays the price.