The Communities for Kids (C4K) initiative was created in response to community requests for assistance with shortages of quality early care and education programs — shortages that both impact children’s optimal development and pose a challenge for communities hoping to attract and retain the viable workforces they need to thrive.
The initiative is dedicated to ensuring that communities, primarily rural areas, can grow and prosper by strengthening and sustaining a quality early childhood care and education infrastructure. The primary work includes partnering with communities to prioritize child care, delivering essential resources, and offering expertise.
C4K tailors technical assistance to align with each community’s strengths and needs. Using a collective impact approach, the C4K team guides communities to build a strong, diverse Core Team and a work plan to address both the unique challenges they face and the opportunities they have with enhancing and expanding local child care efforts. The team supports communities as they learn and implement the Three Pillars of C4K:
ENGAGE: Attract and retain community stakeholders through ongoing outreach activities to prioritize early childhood efforts.
UTILIZE: Gather and analyze data and community voices to develop key messaging and an early childhood plan.
CONNECT: Join a broad peer learning network and learn to navigate regional, state, and national resources.
