QC Connections: August 2008

Welcome to the August 2008 Ready by 21® Quality Counts Connections.

This monthly newsletter keeps site teams aware of developments related to the initiative. Contact Nalini if you would like team members added or deleted from this list.

Updates

It was great to connect with all site leads inpidually, during group conference calls and, in a few cases, in person this month. As alway,s here is just a sampling of exciting recent developments...

• The Iowa Departments of Human Services and Criminal Juvenile Justice Planning are integrating the YPQA into their contract processes. The YPQA is also being used by state agencies in New York and Kentucky.
• Louisville hosted the Forum and representatives from Altria to launch a community conversation about aligning and leveraging multiple efforts underway in the community on behalf of children and youth.
• In Nashville the mayor has announced a new focus on after-school which will dovetail nicely with the Oasis Center's RB21 Quality Counts work.
• The St. Louis Mayor's Commission is now using Ready by 21 as a guiding framework for their work on youth issues.
• Inaugural Advancing Youth Development trainings are planned for Grand Rapids and Tulsa this November.
• Austin's Ready by 21 Coalition is taking stakeholders through a process to agree upon shared outcomes and indicators for 0-21 year-olds in Austin.
• Columbus, Iowa and Norman, OK are all launching program landscape mapping efforts in the near future.
• Initial results are in from Tulsa's survey of frontline youth workers. More on that soon!

Site Spotlight: Columbus

The Council for Youth Development (CYD), created in 2004 in Bartholomew County, IN continues its extensive work with the Forum for Youth Investment to build a blueprint for youth based on the Ready by 21 framework. The community is moving from a focus on inpidual programs to system-level approaches to capacity building and leveraging resources.

Policy/Leadership Landscape: Community-wide partnerships are strengthening efforts advance big picture change. With a shared vision and outcomes in place, a sub-committee is now identifying indicators or metrics. Another sub-committee is exploring an integrated data system to track progress. Community outreach continues on Sept. 6 with the annual CYD Drive-in Movie Family Event that will bring together 27 youth-serving agencies to connect with families and support the Ready by 21 message. Children and youth of all ages will enjoy free games and entertainment and families will learn more about opportunities in the county that contribute to positive development.

Program Landscape Mapping: Kicked off at the August meeting of the CYD, council members are making personal contact with youth serving organizations to encourage their completion of the survey in September. Following data collection and analysis, a report will be issued in November to share findings with the community. This should provide a detailed picture that can be used to sharpen our "base count" and inform decision making.

Quality Improvement and Workforce Development: OST organizations are enthusiastic about accessing tools for program assessment and incorporating best practices into daily interactions with youth through Quality Counts. On August 25, Charles Smith of the CYPQ introduced local funders, policy makers, organization leaders and community members to the hows and whys of building a quality improvement system. The next day Erica Curry offered Youth PQA Basics training and participating organizations took the first steps toward conducting self-assessments. Alongside assessment, another goal is to establish a seamless system of professional development for youth work practitioners serving children from birth through high school by building on the training offerings for early childhood professionals currently available in the community.

National Partner Spotlight

Search Institute. The Forum is proud to welcome Search Institute to the National Ready by 21 Partnership. Search's mission is to advance the well-being of adolescents and children by generating knowledge and promoting its application. Search Institute will bring a great deal of research and community leadership horsepower to the Ready by 21 Partnership.

RB21 Strategic Planning Process. The Forum and its now several national partners have received support from Altria to work with consultants from Bridgespan on a six-month strategic effort to develop a business plan for scaling up Ready by 21.

Tools and Resources

Ready by 21 Introductory Exercises.These were used at the June Ready by 21 Training Institute and during the Forum's site visit to Louisville. They are designed to introduce key concepts and work well as a lead-in to the At-a-Glance Chart. Detailed facilitator instructions will help you to lead these exercises yourself if useful.

Ready by 21: At-a-Glance Chart. This new tool summarizes key building blocks of the Ready by 21 Challenge. Working across the chart (the three gears) is as important as working down through the building blocks.

Results from the RIPQA Quality Improvement System.Summary findings from the first year of Rhode Island's quality improvement system (QIS) which involved both 21st Century Community Learning Center and Providence After School Alliance programs.

Municipal Youth Development Offices. This memo was originally drafted for the Sacramento Mayor's Commission to assist them in developing a youth director position. We summarize interviews with five cities with similar structures and offer recommendations on creating and sustaining such a position. Click here for related resources.

Upcoming Events and Opportunities

The Role of Business in Ready by 21. Join this webinar on September 24, 11-12 EST.Presenters include Donna Klein and Elyse Rosenblum of Corporate Voices for Working Families and Karen Pittman. Corporate Voices is working with the Forum to expand its commitment to children and youth and is a National Partner in the Ready by 21 Challenge. In response to growing concern among its members, Corporate Voices initiated a new body of work focused on youth development and workforce readiness. Learn about business perspectives on the Ready by 21 Challenge and examine ways to engage business in your efforts. Space is limited! Email Ian Faigley at ian@forumfyi.org.>

Ready by 21 Training Institute. Iowa will host a two-day Ready by 21 Training Institute on October 30-31. Tuition will be waived for key members of Quality Counts teams but sites will be responsible for travel and lodging. Space is limited, so if your site is interested in sending someone contact Ian Faigley as soon as possible at ian@forumfyi.org.

Youth Worker Methods Training of Trainers. The next Youth Work Methods TOT will be held October 28-30 at the High/Scope Retreat & Meeting Center in Clinton, Michigan. The online component will begin on September 29. For information contact Kynisha at kynisha@cypq.org.

AYD Training of Facilitators. McCoy in Indianapolis will be hosting an Advancing Youth Development Training of Facilitators workshop Feb. 3-5, 2009. Spots are being reserved for several Quality Counts sites that have no current AYD capacity, but space is available for other QC interested in expanding their trainer pool. If you are interested contact Kirsten at kirsten.eamon-shine@mccoyouth.org.

Site Lead Convening. Watch for a save-the-date message very soon. This will be an opportunity for site leads to explore key concepts related to Ready by 21 and quality improvement and to ensure you are well-equipped to facilitate change and sustain the great work that is now underway.

Nicole Yohalem and the Ready by 21 Quality Counts Team
The Forum For Youth Investment

For more information, contact Nicole at nicole@forumfyi.org or Nalini at nalini@forumfyi.org.