Twenty-five years ago, Kim Johnson turned to the Women, Infants and Children program — WIC — for help as a new mom. Now as director of the California Department of Social Services, she is responsible for deploying billions of dollars to support children and families in poverty with dignity, in a way that puts them…
“Put young people in a position to lead, and they will make this world a better place,” Jerelyn Rodriguez shared on stage at the 2023 Cradle to Career Network Convening. Rodriguez, co-founder and CEO of The Knowledge House, joined Dr. Tim Lampkin for a conversation about activating youth leadership to help put more young people…
Rick Hess and Pedro Noguera often fall on opposing sides of the ideological aisle. Despite their differences, they regularly engage in important conversations about the toughest issues in K-12 education today. Rick Hess is a senior fellow and the director of education policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute, where he works on K-12 and…
The StriveTogether 2023 Cradle to Career Network Convening officially commenced as president and CEO Jennifer Blatz shared a bold new goal to put 4 million more young people on a path to economic mobility. The journey of this cradle-to-career movement has always had a North Star — to ensure every young person has every opportunity…
Reciprocity and respect — how you care for yourself and others — was the Nakoda way of life for generations. The concept of economic mobility did not exist because it wasn’t needed. Erik Stegman, CEO of Native Americans in Philanthropy, shared the stories of his great grandfather and grandfather at the Cradle to Career Network…
This guest blog was written by Jen Tolentino, director of local practice at Results for America. Communities across the country — particularly communities of color who have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic — have committed to an equitable recovery that will not only address the impacts of the pandemic, but decades of racially motivated…
San Antonio, with a population of around 1.5 million residents, is the second most populous city in Texas and the seventh most populous in the United States. Its rich culture is heavily influenced by its diversity — particularly by its Latine and Indigenous populations. Alongside that diversity comes racial and ethnic disparities that affect young…
Recently, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), the gold standard of federal standardized testing, released data indicating that 13-year-olds have hit the lowest math and reading performance scores in decades. Unsurprisingly, this correlated with data about learning loss from the pandemic, especially for children of color. As I read this newest report, I reflected…
In the early morning of July 28, 2022, Eastern Kentucky woke to rising water. A historic flood was devastating the region. Families climbed to rooftops with pets and items they managed to save. Some waded in deep, murky waters or swam in places where the water was over neck high. Many describe the event as…
As I sit down to reflect on my sabbatical, I marvel at the journey. Time has flown by, and yet it also feels like a lifetime’s worth of experiences and revelations were condensed into the past 58 days. My world of deadlines, emails and meetings for the past 20-plus years was put on hold as…
When we shift policies to center young people, we work toward greater economic mobility for our communities. More than 125 members of the StriveTogether Cradle to Career Network gathered in Washington, D.C., for the 2023 Policy Summit to share how policy change is making a positive impact on the lives of young people. As a…
Located less than 40 miles south of Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Northfield, Minnesota is a town of about 21,000 residents. In 2017, fewer than half of Northfield’s kids were ready for kindergarten, and kindergarten readiness was at just 10% for Hispanic/Latine children. Disparities like these are what prompted the launch of Northfield Promise, a community movement dedicated…
