The annual budgeting process: a necessary evil involving crunching numbers until you go cross-eyed to arrive at an estimated idea of how much money you will raise versus spend throughout the year — and, of course, which you hope your board will approve. For most organizations, developing a budget is a tedious and painstaking process…
At StriveTogether, we’re building civic infrastructure to support every child from cradle to career. That sounds great, but what does it really mean? Infrastructure holds communities together: roads, bridges, an electricity grid. But there are some connections we can’t see. Relationships, collaboration, goal setting and data sharing are part of infrastructure, too. These pieces are…
Ray Charles’ “Hit the Road Jack” begins to play as the StriveTogether Leadership Program seminar concludes. Several participants chuckle as they pack their materials to head home, having discovered that the music over the previous two days was themed given the activity or time of day. For decades, researchers have studied how music affects people’s productivity,…
Jennifer Blatz invited women of color from the Cradle to Career Network to join her and Cecilia Muñoz for a candid conversation about leadership. Muñoz was the first Latinx to lead the White House Domestic Council and is the author of a new book, More than Ready: Be Strong and Be You … and Other…
Lasting community change starts when the voices of the community are heard and community members are at the forefront, developing solutions and making decisions. Across the StriveTogether Cradle to Career Network, efforts are growing to work alongside the community. Here are six insights from work in Baltimore, Md.; Redmond, Ore.; and San Antonio, Texas: First,…
This piece was originally published in the Lexington Herald-Leader. Last week, we saw demonstrations in the twin cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul Minnesota, and downtown Louisville. Since then, collective voices have raised across the country with the names of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor respectively – two African Americans whose lives were stolen in…
The coronavirus has made inequities in America starkly visible. Virtual learning doesn’t help children without a laptop or wi-fi at home. Stay-at-home orders don’t help parents without housing or jobs that allow them to work remotely. Everyone is vulnerable to the public health threat posed by COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, but communities…
While most of the country has shut down, many Americans are facing a daily, impossible choice: Go to work and risk exposing themselves and their loved ones to the coronavirus, or stay at home and risk being unable to pay rent, buy food or support their families. Like medical staff, these individuals have been deemed…
The community of Summit County, Ohio, is committed to supporting youth and families to thrive. This commitment is led by Summit Education Initiative (SEI), a member of the Cradle to Career Network that recently reached a new milestone. SEI earned StriveTogether’s Proof Point designation, an advanced stage of progress measured along our guiding framework, the…
John F. Kennedy once said that “the time to repair the roof is when the sun is shining.” We’ve known our roof has leaks — our systems have been designed to produce wicked disparities in American communities for hundreds of years. But now here we are, in the middle of a storm, with no other…
This is an excerpt of a piece published in the Cincinnati Enquirer. Read the full piece here. The COVID-19 crisis demands leadership at its best and women are answering the call in Cincinnati and Ohio. Women everywhere have the opportunity to step up and lead in their neighborhoods and communities. No act of empathy, kindness…
Dear Cradle to Career Network members and supporters, As we navigate uncharted territory, I’m writing to share my support and encouragement. During times of uncertainty, relationships are paramount. We will get through this and we will do it together. Like many of you, I’m adjusting to working remotely, my children are trying to figure out how…