City/State Example

While an increasing number of afterschool providers have made quality improvement a priority, addressing quality in a systemic way is complicated: It requires research, planning, building consensus, developing resources, managing new processes and sometimes redefining old relationships.

One of the best ways to improve your Ready by 21 work is to sit down and talk it over with other practitioners - and that's what dozens of people did at the Ready by 21 Southeast Convening in March 2011.

How can a community change the quality, coordination and reach of its services, supports and engagement opportunities for children and youth? The Forum’s latest Ready by 21® case study shows how leaders in Petaluma, Calif., did just that, working with the Forum to use the Ready by 21 approach to build a communitywide coalition and develop new strategies that had impact.

Ready by 21 Case Study: Nashville, TN

Ready by 21 Case Study: Austin, TX

Ready by 21 Case Study: Massachusetts

Ready by 21 Case Study: Georgetown Divide

This story shows how community leaders built an overarching leadership council to coordinate and improve youth services. Those leaders used Ready by 21® strategies to expand the council’s scope to include organizations and agencies covering the full range of youth supports, and to get them working toward the same goals.