Cradle-to-Career Initiative
Issue: Defending Workers & Families
Target Level of Office: State
Policy Origin: California State Legislature
Poilcy/Bill Number: Assembly Bill 2555
Link: www.YEONetwork.org/2013policy/?i=195
Summary Narrative of the Policy: To require that the state Superintendent of Public Instruction,
in collaboration with strategic public and private partnerships, develop a five year plan for
expanding cradle-to-career initiatives throughout the state. Cradle-to-career initiatives include,
but are not limited to, collaborative school and community programs and services that align local,
state, federal, and private resources and that focus on the following objectives: ensuring that
children are healthy physically and mentally; increasing the learning opportunities and academic
achievement of all pupils, in particular those in high poverty neighborhoods; strengthening family
structures; establishing safe neighborhoods; and expanding college and career opportunities.
These can take the form of full-service community centers, promise neighborhoods, wraparound
programs, school-based health centers, and healthy community efforts.
Relevant Talking Points & Important Information:
• The Cradle-to-Career Initiative (CCI) strives to support the success of every child from
cradle to career, specifically children in long struggling neighborhoods, communities,
and regions.
• CCIs hone in on uplifting and serving our nation’s most vulnerable communities by:
ensuring that children are healthy physically and mentally; increasing the learning
opportunities and academic achievement of all pupils, in particular those in high poverty
neighborhoods; strengthening family structures; establishing safe neighborhoods; and
expanding college and career opportunities.
• The vision behind CCI requires seeing education as a journey that includes the child
and community – the schoolhouse, the home, the neighborhood, and the community
are intertwined and integral to a child’s development and success. CCIs view child
development and community investment as equivalent by working with stakeholders
in collaborative school and community programs and services that align local, state,
federal, and private resources and that take the form of full-service community centers,
promise neighborhoods, wraparound programs, school-based health centers, and
healthy community efforts.
• CCIs dramatically increase the quality of life for all our nation’s children and families by
investing in strategic partnerships between public and private stakeholders. In leveraging
these partnerships to invest in education, we uplift working families, we strengthen the
middle class, and we revitalize our economy.
Policy
2014 Book
State Level
15