Podcast: 4 Cities Aiming for Early Education ‘Alignment’

Conversations about early education programs typically include educators, school officials and community providers. But what about mayors and city staff? What role can cities play in building cohesive and aligned systems that span from birth up through third grade? 

The National League of Cities has been exploring this question over the past year in a project sponsored by its Youth, Education, and Families Institute. Part of the project, the Educational Alignment for Young Children Initiative, featured “community conversations” in four cities around the country. In these day-long convenings, leaders from multiple sectors — such as school districts, local Head Start programs, state-funded pre-k programs, and independent childcare programs —  worked together to outline what steps should be taken to bring early childhood programs and elementary education programs together in their localities. 

For this podcast, we spoke with Tonja Rucker, principal associate for early childhood development at the National League of Cities, to hear about the four cities that have held these convenings: Petal, Miss.; Richmond, Va.; San Antonio, TX; and Seattle, WA.

Early Ed Watch podcast – October 19, 2010

With our guest Tonja Rucker, principal associate for early childhood development at the National League of Cities

Interviewed by Lisa Guernsey for the Early Education Initiative at New America