School Readiness

The Youth Coordinating Board’s School Readiness Initiative is an effort to mobilize time, talent and resources to boost the number of children who enter Minneapolis kindergarten ready to learn.

Minneapolis Children and Youth Agenda

The Youth Coordinating Board is engaged in an inclusive, interactive process to create an agenda and action steps for enhancing healthy child and youth development over the next 15 years. This agenda will articulate what it is that we want for our children and will be embraced by elected officials, leaders in health, human services and justice; philanthropic organizations; the business community; the faith community; and all those who live and work in Minneapolis.

Out-of-School Time (OST) Initiatives

In June 2006 the YCB voted to actively examine and strengthen policies aimed at improving access to and participation in quality Out-of-School Time (OST) activities for Minneapolis children and youth. To guide the work, the YCB is focusing on several critical tasks for moving an out-of-school time agenda developed by the Forum for Youth Investment and the Mott Foundation.

Recently collected Minneapolis data show that the number of youth programs has decreased over the past decade. More than one in three youth in Minneapolis have NEVER participated in an after-school youth program and of those who have ever participated, a little more than half are participating at any given time. Youth, ages 13 and above, have the fewest opportunities and the lowest participation rate.