As part of a national effort to build an Early Learning Nation that prioritizes programs and policies to improve outcomes for young children, Brownsville joins the National League of Cities’ City Leadership for Building and Early Learning Nation eight-city technical assistance cohort.

“Raising awareness for Adverse Childhood Experiences or ACEs is near to my heart. The more we researched incarceration rates, educational attainment, and life expectancy, the more we learned how ACEs lies at the root of these issues.” Mayor William D. Rawls, Jr.

The Healthy Moves and Save Our Streets Initiatives, along with the assistance of the National League of Cities’ Early Learning Community for the next two years, Brownsville can continue to build on its progress of healthier families through these initiatives and educational programming. Preventing ACEs and ACE consequences is profitable for society as a whole. Economic research already shows that early intervention programs with disadvantaged children has reduced the cost of services spent on that child $5.70 for every dollar. Moreover, Brownsville has created a dynamic synergy with educational leaders to help shift its focus from intervention to prevention in the battle against adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). Overall, our community partners are established and recognize that trauma in childhood can lead to poor health in adulthood. Brownsville wants to develop early learning strategies and share a commitment to taking action with NLC.

Brownsville was chosen for its community-wide commitment to prioritizing early learning and the well-being of children, and their history of work focused on families and children. City officials will use NLC’s Institute for Youth, Education and Families (YEF Institute) Early Learning Communities Action Guide and Progress Rating Tool to assess their progress and develop action plans to move forward. The technical assistance program also includes in-person and virtual opportunities for learning from peer cities and national experts.

In addition to Brownsville, the other cities receiving technical assistance from NLC include Hopewell, Virginia; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; New Orleans, Louisiana; Sacramento, California; San Pablo, California; Walla Walla, Washington; Waterbury, Connecticut and a special cohort of small communities from Nebraska working with Nebraska Children and Families Foundation.

The YEF Institute knows that cities are centers of innovation in leading the way nationally to put young children at the center of policy and programmatic agendas. With the work of these eight new cities, we are moving one step closer to achieving the vision of a nation where all cities, towns and villages are places where children reach their full potential and where families feel supported and can live safe, healthy lives.

This initiative is generously supported by the Bezos Family Foundation and is part of the Bezos Family Foundation’s vision to create an Early Learning Nation by 2025. This cohort builds on previous work within the YEF Institute to strengthen and build local early learning systems.

The National League of Cities is dedicated to helping city leaders build better communities. NLC is a resource and advocate for 19,000 cities, towns and villages, representing more than 218 million Americans. The Institute for Youth, Education, and Families, a special entity within the National League of Cities, helps municipal leaders take action on behalf of the children, youth, and families in their communities.