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When First Things First of Arizona (FTF) needed powerful plans for community outreach and communications to educate families statewide about the importance of early childhood education, they called on ACS. Now, ACS is assisting FTF with building the capacity of its regional community outreach staff and regional council directors to successfully facilitate community stakeholder conversations […]

Kudos to Cincinnati Public Schools for a great article in Ed Source that touts the district’s Community Learning Centers as a model for the nation. The district brings community partners into every one of its 55 schools in a “whole child” approach to improving academics. Cincinnati’s program employs the concepts of “community schools,” in which […]

ACS has once again been selected by First Things First (FTF) in Arizona to help guide the implementation of thier statewide efforts to ensure all Arizona children ages 0-3 years have access to screening, supports and treatments services in a coordinated early childhood health and development system. Supported by a federal grant for Arizona’s Early […]

ACS gives kudos to Akron Public Schools Superintendent David James for his comments on a recent panel discussion broadcast by 90.3 WCPN and WVIZ Public Television in a special edition of the Ideas program. James, a member of ACS client The Ohio 8, spoke about the challenges that surround students who live in poverty, and […]

Research from Brookings found that employment prospects for teens and young adults in the nation’s 100 largest metropolitan areas plummeted between 2000 and 2011. Work experience is a key indicator for finding and keeping future employment, and critical in forming foundational and occupational skills. The report includes recommendations and examples of promising programs across the country. For […]

At a time when breaking through all the noise is one of the biggest challenges facing communications and outreach professionals, creating a concise, impactful message has become a critical skill. VP Scarlett Bouder and Policy Associate Heather Lenz are gearing up to help early childhood professionals craft unique, distinct and compelling messages and share them […]

A new report released by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights provides new data from all 97,000 of the nation’s public schools and paints a disturbing picture: disparities in access and in discipline exist from pre-school to 12th grade for students of color. Across the board, students of color are less likely […]

ACS President Lori McClung has been named to the board of trustees of the St. Luke’s Foundation in Cleveland. This high-profile post is a perfect fit for Lori, since the St. Luke’s Foundation mission is focused on creating and sustaining healthy people, strong communities and resilient families — all values that drive ACS’s work and […]

Research from Brookings found that employment prospects for teens and young adults in the nation’s 100 largest metropolitan areas plummeted between 2000 and 2011. Work experience is a key indicator for finding and keeping future employment, and critical in forming foundational and occupational skills. The report includes recommendations and examples of promising programs across the country. For […]

Earlier this month ACS’s Scarlett Bouder provided tips for “giving jargon the boot” to a group 150 early childcare providers at the annual NAEYC conference. In this message training, ACS presented their four point frame and how to apply it to media outreach, and helped NAEYC advocates create clear and concise messages for outreach to […]