Strive Network Managing Director Jeff Edmondson praises Raise DC

Strive Network Managing Director Jeff Edmondson praises Raise DC

New cradle-to-career initiative seeks to ensure District children develop and learn in nurturing and healthy environments.

CINCINNATI – (April 27, 2012) -- Strive Network Managing Director Jeff Edmondson today praised Washington, D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray and a team of community partners as they launched the District’s first cradle-to-career initiative called “Raise DC,” part of the mayor’s Early Success Framework.

“Mayor Gray, DC Public Schools Chancellor Kaya Henderson, and a group of dedicated community partners have taken a bold step to ensure that all children in the District will arrive at school ready to learn and eventually become better prepared for college and next-generation careers,” Edmondson said. “Raise DC has the civic infrastructure in place that will weave together existing work that gets results for kids and incorporate necessary innovation around shared goals, supporting the success of every child from cradle to career.”

Mayor Gray announced plans for the initiative at a press conference in Washington Thursday. 

Edmondson said months of hard work by dedicated staff from the Deputy Mayor’s office and collaboration among a host of partners went into creating partnerships needed to launch the initiative. He said he is looking forward to the District achieving long-term positive outcomes in areas such as access to quality early childhood programs and health care, all of which will play important roles in the well-being of children throughout the District.

“When a community works together to look at its existing assets, it is able to identify ways it can improve outcomes based on its own unique challenges,” Edmondson said. “Raise DC has all the right, committed leadership in place and that’s why we are excited about what comes next.”

More about Raise DC and its vision for success can be found by clicking here.

Strive  is a catalyzing a national movement focused on the success of every child from cradle to career. Building on the principles of collective impact, Strive is helping communities create the civic infrastructure to unite stakeholders around shared goals, measures and results in education, and organizing a national network of cradle to career communities.