For Immediate Release: May 19, 2022

The City’s Unified Implementation Team (UIT) —comprised of leadership from Alexandria City Public Schools, the Alexandria Health Department, the Department of Community and Human Services and the Partnership for a Healthier Alexandria— released a progress report highlighting the overlapping areas of their respective five-year strategic plans.

The UIT works to align evaluation efforts for the Alexandria Children and Youth Community Plan, Alexandria Community Health Improvement Plan, and Alexandria City Public Schools 2025 Equity for All Strategic Plan. While each plan has its own set of strategies and tactics, they all prioritize trauma-informed approaches, racial equity and developmental assets. The UIT developed five high-level strategies in areas where their plans converge:

1: Develop job readiness, career and employment opportunities.
2: Engage students and families with supports and services within schools.
3: Improve and increase out of school learning.
4: Enhance technical infrastructure and close the digital divide.
5: Implement integrated collaborative systems that help families and the community support the socio-emotional and physical development of children and youth.

In the first of two annual updates to the community-- available in multiple languages—there are examples of the progress that has been made, including:

• Adding four additional school-based mental health professionals to serve K-12 public schools and implementing a social-emotional wellness curriculum.
• Collaborating with 160 ACPS partners to implement student support during the school day, after school and in the summer. Partners include Amazon, Virginia Tech and local nonprofits.
• Establishing opportunities for parents to build their skills to support student learning through five LINK Club (Linking Instruction, Nurturing Knowledge) sites that also offer after school programs.
• Allocating funding to create the Alexandria Digital Equity Plan and provide recommendations on solutions to barriers as well as funding a Broadband Specialist and Policy Analyst position.
• Investing $1.7 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds in the Workforce Development Center’s Re-Employment and Upskilling Initiative.

Initial UIT reports will focus on outputs, or the work that is being done through policies, programs, and education and outreach related to the aligned strategies. Future reports will include outcomes achieved and any gaps or needs that are identified.

All community members are invited to support these five aligned strategies as well as the strategies in the individual plans. Learn more about the Unified Implementation Team.

For additional information and for media inquiries, please contact Noraine Buttar, Department of Community and Human Services Chief of Youth Development at 703.746.3436 or noraine.buttar@alexandriava.gov.

This news release is available at: alexandriava.gov/go/3633

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