Maryland’s Children’s Cabinet Cited as Model for Work on Children’s Well-Being and Safety
Representatives of five states joined leaders of the Maryland Children’s Cabinet and the Governor’s Office for Children to conclude a 14-month National Governors Association (NGA) learning lab to foster cross-sector collaboration in support of children’s well-being and success, while six new states joined them for the next phase of the collaborative.
Citing Maryland’s work as a national model, NGA provided 14 months of technical assistance to teams from Alaska, Hawaii, Kansas, Minnesota and Rhode Island. States with new initiatives to support cross-sector collaboration joined the convening: Maine, North Carolina, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Utah and Virginia. Participants exchanged lessons learned in establishing or reinvigorating children’s cabinets (or similar cross-sector coordinating bodies) and best practices in data-driven policy making, budgeting and fiscal mapping and stakeholder engagement.
The project was funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
“The Children’s Cabinet model is an example of how state agencies can work together to improve life for youth and families in Maryland,” said Maryland Governor Larry Hogan, who also is the NGA chair. “Addressing the issues impacting our young people is key to improving life outcomes and future economic opportunity. We are proud to share our successes with other states, as we strive to make meaningful and positive change across our great nation.”
The meeting in Annapolis concluded the learning lab for the five states selected last year. NGA will continue a collaborative among states whose governors are prioritizing this type of cross-sector collaboration to improve the health and success for children and youth in their states.
