Three years ago, the Center for the Study of Social Policy (CSSP) and the National League of Cities (NLC) partnered to develop and pilot an Early Learning Community Action Guide and Progress Rating Tool (PRT). They were designed to increase the number of communities in America where babies are welcomed into families that have all the support needed to nurture development. Long story short: Communities asked CSSP and NLC to take the prototype paper version and make it digital and dynamic. Now, anyone interested in building an Early Learning Community can access the PRT from anywhere, 24/7.
What is the PRT?
The PRT is a collaborative digital resource that combines research-based strategies with the collective wisdom of local early childhood leaders and national experts to help communities create custom action plans for becoming Early Learning Communities?
👉 Wait, What’s an Early Learning Community?
It makes it easy for individuals and communities to assess their progress in the journey to become an Early Learning Community. The PRT provides community stakeholders with an opportunity to reflect on the actions they have already taken, and to collaborate on the next actions they agree to prioritize. The PRT contains targets, levels and action steps within four Building Blocks. It provides the criteria needed to assess your community’s status in becoming an Early Learning Community, and helps you explore your goals, and to create momentum and alignment through an action plan. Over time, you can track your progress in a specific, data-rich and easily shareable way.
Use the Progress Rating Tool to:
- Gather stakeholders to assess your community’s shared vision
- Evaluate your current status in cultivating an Early Learning Community
- Use the PRT’s robust tips, lessons and other resources to create a step-by-step action plan to begin or to build on your progress.
Just answer the PRT survey questions. Answers save automatically, making it easy to revisit and revise as your Early Learning Community progresses.
How will this process strengthen my community?
The PRT helps you gather together stakeholders to think critically—using the data you create via the surveys—about what you’re doing as a community to support young children and families, and to create a strategic plan that builds on current strengths to address gaps.
Wherever your community’s starting point, the PRT should help your group of stakeholders understand your current status, celebrate the progress you have made so far, and identify new areas on which to focus your work. Try it out here!
