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Fall at Children First Turns Data Into Action — A Message from Executive Director Heather Lyke

Click the image above for a video message from Heather Lyke

With summer behind us and a new school year underway, Children First is turning our attention to the collaborative work that takes place throughout the school year.

This fall, our Youth For Change Coalition and Mental Wellness Strategy Group are getting back to work, and we’re looking ahead to the January relaunch of our Early Years Action Network. Together with our community partnerships, these efforts bring people with different perspectives and experiences together to better understand local needs while we work toward meaningful improvements for children, youth, and families.

Here’s a look at what’s happening this fall:

Youth Leadership in Action with Youth For Change Coalition

In mid-October, the Youth For Change Coalition (Y4CC) will resume regular meetings for the 2026–2027 school year.

Y4CC brings together high school students from across the West Metro who are passionate about improving the mental wellbeing of young people in their communities. Meeting every other Tuesday, students explore issues affecting local youth while developing leadership skills, building confidence and working with peers and adult coaches.

This year's work will continue Y4CC's focus on promoting mental wellbeing, hope, and resilience while reducing the risk of serious mental health crises among area youth. Students will work in partnership with our Mental Wellness Strategy Group and use community information and shared learning to help guide their efforts.

Past Y4CC projects have included mental wellness workshops, a youth mental health position paper and partnerships with local organizations to increase awareness.

We're Recruiting New Y4CC Members!

Children First is seeking dedicated high school students who want to develop their leadership skills and contribute to positive change in their community.

If you're a high school student interested in getting involved—or you know someone who might be a good fit—we'd love to hear from you! Learn more and apply by visiting bit.ly/4uQR8Pg or emailing Ryan Whitaker at ryan@children-first.org.

Bringing Community Expertise Together with Mental Wellness Strategy Group

Looking Ahead: Early Years Action Network Returns in January

Children First is also preparing to relaunch the Early Years Action Network (EYAN) in January.

EYAN will bring community partners together around an important goal: helping ensure that children from birth through age 5 in the West Metro have the supports and opportunities they need to enter kindergarten ready to learn and thrive.

Like our other collaborative groups, EYAN will use community information and shared expertise to identify needs, explore opportunities and help turn what we learn into action.

We're beginning to build interest for the January relaunch now. If you've participated in EYAN in the past, or you're interested in becoming involved for the first time, we'd love to hear from you. Contact Ryan Whitaker at ryan@children-first.org to be added to our EYAN contact list to be the first to receive more information about this action network as it becomes available.

More information about the January relaunch will be coming in future newsletters!

Following the Milestones That Matter

All of this work is connected to a larger question: What do children and young people need to thrive—and how is our community doing in providing those conditions?

Children First looks at important milestones along the journey from early childhood through adulthood, including:

• Kindergarten readiness
• Early grade reading proficiency
• Middle school mathematics
• High school graduation
• Postsecondary enrollment
• Postsecondary completion or attainment
• Career skill development and readiness

We also consider the broader conditions that influence those outcomes, including parental engagement and development, community engagement and programmatic alignment, and physical and mental health.

Looking at these milestones helps us understand where young people are making progress and where our community may have opportunities to do more.

We are proud to be supported in this work at the state and national level with colleagues and organizations rooted in similar efforts for their communities. As part of the Education Partnerships Coalition of Minnesota (EPC), we are one of nine local organizations across the state that convenes regularly, aiming to make improvements in these milestones. Additionally, as part of the StriveTogether Network, we are part of a national movement working to put millions more young people on a path to economic mobility. See the image below to view how the EPC and StriveTogether milestones echo each other:

Our Action Networks are one way Children First turns this information into community action. By bringing young people, professionals and community partners together, we can better understand local needs, identify opportunities and work toward meaningful change.

Collaboration Across the Community

With schools back in session, Children First is also involved in a range of community and school-based collaborations—from working with a statewide coalition focused on prenatal through pre-K supports for local families to partnering with community colleges and universities to strengthen and expand career pathways for West Metro students, just to name a few of our efforts.

These partnerships allow us to connect people, organizations and ideas that might otherwise work separately, and help create a more coordinated approach to supporting children and young people.

Support Children First This Fall and Invest in a Brighter Future for Local Youth

All of this work depends on people and organizations willing to invest in the future of our community.

As a local 501(c)(3) operating on a small budget, we rely on community support to make this work possible.

Your support helps us to:

• Bring youth and community leaders together around shared challenges.
• Support young people as they develop leadership skills and advocate for their peers.
• Build collaboration among organizations serving children, youth and families.
• Use community data to better understand needs and opportunities.
• Turn shared knowledge into coordinated action.

Mark your calendar

Anytime: Support Children First by donating at children-first.org/give

November 1: Give to the Max early giving begins

November 19: Give to the Max Day

Give to the Max Day is Thursday, November 19, with early giving beginning November 1. This year, we're asking you to help Children First continue bringing community members together, supporting youth leadership and using data and collaboration to identify opportunities that can improve outcomes for children and youth.

Contributions made to our Give to the Max Day campaign are a great way to support Children First with your year-end charitable giving, and can make your donation dollars stretch further by granting eligibility for bonus awards. Watch next month's newsletter for more information about Give to the Max Day giving.

Consider making your Give to the Max Day gift go even further by creating a matching gift for Children First. Whether you’re an individual donor, family or local business, a matching gift can inspire others to give and help us build momentum during the Give to the Max fundraising period. If you’re interested in offering a match—or would like to learn more about how matching gifts work—please contact Ryan Whitaker at ryan@children-first.org.

Thank you for supporting Children First and for being part of a community committed to ensuring that West Metro children and youth have what they need to thrive.

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