Ready by 21™ Quality Counts Initiative

Communities across the country are committed to ensuring that all youth are Ready by 21™ - ready for college, work and life. In many places, this commitment has translated into an increased focus on building broader supports for youth, both in school and out. However, according to Karen Pittman, executive director of the Forum for Youth Investment, "many places struggle to identify, link and improve the myriad of programs and activities that exist. Changing the quality of young people's daily experiences requires building a coordinated quality improvement system that engages the programs where young people spend their time."

The Ready by 21™ Quality Counts Initiative, a partnership between:

has selected Kentucky Child Now to help build and coordinate a quality improvement system in Kentucky. Kentucky Child Now will serve as the administrative lead and fiscal agent for the two year pilot project and will work to improve the quality of programs and services for youth in the commonwealth through the Ready by 21™ framework.

As a core strategy of the Ready by 21™ framework, quality improvement is critical. However, Ready by 21™ has found that meaningful improvements are only sustained when
  • community demand for improved services exists;
  • resources and policies are aligned in support of quality improvement;
  • and young people themselves - as well as other key stakeholders - are meaningfully engaged in the process.

Though sustainability of the improvement provides a bold challenge, the Quality Counts Initiative will provide Kentucky with an infusion of national and local momentum and an accompanying suite of widely vetted policy-building strategies and research-based quality improvement tools and methods. The goal of the Initiative is to help state and local intermediaries and decision-makers improve the quality of programs and strengthen, integrate and extend the reach of local policies that guide resource allocation, accountability and workforce development.

Ready by 21™ Quality Counts Initiative in Kentucky

The Kentucky Ready by 21™ Quality Counts Initiative will consist of two pilot communities: Lexington and Louisville, as well as a state team. The state team participation is a result of the Kentucky Youth Development Coordinating Council Quality/Positive Youth Development Workgroup recommendation to the Council. The state team will be the Quality/PYD workgroup of the Council and will act as the infrastructure for implementing quality improvement. The state team will be comprised of:

  • Louisville Metro Office of Youth Development Youth Enhancement Services
  • Partners For Youth Foundation, Inc, Lexington, KY
  • Kentucky Department of Education 21st Century Community Learning Centers
  • Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services, Department of Community Based Services
  • Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services, Department for Human Support Services, Division of Family Resource and Youth Service Centers
  • Kentucky Education Cabinet, Department for Workforce Investment
  • Kentucky Education Cabinet, Department for Libraries and Archives
  • Justice and Public Safety Cabinet, Department of Juvenile Justice
  • University of Kentucky, Cooperative Extension Service, 4-H Youth Development Program
  • University of Kentucky, College of Agriculture, Department of Community and Leadership Development
  • Kentucky Court of Justice, Administrative Office of the Courts, Division of Juvenile Services
  • Kentucky Office of the Secretary of State
  • Kentucky Child Now!
Quality Counts Partners

State Partners:
The University Of Kentucky, Cooperative Extension Service, 4-H Youth Development Program will provide leadership and staff support with an Extension Youth Development Specialist.

The Kentucky Youth Development Coordinating Council will provide structure for the state team through its Quality/Positive Youth Development Workgroup serving as the advisory group for the state team for the project.

National Partners:

Funded By:
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation