ANNAPOLIS, MD – The Governor’s Office for Children today announced that Maryland has been selected for a second time by the National Governors Association (NGA) Center for Best Practices to serve as the model state for a learning lab. This second cohort of the learning lab “Fostering Cross-Sector Collaboration to Address the Health and Success of Children and Families” is an opportunity for three states to learn from a model state and other national, state, and local experts, to develop a unified vision for improving policies related to child health and success.
“We are proud that our Children’s Cabinet, in conjunction with our Office for Children, has again been recognized by the National Governor’s Association as a national leader in the critical work of improving outcomes for children and families,” said Governor Larry Hogan. “The hardworking staff from this office and the Children’s Cabinet helps change the lives of Maryland families and children for the better each and every day, and it is an honor to have the opportunity to share our successes with other states.”
The NGA will provide fifteen months of technical assistance to teams from selected states who are interested in learning from Maryland and fostering cross-sector collaborations to address educational, social, economic, and environmental factors that improve the health and overall success of children and families in their respective states.
“The NGA Center congratulates Maryland once again for serving as the model state for this technical assistance effort,” said NGA Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer, Scott Pattison. “Maryland has an over 20-year history of cross-agency, data-driven approaches to align policies and programs that support locally-driven strategies to improve the lives of children and youth. This long tradition continues under Governor Hogan’s leadership through the Governor’s Office for Children and the Children’s Cabinet, and serves as a best practice model for all states.”
The Governor’s Office for Children on behalf of the Children’s Cabinet plans to host officials from the NGA and other states in Annapolis in August 2018 to highlight steps taken to achieve Governor Hogan’s priorities of making Maryland a better state for families and children to thrive, including finding new pathways toward economic stability.
“The Office looks forward to sharing best practices with other states as we all seek to protect and empower children and families,” said Acting Executive Director of the Governor’s Office for Children, Jaclin Warner Wiggins. “We are thrilled that Maryland has been chosen to serve as a model state as we continue to focus on implementing Governor Hogan’s priorities of helping children and families succeed.”