 Highlighting America’s Promise:
100 Best Communities for Young People
See our press release
The 100 Best Communities for Young People competition honors outstanding efforts on behalf of young people by multiple sectors of communities. In cities, suburbs, small towns and counties across the country, this annual competition is leading communities to assess their efforts, work more effectively together for young people, and share best practices
Chesterfield County, Virginia
Founded in 1619, just a few short years after the Jamestown settlement, what is now Chesterfield County has a long, proud Virginia history. Chesterfield, located near Richmond, Virginia, is now home to many suburban families but was a Coal mining town beginning in the 18th century and was a defensive point for Confederate forces during the Civil War.
Chesterfield County has demonstrated that it shares the America's Promise Alliance belief that all parts of society must work together to provide our young people with what they need to succeed.
Organizations such as Communities In Schools, Virginia Mentoring Partnership, SAFE, and Partnership for Youth are among the collaborative partnerships working with community leaders to deliver education, health and social support services to promote academic achievement.
Chesterfield County government and Chesterfield County Schools are strong partners in a wide range of collaborative programs for youths. These partnerships include the business community, athletic leagues, various youth organizations, such as scouting and Boys and Girls Clubs, and more. The elected Board of Supervisors has long had as its top two funding priorities public education and public safety, and that remains true today.
Other initiatives that led Chesterfield County to be a two-time honoree of the 100 Best Communities for Young People include:
Families First: A program that helps first-time parents prepare for the arrival of their special gift provides regular home visitation to help new parents learn to nurture and care for their infants provides information on childbirth preparation, child health and development, parenting skills, local resources including pediatricians and child care services and more.
COACH (Coalition for Active Children): A collaborative effort involving the Health Department, Schools, the county’s Public Affairs Department, community groups, etc., in an effort to reduce childhood obesity.
Success by 6 Leadership Council: A regional initiative led by the Greater Richmond Chamber of Commerce. It mobilizes the community to promote the need for quality early childhood development. Success by 6 is supporting child care provider education and a voluntary rating system for child care providers.
Self-Study Training Accreditation Readiness (STAR): This is a comprehensive quality enhancement project that improves the overall quality of existing child care through professional development, on-site mentoring, improvement grants, national accreditation assistance and program quality assessments and ratings.
Bandfest: Has brought together a local church, the county government, and the SAFE organization, among others, and last year, attracted 19 bands to audition. At the most recent Bandfest, approximately 1,000 people, mostly youths, attended. It resulted from a recommendation from our youths serving on the board that the county help provide teenagers with “something to do” that would appeal to a large number of youths.
Chesterfield County’s youth development plan is a long-range strategic plan developed using the Communities that Care model. The process focuses on reducing factors that increase the risk of problem behaviors and strengthening factors that promote healthy behaviors.
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