Alliance named finalist for All-America City Award
ALLIANCE – The city is a finalist for an All-America City Award.
The National Civic League and the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading on Thursday released a list of 20 cities across the U.S. that were chosen based on their dedication to early school success and equitable learning recovery.
Along with Alliance, honorees included cities such as Chicago, Los Angeles, Atlanta and Omaha.
Barberton was only other city in the Buckeye State to receive the distinction.
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"I am excited to have the city get this significant recognition for educational programming for children. I think this exemplifies how the Alliance community comes together and works together to continually improve our city," Mayor Alan Andreani said in a news release.
The All-America City Award recognizes communities that use civic engagement, collaboration, inclusiveness and innovation to address issues in the area.
This year's theme is “Housing as a Platform to Promote Early School Success and Equitable Learning Recovery.”
The selection committee evaluated factors such as digital equity, relation support systems, out-of-school learning opportunities, transforming non-school spaces into learning environments, promoting school readiness and parent involvement in its decision-making process.
In a news release, Andreani said Elizabeth Hibbs of the Early Childhood Education Alliance (ECEA) played an "instrumental" role in helping Alliance earn this recognition.
ECEA was founded 17 years ago as a partnership between the University of Mount Union, the city of Alliance and the Alliance City School District. These agencies work together create learning experiences for children and families in Alliance.
“The ECEA team believes in servant leadership. It truly takes a community to raise a child, and I’m grateful to be part of a team that is fully committed to this cause," Hibbs said in a prepared statement.
Hibbs said that early childhood education plays a significant role in a person's life beyond their early years. It's important that every child is given the tools to help them succeed when they start school.
"We are grateful for the honor of this designation and aim to continue giving back to the city of Alliance, as it has supported ECEA and the families we serve through the entirety of our organization’s existence," she said.
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The agency is funded by the city of Alliance, Greater Alliance Foundation, United Way of Greater Stark County, Sisters of Charity Foundation, Alliance City Schools, Sebring Local Schools, state of Ohio and Ohio Department of Education.
The awards event and competition will be held virtually from July 19-21.
Residents, nonprofits, businesses and government leaders will present their efforts and discuss how they represent this year's theme during the event.
Other finalists include:
• Des Moines, Iowa
• El Paso, Texas
• Kansas City, Missouri
• Louisville, Kentucky
• New Haven, Connecticut
• Palacios, Texas
• Phoenix, Arizona
• Portland, Maine
• Roanoke, Virginia
• Sacramento, California
• San Antonio, Texas
• Springfield, Massachusetts
• Suncoast, Florida
• Tarpon Springs, Florida
The All-America City Award has been given annually to 10 cities across the country since 1949.
Reach Paige at 330-580-8577 or pmbennett@gannett.com, or on Twitter at @paigembenn.
This article originally appeared on The Repository: Alliance named finalist for All-America City Award
