City of Austin

The City of Austin is proud to join the Prenatal-to-Three Impact Lab, a new peer-learning cohort led by the National League of Cities. This nine-month technical assistance program aims to drive local action for the prenatal-to-three population. The initiative will focus on strategies to address key contributors to poor maternal and infant outcomes, including climate and environmental factors, family economic insecurity, and housing instability.

The City of Austin will receive technical assistance from National League of Cities to address climate and environmental factors with a project that connects city staff with early childhood experts, peer networks, tailored resources, and real-world city examples. Throughout the length of the initiative, leaders from participating cities will refine their strategic vision and develop actionable commitments on behalf of the youngest residents in their cities through collaborative cohort discussions, as well as guidance from national partners and National League of Cities staff.

Mayor Kirk Watson said, “I'm committed to Austin being the best place in America to be a kid. That means creating a city where every child has the opportunity to thrive. By joining the Prenatal-to-Three Impact Lab, we are taking an important step toward addressing the climate and environmental factors that impact our youngest residents and their families.”

Austin’s participation builds on its existing Cities Connecting Children to Nature initiative which promotes equitable access to nature and integrates outdoor learning environments into early childhood programs. The Prenatal-to-Three Impact Lab aligns with Austin’s Early Childhood strategy for young children and families. Key priorities include conducting a landscape scan of Prenatal-to-Three Impact Lab-related initiatives across departments, integrating Prenatal-to-Three Impact Lab considerations into city-wide plans such as the Climate Equity Plan and Heat Resilience Playbook, securing sustainable funding for Prenatal-to-Three Impact Lab efforts, and exploring policy changes to improve environmental health for children.

“Every child can flourish when communities invest in healthy environments, stable housing, and economic security – that's why the Prenatal-to-Three Impact Lab is essential to the next generation,” said Clarence E. Anthony, CEO and Executive Director of the National League of Cities.

Austin joins 15 other cities in the Prenatal-to-Three Impact Lab:

 City of Cambridge, MA
 City of College Park, MD
 City of East Orange, NJ
 City of Henderson, NV
 City of Houston, TX
 City of LaBelle, FL
 City of Louisville, KY
 City of Madison, WI
 City of Milwaukee, WI
 City of New Haven, CT
 City of New Orleans, LA
 City of Park City, UT
 City of Toledo, OH
 City of Tulsa, OK
 City of Vancouver, WA