Tulsa says it’s looking to improve the lives of children and families.
Mayor Monroe Nichols announced on Tuesday the launch of the Mayor’s Office of Children, Youth, and Families.
Ashley Philippsen, Executive Director of Impact Tulsa, will head the office. Philippsen says the move is a promise to take action.
"Today marks not just an announcement, but a commitment. A commitment to collective action, a commitment to breaking down silos and to ensuring that all of our systems work for Tulsa’s children, not just a fortunate few."
The office aims to put 15,000 more youth “on track for economic mobility” by 2030. The city is also establishing a Tulsa Children’s Cabinet to coordinate efforts across agencies. Nichols says funding has already been allocated to kickstart the initiative.
“Today we moved, a little, about a quarter million dollars to support the office out the gate. We will be raising money with a lot of partners to fund the work over the next six years. As you heard, it’s 15,000 more children on the pathway to economic mobility by 2030. That’s going to take the effort of a lot of folks and we’re going to be raising private resources to make sure that that happens."
The city would give $115,000 to operate the office for the first year. The following fiscal year amount will be $160,000, if approved by the city council.
The budget amendment for the program goes before the Tulsa City Council next week. Impact Tulsa is expected to begin operations in early March.
