Release: City of Dayton Announces Formation of the Mayor's Children's Cabinet to Drive Coordinated Action for Youth and Families

Moving from a community roadmap to measurable action, the City of Dayton has announced the formation of the Mayor’s Children’s Cabinet. This cross-sector leadership and governance structure is designed to break down institutional silos and improve long-term outcomes for Dayton’s children, youth, and families.

The launch follows the Dayton City Commission’s formal adoption of the Student Vision for Dayton in May—a comprehensive community roadmap shaped entirely by the voices, experiences, and priorities of local young people. The Mayor’s Children's Cabinet will serve as the necessary infrastructure to turn that vision into reality.

"The Student Vision for Dayton tells us what our young people hope to achieve. The Mayor’s Children's Cabinet helps determine how we work together to make it happen," said Mayor Shenise Turner-Sloss.

Rather than creating redundant new programs, the Cabinet is designed to strengthen how existing systems work together so children and families experience more connected, effective, and responsive support.

Grounded in Youth Voice & Core Priorities

The Cabinet's initial efforts will center on four major priority areas identified directly by Dayton's youth:

Leadership Opportunities

Safe and Healthy Neighborhoods

Mental Health and Bullying

College and Career Readiness

A Cross-Sector, Data-Driven Approach

To be chaired by the Mayor of Dayton, the Cabinet will bring together influential leaders across multiple sectors, including the City of Dayton, Dayton Public Schools, healthcare and behavioral health organizations, housing partners, workforce development, philanthropy, parents, and youth.

The Cabinet will focus on several core functions to drive systems change:

Coordinate Cross-System Action: Convening leaders to solve complex challenges no single institution can fix alone.

Align Strategy and Investment: Maximizing existing resources and aligning policies to advance shared goals (the Cabinet will not control independent funding or act as a grant-maker).

Use Data to Drive Decisions: Establishing shared measures of success and tracking progress transparently.

Promote Accountability: Creating clear ownership for community results across all partners.

Next Steps: The Design Phase

To ensure the Cabinet reflects Dayton’s unique strengths rather than a one-size-fits-all model, the City of Dayton and Learn to Earn Dayton—which will serve as the operational backbone organization—are entering an intentional, year-long design phase.

During this period, local partners will collaborate with national experts from prestigious organizations, including StriveTogether, the Harvard EdRedesign Lab, Results for America, and FUSE, to finalize the Cabinet's membership structure, governance, and youth engagement strategies. FUSE is currently accepting applications for a two year Executive Fellowship that will be embedded within the City to provide dedicated capacity support to build the Children’s Cabinet. More information available here: daytonohio.gov/ChildrensCabinetFellowship.

Get Involved

The success of the Mayor’s Children's Cabinet depends on continuing the collaborative spirit that created the Student Vision for Dayton. Updates, progress reports, and future opportunities for residents, families, and young people to provide input will be shared publicly as the design process unfolds.