Alexandria City Children and Youth Master Plan

City of Alexandria
Children and Youth Master Plan
Implementation Approach to Goal 3.4

"Cultivating cultural competence and connections"
Version 1.0
December 2014
Prepared by:
PAPA 5316 Fall 2014
Virginia Tech Center for Public Administration and Policy (CPAP)
City of Alexandria
Department of Community and Human Services
Alexandria, Virginia
Acknowledgement:
The CPAP team would be negligent without expressing our deepest gratitude to all groups and
individuals who supported our effort. We are deeply grateful for and recognize the hard work that
the Alexandria Children, Youth and Families Collaborative Commission put forth, with many
other stakeholders, in creating the Alexandria Children and Youth Master Plan.
Special thanks are due to Kate Garvey, Director, Department of Community and Human Services
City of Alexandria, and Jaci Coachman, Youth Services Program Specialist City of Alexandria
Department of Community & Human Services, who have provided us this professional
development opportunity and have been invaluable in our effort in completing this report.
Finally, we would like to sincerely thank our professor, Dr. Thomas A. Hickok, for his
conscientious guidance, leadership and support throughout the project.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Cultural competence refers to peoples awareness of their own cultural view and their ability to
understand, communicate with and effectively interact with people across cultures. (Martin pp.
31-36). The Alexandria Department of Community and Health Services (DCHS) are dedicated to
fostering parity regarding service delivery around cultural competency. With only half of
Alexandria youth reporting knowledge of and comfort with people of different cultural, racial and
ethnic backgrounds, an innovative focus on Cultural and Linguistic Competency (CLC) is greatly
needed.
It is important to expand the discussion of culture beyond color by integrating race, ethnicity, and
cultural characteristics on a holistic basis. The image of an iceberg has been used to explain the
many layers of culture. Similar to an iceberg, individuals have physical characteristics that are
above surface such as color, gender, age, and hair color that are visible, however, there is so
much more below the surface that is essential to the process of fully developing an appreciation
and understanding of others.
The characteristics that are hidden from view are qualities such as sexual orientation, language and
communication styles, religion, and disabilities to name just a few. Diversity embodies the
recognition of all the differences that make up an individual, not only those that can be visually
observed, to embrace and a make positive use for the community.
The Virginia Tech Center for Public Administration and Policy (CPAP) team explored best
practices of CLC standards and accordingly developed the following three performance outcomes
for the Alexandria DCHS:
1. Enhanced institutional cultural and linguistic competence to improve service delivery
2. Enhanced cultural competence of staff to improve service delivery
3. A respectful, safe, and positive school and community environment
In order to realize the vision of the CYMP and these three performance outcomes, the study team
recommends the establishment of a Project Management Unit (PMU) that will be responsible for
coordination of the implementation process.
This CPAP report and presentation stand as an acknowledgement and recognition of the City of
Alexandrias effort to develop a meaningful implementation plan for its Children and Youth
Master Plan. In preparing this report, the CPAP team chose to focus its efforts on one goal
subsection that could serve as a useful model in approaching the action planning of other CYMP
goals. Considering both the number of recommendations set forth in this implementation plan and
the many responsibilities of DHCS staff members, the team recognizes that not all of these
recommended actions may be feasible in the short term.
Cultivating Cultural Competence and Connections

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Page 3 of
Table of Contents
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .......................................................................................................... 3
LIST OF ACRONYMS ................................................................................................................ 5
1
INTRODUCTION................................................................................................................. 6
MANAGEMENT OVERVIEW ........................................................................................... 7
PERFORMANCE MONITORING .................................................................................... 9
IMPLEMENTATION PLAN LOGIC MODEL .............................................................. 10
OUTCOME PERFORMANCE FRAMEWORK ............................................................ 11
PERFORMANCE OUTCOMES AND IMPLEMENTATION ACTIONS .................. 13
PERFORMANCE OUTCOME ONE: ENHANCED INSTITUTIONAL CULTURAL AND

LINGUISTIC COMPETENCE TO IMPROVE SERVICE DELIVERY ................................. 13
PERFORMANCE OUTCOME TWO: ENHANCED CULTURAL COMPETENCE OF STAFF
TO IMPROVE SERVICE DELIVERY .............................................................................. 15
PERFORMANCE OUTCOME THREE: A RESPECTFUL, SAFE, AND POSITIVE SCHOOL
AND COMMUNITY ENVIRONMENT ............................................................................ 16
7
IMPLEMENTATION SCHEDULE ................................................................................. 21
APPENDIX A: REFERENCES ................................................................................................. 22
APPENDIX B: GLOSSARY OF KEY TERMS ...................................................................... 24
APPENDIX C: BEST PRACTICES ON IMPROVING CULTURAL COMPETENCY .... 25
APPENDIX D: CLC ADVISORY COMMITTEE DESCRIPTION ..................................... 27
APPENDIX E: CLC EXAMPLE TRAINING PROGRAM ................................................... 30

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LIST OF ACRONYMS
ACPS
Alexandria City Public Schools
ATC
Alexandria Tutoring Consortium
CBOs
Community Based Organizations
CLC
Cultural and Linguistic Competency
CPAP
Center for Public Administration and Policy
CSSG
City School Staff Group
CYFCC
Children, Youth & Families Collaborative Commission
CYMP
Children and Youth Master Plan
DCHS
Alexandria Department of Community and Health Services
ITP
Invitation to Participate
PMU
Project Management Unit
PPP
Public-Private-Partnership
RASCI
Responsible, Accountable, Supporting, Consulted, and Informed Matrix

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1 INTRODUCTION
OVERVIEW
The Children, Youth & Families Collaborative Commission (CYFCC) of the City of Alexandria
in partnership with relevant groups in the city developed the Children and Youth Master Plan
(CYMP) to help coordinate and align effective delivery of services to children and youth in the
city. The ACPS School Board approved the plan on May 17, 2014. In the same way, the
Alexandria City Council adopted the plan on June 24, 2014. CYMP sets long-term, communitywide priorities, strategies, and action steps in order to realize the five goals of the plan that envision
all children and youth are healthy and safe, academically and vocationally prepared, and socially
and civically connected.
The Virginia Tech Center for Public Administration and Policy (CPAP) PAPA 5316 Fall 2014
team1 reviewed the CYMP and its five goals. The team was tasked with the assignment to develop
an initial implementation plan. In order to do this, the team identified Goal 3 of the plan as a focus,
which envisions EVERY CHILD WILL BE SOCIALLY CONNECTED, EMOTIONALLY SECURE &
CULTURALLY COMPETENT. This goal has four strategies of which the team worked on the fourth
strategy. Strategy four aspires to contribute to the achievement of this goal by way of Cultivating
cultural competence and connections among children and youth and those who serve them.
Building on the Effective and Efficient Services for Everyone report provided by students of
CPAP in Summer-2014, this team researched best practices from other cities and local
governments to design an implementation plan. The team explored best practices on Culture and
Linguistic Competency (CLC) and other relevant standards covering three levels of program
implementation:
Institutional Policy level (Alexandria City Council, Children and Youth Family
Commission, Alexandria City Public Schools, DCHS, etc.)
Human Resource level (staff with the city, schools, and partnering community based
organizations)
Community level (Youth/students, parents and Faith groups, businesses, and nonprofits)
the community at large.
Accordingly, the team developed the following three performance outcomes for the Alexandria
DCHS:
Enhanced institutional cultural and linguistic competence to improve service delivery
Enhanced cultural competence of staff to improve service delivery
A respectful, safe, and positive school and community environment
This implementation plan covers the various performance recommended action steps, strategic
actions and performance measures to ensure the successful implementation of the plan to
GOVERNMENTAL ADMINISTRATION II: Systems Skills for Managers (each student in the Fall 2014 semester
was assigned a role as a team member in researching project requirements).
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ultimately align them with the city wide vision of healthy children and youth in the city as
indicated in the citywide Alex stat measurement plans.
This class project and presentation stands as an acknowledgement and recognition of the City of
Alexandrias effort to develop a meaningful implementation plan for its Children and Youth
Master Plan. This document presents findings by the CPAP team on the definitions of cultural
and linguistic competency, best practices by a comprehensive assessment of other state and local
public service delivery agencies, recommendations for implementing the three suggested action
steps, and performance measures to track outcomes of the CLC program.
2 MANAGEMENT OVERVIEW
The City Manager and the Superintendent of Alexandria Schools have issued a directive
empowering the City School Staff Group (CSSG) to develop the initial implementation plan for
the CYMP on June 30, 2014. The CSSG is expected to continue to have a lead role not only in
developing the implementation plan but also in overseeing at least part of whole implementation
process. As the implementation kicks off, the need for man-hours and knowledge based
engagement is expected to increase. Hence it is important that the coordination role of
implementing the CYMP be housed and staffed in a project management unit structure.
Therefore the CSSG should consider the following recommended actions regarding the overall
management of the implementation of CYMP:1.
Develop Project Management Unit (PMU) that will be entrusted with the following:
o
Coordinate implementation of various aspects of the plan:

Streamline action steps within existing structure of the city as well as the
school system (for example, personnel CLC issues can be integrated with
existing staffing structures of Organization & Development and Personnel
Administration units of the school and the city government.
Set up new entities to encompass recommended action steps that may not
be streamlined within the existing structures of the city and schools.
Assess and identify the capacity of Community Based Organizations (CBOs) and
other stakeholders to take responsibility in the implementation of some aspects of
the plan.
Develop a framework for the collection, sharing and systematic alignment of
program performance measurement data with the citywide Alex Stat.2
Develop a Monitoring and Evaluation sub unit for gathering project relevant
data sources across school and city government agencies as well as
designing and implementing regular surveys to track outcome on key
performance parameters (examples could be Annual DCHS Community
Survey on respectful, safe, and positive school and community
The community indicators project is a good way to engage citizens in a community. It is also an important project for city
planning because if the city knows how the people feel, they can make better decisions. See more information at
http://blogs.lt.vt.edu/sameea13/2012/12/12/city-of-alexandria-quality-of-life-indicator-system/
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environment).
Coordinate with the City of Alexandrias Community Indicators Task Force3
to develop performance indicators for program monitoring and evaluation (i.e.,
data collection and research in selecting certain indicators).
2.
Staff the PMU

o Assess the needs and availability of resources. While some staff members could be
hired on a contractual basis to work full time on the project, others could be brought
in either in part time or voluntary arrangement from the community, private sector,
academic and loaned from the various departments of the school and city
government.
o Leverage existing and newer relationships (Virginia Tech CPAP, Private and
Public organizations within the city, adopt Public-Private partnership models in
Arlington and Fairfax Countys including the Volunteer Solutions models in
neighboring jurisdictions).
3.
Identify and supply the necessary financial and logistic resources needed for a smooth
functioning of the PMU
o Leverage resources available through Public-Private-Partnership (PPP).
o Inquire about fundraising opportunities and resource availability from private
entities to supplement general funds as well as state and federal grants for these
types of activities. In particular identify recommended action steps and possible
federal grants that can be accessed for them.
4.
Launch CYMP awareness and community mobilization campaign to pave the way for
its successful implementation
o Developing flyers and using the existing printed and electronic materials of the
master plan for use
o Hold Open House to showcase what has been done and what the community
plans on doing in the future.
5.
Make determination regarding Phased vs Full Fledged Implementation

o Assess institutional capacity for effective implementation of CYMP. Considering
manpower, financial and other institutional capacity elements, CSSG may decide
to follow a full-fledged implementation approach or a phased and staggered one. If
CSSG decided to implement CYMP in a phased approach, then decision criteria
regarding which goals, strategies and action steps to follow should pay special
attention to important considerations such as identifying areas with high priority,
high impact, and low or (externally leveraged resources).
Ibid. The Community Indicators Task Force, which includes a committee of city residents involved in the project and
Alexandria city staff, developed a process by which the people of Alexandria could select the indicators that were of most
importance to them and the community.
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34
3 PERFORMANCE MONITORING
The CYMP is a comprehensive plan involving all of the Citys Stakeholders goals, a plan designed
to takes all of its priority areas into consideration. The Plan is aligned with the Citys Strategic
Plan, the Alexandrias City Public Schools Strategic Plan and the Partnership for a Healthier
Alexandria Strategic Plan. The CYMP allows the ability to access and implement indicators in all
of the Community Priority Areas for the City of Alexandrias neighborhood. Establishing uniform
indicators in place is important to measure progress for the diverse plans and their respective
Community Priority Areas which include Developing Resilience, Empowering & Equipping
Families, Creating Caring Network & Systems, Promoting Equity & Nurturing Cultural
Connections and Improving Economic Conditions. This is important and necessary for the overall
mission and success of the CYMP.
Presently the following Strategic Plans indicate Community Priority Areas for PROMOTING
EQUITY & NURTURING CULTURAL CONNECTIONS. They are the following:
Alexandria City Public School Strategic Plan 2010-2015;

Alexandrina Council of Human Service Organizations Needs Assessment, 2008;
Alexandria Department of Community and Human Services Plan, 2013-2015;
Alexandria Department of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Activities Needs Assessment,
2011,
Alexandria Redevelopment and Housing Authority Strategic Plan, 2012, and
Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition of Alexandria Plan, 2012-2013.
Since the agencies behind these plans and the citywide performance accountability matrix all
have the need for outcome data, it is essential to strengthen system wide data sharing,
communication, and collaboration. Close collaboration will help mitigate legal, privacy, and
security concerns as well as any other barriers preventing data sharing.
Please refer to the Logic Model and Performance Measure Framework at the end of this
document for the recommended indicators and performance targets.

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4 IMPLEMENTATION PLAN LOGIC MODEL

Inputs
Activities
Outputs
Short term Outcomes
Intermediate
Outcomes
Long term outcomes
Staff to craft and implement

CLC policy tailored to
Alexandria
Adopt CLC Policy
Official City of Alexandria

CLC Policy distributed to all
Offices
Staff & managers are

notified of CLC Policy
& its importance in
delivery of service
CLC Policy is included

into formal training
City of Alexandria for
employees by managers
Enhanced institutional
cultural & linguistic
competence to improve
service delivery
Volunteers to join
subcommittee, current
members of the CYFCC,
meeting space
Create a subcommittee of
the CYFCC to focus on
cultural competence.
Reports from the

subcommittee to the CYFCC
on current CLC issues in
Alexandria
Subcommittee members
are encouraged &
empowered to move
forward on addressing
CLC issues for CYFCC
Recommendations from
subcommittee are
incorporated into
CYFCC materials
A respectful, safe, &

positive school &
community
environment
Current goals & objectives

concerning CLC from the
City, ACPS, CYFCC, City
Council, and other City
institutions
Formalize structure through

dedicated capacity &
appropriate structure in
alignment to the goals and
objectives of the City
Council, CYFCC, School
Board, & other city
departments, etc.
Creation of a contact list

including departments, job
positions & persons whose
duty it is to advise &
implement CLC
recommendations & policy
Awareness of others in
Alexandria government
who are also involved in
implementation of CLC
policy & training
Formation of a network
within City offices &
departments dedicated
to aligning department
CLC policies to central
CLC policy
Enhanced institutional
cultural & linguistic
competence to improve
service delivery
Volunteers to join advisory

committee from Alexandria
departments, meeting time &
space
Expand the CLC Advisory

Committee to include
leaders & community
members
Attendance sheet, with selfdisclosed information to

indicate whether committee
is a reflection of the
Alexandria community
Committee members
recognize that they
represent the diverse
elements in the
Alexandria community
Committee members
provide information to
the agencies they work
with on CLC issues,
ideas, suggestions, &
recommendations
Enhanced cultural
competence of staff to
improve service
delivery
Training recommendations
from Virginia Tech, trainers
in DCHS, time allocated for
training, requirements that
employees must take & pass
CLC training
Establish a Training
Framework for CLC at
DCHS
Reports from department and

office managers on
percentages of employees
who have completed CLC
training
Recognition by DCHS
and City staff of the
importance of CLC in
their jobs and interaction
with members of the
public
CLC training programs

established in all City
departments & offices
that conform to CLC
Policy
Enhanced cultural
competence of staff to
improve service
delivery
Page 10 of 34
5 OUTCOME PERFORMANCE FRAMEWORK

Performance Outcome
Enhanced institutional cultural
& linguistic competence to
improve service delivery
Indicators
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Enhanced cultural competence

of staff to improve service
delivery
A respectful, safe,& positive

school and community
environment
1.
2.
3.
4.
1.
2.
3.
4.
Performance Target
Data Source
CLC Policy Signed (Yes/No)

CLC Advisory Committee established (Yes/No)
Linguistic Policy Implemented (Yes/No)
Percentage of CLC Advisory Committee
Recommendations Opened/Closed by Organization
Define set of values and principles, demonstrated
behaviors, attitudes and structures that enable
employees and leaders to work effectively crossculturally
In partnership with Community Indicators Task Force of
Alexandria, establish uniformed indicators to measure
CLC progress
Use the Citys current Community Indicators to link lnk
Indicators to Action (policy) based upon residents
feedback and as a tools to craft and implement solutions
to those needs
1.
2.
3.
4.
Milestone Y/N
Milestone Y/N
Milestone Y/N
75% by year end (2015)
M&E Report
Alexandrias current Community
Indicators
ACTION Alexandria
5.
Milestone Y/N
6.
Milestone Y/N
7.
Milestone Y/N
Percentage of employees aware of CLC policy

Percentage of Employees with proficiency in more than
one language
Percentage of performance plans including CLC factors
Percentage of employees rated met objectives or
higher in CLC aspects in midyear and end of year
performance evaluations
1.
75% by the end of the first

year - 2015
80% by the end of the
second year
3.
80% by 2016
Percentage of favorable response on the feeling of

inclusion, respect and safety by children and youth in
various groups including special needs, minorities,
immigrants, etc.
Continued partnership between DCHS and the Healthier
Alexandria
Identified 10 - 15 critical life/soft skills relevant in school
curriculum/activities and out-of school-time
curriculum/activities
Create a comprehensive out-of-school time network to
1.
50% improvement over the

baseline by the third year of
implementation
2.
Milestone Y/N
3.
100% by the end of the year

2016
4.
Milestone Y/N
2.
Page 11 of 34
DCHS Report
Annual DCHS Community Survey

on respectful, safe,& positive school
and community environment
5.
6.
7.
8.
build a coherent system to coordinate resources and

deliver unique and diverse programs
Develop partnership with City of Alexandria Community
Recreation Centers and other relevant stakeholders to
assess and coordinate out-of-school programs.
Appoint a task force of local experts to develop a
comprehensive school and community assessment effort
to coordinate out-of-school programs.
Define common metrics to track progress on measurable
goals related to for out-of-school programs (incl. youth
outcomes, community supports and leadership
commitments).
Create an online out-of-school program performance
management dashboard that combines local indicator
data with appropriate national and state level data
5.
Milestone Y/N
6.
Milestone Y/N
7.
Milestone Y/N; 90% by the

end of 2017
8.
Milestone Y/N
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6 PERFORMANCE OUTCOMES AND IMPLEMENTATION ACTIONS

PERFORMANCE OUTCOME ONE: ENHANCED INSTITUTIONAL CULTURAL AND
LINGUISTIC COMPETENCE TO IMPROVE SERVICE DELIVERY
IMPLEMENTATION ACTIONS
1.1
Adopt Cultural and Linguistic Competency (CLC) Policy.

Implement and enforce the existing linguistic policy such as making services available in
several languages based on the needs of the population the city government serves.
1.2
Create a subcommittee of the CYFCC to focus on cultural competence

(Recommended Action Step 3.4.1 from the Children & Youth Master Plan).
Formalized structure through dedicated capacity and appropriate structure in alignment to
the goals and objectives of the City Council, CYFCC, School Board, and other city
departments etc. created.
Targeted Actions:
a. Create CYFCC Subcommittees: Collaboratively develop a committee structure
to ensure committee members have a meaningful role.
Action Strategies:
Membership
1. Recruit 10 to 15 committee members to meet quarterly, having a chair and vice
chair in addition to its standing members.
2. Establish specific guidelines for committee membership.
3. CYFCC subcommittee should be broad-based and diverse, including leaders from
schools, government agencies, businesses and nonprofits, along with youth and
parents.
Dedicated staff
1. At least one full time individual (staff or volunteer) to work directly for CYFCC
subcommittee, organizing and supporting the committee and its activities.
Operating Board
1. Implement an operating board (that is, either the CYFCC and/or the City Council),
which is composed of a chair and vice chair.
2. Subcommittees report out on their work in monthly meetings, and the board
provides oversight, collaboration and accountability.
Community alignment
1. At least once every year, the subcommittees issue an invitation to participate (ITP),

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is an open call to interested community organizations to share their expertise.

Specific Action Strategies:
a. CYFCC subcommittee to select organizations based on their ITP responses
to determine which resources best align with a given initiative.
b. CYFCC subcommittee is to organize citywide forums to promote and
educate the community about issues that concern the children, youth and
families, as it pertains to its work activities.
c. CYFCC subcommittee to work with ACPS and the City Council to created
and distributed a youth survey to all middle and high school students.
CYFCC Work Plan Development and Implementation:
1. Advocate on issues and initiatives that may impact the lives of young
people; identifying and evaluating measures of cultural competence and
connection, and making recommendations about the use of those measures; and
start developing a report about what cultures exist in Alexandria, including
identifying and evaluating measures of cultural competence and connection.
1. Staff coordinator will work collaboratively with the CYFCC subcommittee
to create a detailed Actionable Work Plan:
a. Set strategies that work across stakeholders and seek to align
existing policies and resources
b. Research and investigate best practices both locally and nationally
to identify successful strategies
c. Create solutions that engage young people and families and increase
public, private and corporate demand
2. Key guiding questions for the CYFCC subcommittee
a. What are we doing that is working?
b. What do we need to improve on?
c. What are the biggest concerns of youth?
d. What are the community concerns in this area?
e. What does success look like?
f. How can we create sustainable change?

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PERFORMANCE OUTCOME TWO: ENHANCED CULTURAL COMPETENCE OF

STAFF TO IMPROVE SERVICE DELIVERY
Integrate cultural competence into staff training, staff development and educational activities.
Targeted Actions:
Create a training program
1. Create a training program around skills needed for cultural competence, diversity and
social awareness.
2. Provide immediate expert intervention for staff to address social-emotional skills using the
model of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, for people to understand how thoughts affect
actions.
3. Provide diversity training for all City and school staff, focused on developing skills for
cross-cultural awareness, understanding and communication (Recommended Action Step
3.4.4).
Conduct a skills gap assessment to identify list of core cultural competencies needed for
success of staff.
1. Integrate identified cultural core competencies into workforce professional development
training (including life coaches, literacy coaches, instructional coaches, numeracy coaches).
2. Integrate CLC in new employee orientation for every new City and ACPS staff.
3. Create job description for a CLC training specialist who will either train City and ACPS
staff or develop a training and evaluation program for City and ACPS staff use.
4. Add CLC training into every City and ACPS staff job description.
5. Conduct staff performance evaluations annually to assess and provide feedback on their
level of cultural competency.
6. Create a communication plan for sharing identified life/soft skills, and lessons learned
between the DCHS and ACPS.

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PERFORMANCE OUTCOME THREE: A RESPECTFUL, SAFE, AND POSITIVE

SCHOOL AND COMMUNITY ENVIRONMENT
Offer a variety of training programs for youth and families that focus on the development of an
inclusive culture and respectful school climate by addressing issues of bias and inclusion
(Recommended Action Step 3.4.6).
Strategic Objectives:
1. Pilot successful best practice program from other localities in the region and the
nation.
Targeted Actions:
a. Narrowly focus and intentionally select positive values that should be
displayed across community.
b. Identify short list of positive values that are needed to build character.
c. Create framework for sharing values in sequenced and age-appropriate
ways in curriculum/activities and in out-of-school-time
curriculum/activities.
d. Create communication plan for sharing identified positive values with
families and the community.
e. Build upon models developed in other cities and bring to scale some of the
efforts undertaken by city of Alexandria.
f. Host a series of Courageous Conversation sessions to engage the Alexandria
community in a dialogue about diversity and to promote an understanding
of diversity (Recommended Action Step 3.4.5).
2. Promote awareness of opportunities for the community to support the special needs
population (Recommended Action Step 3.4.2).
Targeted Actions:
a. Use social media and smart apps to educate the community on existing and
new opportunities to support special needs population.
b. Organize an annual sporting and family fun events.
3. Provide engaging opportunities for minority and disadvantaged parents and
children to participate in expanded learning opportunities during out-of-school
time.
4. Support opportunities to diversify after school programs and intergroup contact for
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youth (Recommended Action Step 3.4.7).

Targeted Actions:
a. Increase the number of parents, children, and youth who are aware of what
is offered in the community during out-of-school-time (ages 0-21).
b. Increase number of children and youth who participate in high quality outof-school-time activities or service learning opportunities (ages 6-21).
c. Increase the number of disadvantaged children, youth and families who are
literate (ages 0 - 21).
d. Increase the number of at risk, high poverty children, youth, and parents
who have 21st century skills (ages 0 - 21).
e. Increase number of students who receive social and emotional support in
addition to academic development (ages 0 - 21).
f. Increase the number of children educated in pregnancy prevention (ages 1118).
a. Increase the percentage of children and youth who are exposed to
learning opportunities that will provide them with the life/soft skills
needed to succeed.
b. Gather resources and create clearinghouse of available
child/youth/family resources for ALL children, including online
resources in clearinghouse process.
c. As part of clearinghouse process, include evaluation component for
all child/youth/family programs to help rate effectiveness of each
program.
d. Should be a collaborative with existing DCHS, community and
ACPS initiatives.
e. Identify a list core life/soft skills needed for success and ensure they
are a focus throughout the community.
f. Make identified life/soft skills intentional and relevant in school
curriculum/activities and out-of school-time curriculum/activities.
g. Create communication plan for sharing identified life/soft skills with
families and the community.
h. Create a stakeholder group, including ACPS, nonprofit and civic
organizations, parents and business leaders to participate in skills
identification.
5. Develop teen apprenticeships and internships with particular focus on minorities
and at-risk youth and families.
Targeted Action:
1. Increase number of students who develop positive relationships with
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role models (ages 16-21).

2. Increase the number of youth who have a sense of connectedness to
school and feel that education will prepare them to be successful
adults (ages 16-21).
3. Decrease number of youth who are influenced or affected by gang
culture in schools (ages 11-21).
4. Increase the number of low-income and first generation college
students (19-21).
5. Decrease the number of teens that use alcohol and/or other drugs
(ages 11-21).
6. Increase the number of children and youth who are actively engaged
in their own learning and development (ages 16-21).
Create, integrate and maintain high quality internship, service-learning, and
capstone experiences for all middle and high school students.
a. Standardize definitions of internship, service-learning, and
capstone experience for all advisors and organizations.
b. Create assessment measures for each experience.
c. Create training modules for all advisors and organizations that
participate with students in the internship, service-learning and
capstone experiences.
d. Create pipeline of resources to ensure experiences happen.
e. Develop life coach volunteer program with area colleges and
universities for soft skills.
6. Develop a city-wide Summer Youth Employment program targeting disadvantaged
neighborhoods and communities.
Strategic Objectives:
1. Increase number of parents who participate in programs with their
children during out-of-school-time (0-10)
2. Increase number of children, youth and families who utilize
parks/green spaces (0-21).
Targeted Action:
1. Identify city departments and stakeholder organizations to
partner with to develop a Summer Youth Employment program.
2. Identify and provide specific training for life coaches that
include cultural competency and the exploration of various
coaching models for different student situations, including
youths from disadvantaged neighborhoods and communities.
3. Coordinate efforts of all school-based coaches including
guidance counselors, life coaches, literacy coaches, instructional
coaches, numeracy coaches, etc.
34
Page 18 of

ACPS board and City Council members to establish a joint working
group to coordinate interagency resources to work on addressing
and building a coherent system to coordinate resources for out-ofschool programs.
a) Identify local leaders, individuals or entity with the capacity,
motivation and authority to help add up and coordinate resources
for out-of-school programs, and to align actions to outcomes.
b) Seek inputs and contributions from professionals and subjectmatter-experts working on the front lines to lead a
comprehensive school and community assessment effort to
coordinate out-of-school programs.
c) Utilize the City of Alexandrias Community Indicators program
to prioritized and develop indicators for the Citys out-of-school
programs and initiatives, and to seek community perspectives
and feedback.
d) Ensure more effective use of ongoing initiatives and identify
those not served by the current system.
e) Identify gaps and assemble identified groups for targeted
participation.
f) Work collaboratively with Community Indicators Task Force of
Alexandria to define common metrics, indicators, and track
progress on measurable goals related to for out-of-school
programs, including youth outcomes, community supports and
leadership commitments.
g) Seek the support of volunteers from Code for America's
Northern Virginia Brigade4, who is already at work building a data
warehouse for the Citys indicators program.
7. Conduct screening to identify youth in crisis.

Targeted Action:
1. Increase number of children and youth who receive needed
behavioral, mental and emotional health services (0-21).
a. Ensure screening and referrals for youth in schools.
Code for America Brigade is a local volunteers organization working on improving the way local governments
and community organizations use the web. See more at http://www.codefornova.org
4

34
Page 19 of
b. Conduct community data analysis to identify at risk groups

for targeted interventions, including counseling for parents
on goal setting, prevention support, and specialized job
training and internship placement.
c. Create a comprehensive out-of-school time network to build
a coherent system, coordinate resources and deliver unique
and diverse programs for children of all age groups and
abilities to participate in high-quality out-of-school
programs.
i. Use the City of Alexandrias Community Indicators
program to prioritized perspectives and feedback
from youths and families, and in making civic
engagement a priority in building a coherent out-ofschool system.
ii. Actively engage youths and parents, including all
other community stakeholders by democratizing
information, presenting related information in a
visually engaging way, providing ways for residents
to organize around out-of-school measurement
indicators - allowing for all stakeholders, particularly
teenagers to become more effective co-collaborators.
iii. Create an online out-of-school program performance
management dashboard that combines local indicator
data with appropriate national and state level data
from sources like the Urban Institute National Data
Repository and the decennial Census.
8. Establish programming that meets the needs of students with disabilities and ELL
youth ages 1017, designed to include youth while improving their quality of life
and view of personal future.
Targeted Action:
1. Increase number of special needs and ELL children and youth in
quality out-of-school-time programs/activities (ages 6-18).
2. Increase the number of programs that reflect youth voice and
choice in out-of-school-time activities (ages 11-21).
a. Collaborate with the Partnership for a Healthier Alexandria
who has the capacity to reach many families and community
leaders on health services and out-of-school-time
activities/programs.

34
Page 20 of
7 IMPLEMENTATION SCHEDULE
Recommended
Activities
Set up a PMU
0-3 Months
4-6 Months
7-9 Months
10-12 Months
1 Year+
Finalize implementation of actions steps

as stated in Master Plan
Facilitate on-going coordination to streamline existing structures or set up new entities
Staff PMU with

Skilled Individuals
Assess stakeholder capacity by developing

Responsible, Accountable, Supporting,
Consulted, and Informed (RASCI) Matrix
Assess needs & resources
Identify & Supply

Resources & Funding
Leverage existing
resources
Inquire about existing

fundraising opportunities &
Resource availability
Promote On-Going
Awareness Campaign
Develop flyers
Hold Open Houses
Develop framework for data collection &

distribution
Leverage
existing
relations/network
Hold Open Houses
Page 21 of 34
APPENDIX A: REFERENCES
Alexandria City Council. (2010). Alexandria City Council Strategic Plan 2004-2015 (Adopted
September 2004, Revised January 2006, Revised January 2010). Retrieved from:
http://alexandriava.gov/uploadedFiles/council/info/ApprovedStrategicPlan.pdf.
Alexandria Department of Community & Human Services. (2013). Alexandria Children &
Youth Well-Being Profile 2013.
Alexandria Department of Community & Human Services. (2013). Strategic Plan: Fiscal Year
2013 through Fiscal Year 2015. Retrieved
from:
https://www.alexandriava.gov/uploadedFiles/dchs/WebBoxes/2012_DCHS_Strateg
icPlan.pdf.
Alexandria Department of Community & Human Services. (2014). Alexandria Children &
Youth Master Plan 2014.
Alignment Nashville 2010 Annual Report. Alignment Nashville. 2010.
Betancourt J.R., Green A.R., Carrillo J.E., & Ananeh-Firempong, O. (2003). Defining cultural
competence: A practical framework for addressing racial/ethnic disparities in health and health
care. Public Health Rep 2003; 118:293-302.
Betancourt, Joseph R., et al. "Defining cultural competence: a practical framework for
addressing racial/ethnic disparities in health and health care. "Public health reports 118.4 (2003):
293.
Buss, N., Ciampaglio, J., Dorsey, S., Hoit, J., Rodriguez, C., Silva, G., & Wepplo, T. (2014).
Effective and Efficient Services for Everyone: Advancing Culturally and Linguistically
Appropriate Services in the City of Alexandria Department of Human and Community Services.
Virginia Tech Center for Public Administration and Policy, 1-41.
Chicago Department of Family & Support Services. Children Services Division. Retrieved from:
http://www.childrenserviceschicago.com/.
Conceptual Frameworks / Models, Guiding Values and Principles. (n.d.). Retrieved December
12, 2014, from http://nccc.georgetown.edu/foundations/frameworks.html#ccdefinition.
Cross, T., Bazron, B., Dennis, K., & Isaacs, M., (1989). Towards A Culturally Competent System
of Care, Volume I. Washington, DC: Georgetown University Child Development Center, CASSP
Technical Assistance Center. Retrieved
from:
http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED330171.pdf.
Fostering Cultural Diversity.(2011 May 3). Middle Earth: Partnering with Youth for Responsible
Adulthood.Retrievedfrom http://middleearthnj.wordpress.com/2011/05/03/fostering-culturaldiversity/
Goode, Tamara D., & Jones, Wendy. (2000, August 1). Linguistic Competence. Retrieved
December 12, 2014, fromhttp://nccc.georgetown.edu/documents/Definition of Linguistic
Competence.pdf
Page 22 of 34
Hanley, Jerome. (1999). Beyond the tip of the iceberg: Five stages toward cultural competence.
Reaching todays youth. Vol. 3 No.2.
Integrating "Youth Guided" and "Cultural and Linguistic Competence" Values Into Systems of
Care. (2011, July 1). Retrieved December 12, 2014, from
http://www.tapartnership.org/docs/0782_Integrating_v4b.pdf.
Lee, Katherine. Teaching Kids About Race and Cultural Diversity: How to help your gradeschooler learn to appreciate differences in people. Retrieved from
http://childparenting.about.com/od/socialdevelopment/a/teachdiversity.htm
Lynch, Eleanor W., and Marci J. Hanson. Developing cross-cultural competence: A guide for
working with young children and their families. Paul H. Brookes Publishing, 1992.
Lynch, Eleanor W., and Marci J. Hanson. Developing cross-cultural competence: A guide for
working with young children and their families. Paul H. Brookes Publishing, 1992.
Martin, M. & Vaughn, B. (2007). Strategic diversity and inclusion management magazine, pp.
31-36. DTUI Publications Division: San Francisco, CA.
Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools. MNPS Way Ahead of the Curve for Graduation Rates.
October 2011. Children and Youth Master Plan. Mayors Child and Youth Master Plan
Taskforce. July 2010.
National Center for Cultural Competence. (2002). A Guide to: Planning and Implementing
Cultural Competence, Organizational Self Assessment. Retrieved
from: http://nccc.georgetown.edu/documents/ncccorgselfassess.pdf
National Center for Cultural Competence. The Compelling Need for Cultural Competence.
1997. Retrieved from: http://nccc.georgetown.edu/foundations/need.html.
Technical Assistance Partnership for Child and Family Mental Health. (2010). A System of Care
Team Guide to Implementing Cultural and Linguistic Competence. Cultural
Competence Action Team. Retried from:
http://www.tapartnership.org/docs/clcCommitteeDescription_200705.pdf.
The City of Alexandria Children and Youth Master Plan. (2013, October 30). Retrieved
December 12, 2014, from
http://www.alexandriava.gov/uploadedFiles/dchs/info/YMPFinal2.pdf.
Page 23 of 34
APPENDIX B: GLOSSARY OF KEY TERMS

Cultural Competence:
For the purposes of this proposal, we will define cultural competence as a value set that allows
individuals to "have the capacity to (1) value diversity, (2) conduct self-assessment, (3) manage
the dynamics of difference, (4) acquire and institutionalize cultural knowledge and (5) adapt to
diversity and the cultural contexts of the communities they serve." (National Center for Cultural
Competence, np). We acknowledge that each individual, or youth, will have a different level of
awareness, and that the development of cultural competence is a process that takes serious time
and commitment.
Linguistic Competence:
Linguistic competence is defined as "The capacity of an organization and its personnel to
communicate effectively, and convey information in a manner that is easily understood by diverse
groups..." (Goode and Jones, np). This grouping includes those with limited English proficiency,
low literacy skills, and individuals with mental or developmental disabilities.
Youth:
This proposal will align its definition of youth with the definition established by the City of
Alexandria Youth and Master Plan. This will define youth as "...all young people from birth to 21
in the city of Alexandria." (The City of Alexandria Youth and Master Plan, pg 5).
Youth Guided:
The focus of this proposal is the youths of Alexandria. We define youth guided as "...systems of
care to create partnerships that allow youth and adults to collaborate for the purpose of system
transformation." (Technical Assistance Partnership for Child and Family Mental Health, pg 2).
Page 24 of 34
APPENDIX C: BEST PRACTICES ON IMPROVING CULTURAL COMPETENCY

The CPAP team has researched and reviewed national and local training programs, specifically
those compiled by the Effective and Efficient Services for Everyone report provided by students
of CPAP in the Summer 2014. Furthermore, this team has incorporated several particularly
promising national training programs. The exemplars identified below provide practical training
in meeting cultural competence benchmarks through targeting a myriad of cultural competence
participants.
Diversity and Tolerance activities
This initiative at Montgomery County, Maryland is focused on identifying, examining and
eliminating institutional barriers to African American and Latino student achievement. The
program engages students, families, teachers, and other stakeholders in honest and productive
dialogue, and collaboratively works in identifying and eliminating the barriers minority students
face. This is one of several initiatives targeted at eliminating the achievement gap. Study Circles
take various forms targeting various groups. For example the Study Circle for Professional
Learning Communities or Instructional Leadership teams brings together staff, school leaders,
administrators, and central office personnel for a two day retreats with coaching sessions through
the year with possible summer follow up retreat. The goal is to create a learning community that
has trust, awareness, and skills necessary to confront personal attitudes, practices and policies
that have an effect on the racial achievement gap. There are similar other formats targeting other
groups. (Further details on this program can be found here
http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/studycircles/)
Teaching Tolerance is a project of the Southern Poverty Law Center that aims at teaching
tolerance perspectives for a diverse America based curriculum that marries anti-bias social
justice content with the rigor of the common core State standards. It helps students, teachers, and
school leaders to play their part in the creation of a learning environment that is characterized by
diversity tolerance. (http://perspectives.tolerance.org/)
Training Programs
The National Conference for Community and Justice (NCCJ) is a human relations organization
that promotes inclusion and acceptance by providing education and advocacy while building
communities that are respectful and just for all. The NCCJ is a recommended source due to their
celebration of, the diversity of races, religions, cultures, genders, abilities & sexual
orientations.
Programs supported by this national organization include:
1. ANYTOWN is a five day social justice residential camp focusing on community building
and leadership for high school age youth.
2. Bridges is a two-day anti-bullying, prejudice reduction program for middle and high school
students.
3. Different and the Same is an elementary school program where teachers are trained to use
curriculum consisting of videos and activities to address difficult issues of prejudice.
4. Youth Establishing Strength Campaign (YES!) is a national youth campaign to end
Page 25 of 34
bullying. The campaign, led by trained high school students and supported by a team of
adults, provides curriculum and activities that schools can use during the school year and
an online community where students can go for support, share their struggles and
successes, and connect with their peers.
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) provides materials, programs and services to build bridges
of communication, understanding and respect among diverse groups. Using A Classroom of
Difference, ADL focuses on creating an environment of respect, inclusiveness and civility. A
Classroom of Difference maintains and trains through a variety of programs designed to target preK through 12th grade school communities - educators, administrators, youth and families.
Parents Expectations Support Achievement (PESA) is a program designed in Los Angeles, CA,
based on the idea that parents expectations are a significant indicator for their childs academic
achievement. The program is linked to a teacher program that focuses on the expectations for
youth as perceived by the teacher. In connection with the teacher program (TESA), the program
targets parents, guardians and caregivers. The targets are taught techniques to, help raise a childs
academic performance, improve communication with the family and enhance self-confidence.
Page 26 of 34
APPENDIX D: CLC ADVISORY COMMITTEE DESCRIPTION5

Rationale
Every organization has a "culture" of policies, procedures, programs, and processes, and
incorporates certain values, beliefs, assumptions, and customs into those activities. Organizational
cultures largely echo mainstream culture in its sense of time orientation, perception, and use of
time. An organizational culture may not always lend itself to cultural competence, so skill building
is needed to infuse these elements. A culturally competent organization brings together knowledge
about different groups of people -- and transforms it into standards, policies, and practices that
make everything work.
Building a culturally and linguistically competence organization has many benefits including:
Increased respect and mutual understanding that can enhance the therapeutic relationship.
Increased clarity around processes and policies when working with diverse communities.
Achievement of a cost savings when language services are streamlined and non-duplicative.
Increased creativity in problem-solving through new perspectives, ideas, and strategies.
Decreased potential negative impacts on an agencys reputation.
Increased participation and involvement of other cultural groups.
Increased trust and cooperation.
Many organizations have complex processes and siloed operations which makes the
implementation of policies and practices to improve access and outcomes for diverse communities
challenging. A committee dedicated to identifying and addressing strategies to increased access
and positive outcomes for diverse communities can help an organization address issues
systematically instead of piece meal. This approach can often result in cost savings, streamlining
of complex processes, increased partnerships with multicultural community resources, and
systems changes help support employees who seek to provide effective, person centered, and
recovery orientated services.
Cultural and Linguistic Competence Committee Description
What follows is a modified description created by the Technical Assistance Partnership for Child
and Mental Health. A link to the original document can be found in the reference below. It provides
a comprehensive description of how to create a committee. It is a prototype and should be modified
to meet each organizations unique needs.
Authorization and Reporting Relationships:
The CLC Committee is authorized by the leadership team of the Agency. They report to this team.
Charge of the Committee:
The CLC Committee is a task oriented working group that assists the agency to implement
culturally and linguistically competent practices within the following six domains: (1) governance
and organizational infrastructure (e.g. policy; financing and budget; board composition, selection,
development and accountability; CLC plans and implementation; and leadership and
management)(2) services and supports (3) planning and continuous quality improvement (4)
collaboration (5) communication and (6) workforce development. Specifically, the charge of the
5
Buss et al. 2014, pgs. 30-33

Page 27 of 34
CLC Committee is to ensure that the agency adopts a systemic, systematic and strategic approach
to increasing the cultural and linguistic competence of services and supports delivered to the
individuals they serve, eliminate or reduce cultural, racial, ethnic or geographic disparities, and
encourage sensitivity and appreciation for diversity and cultural issues throughout the agency.
Recommended Composition of the Committee:
The executive team should identify, recruit and select members for the committee with input from
cultural leaders and representatives of the individuals they serve. The individuals selected for this
committee should be key decision-makers, subject matter experts or those with influence within
the agency. The committee should include, but not be limited to representatives from the following
stakeholder groups:
Family members
Individuals served
Representatives from partnering agencies
Community members that represent the populations of focus including cultural and faith-based
leaders
Staff representatives (administration and management, practitioners and support staff)
Member of executive team
Member of agency board
Recruitment of Members:
To the extent possible, the committee should reflect the populations of focus, the public and
community-based service organizations participating in the system of care and decision makers
from the agency. Recruitment should include invitations to informal community leaders, cultural
leaders, representatives of the faith community and the leaders of emerging population groups
within the community. Members should be appointed by the Executive Director.
Retention of Members:
An orientation and induction process should be instituted to assist every member to fully
participate in the committees deliberation and activities. A strength-based assessment of the assets
of members (skills, knowledge and attributes) should be conducted to ensure that each member is
positioned to make a valuable contribution to the work. It is also recommended that mentors and/or
buddies be assigned to those who have limited experience serving on community-wide
committees. Similarly, an orientation and buddy system may be needed for agency representatives
who may not be familiar with committees with significant family/youth/consumer participation.
Role of the Committee Chairperson(s):
The leadership of the committee should be structured both to maximize action by the agency as
well as the trust of the cultural communities. This will ensure that the recommendations made by
the committee are used to inform decision-making at all levels, and reflect the needs and interests
of the communities of focus. The chair is responsible for establishing the committees agenda,
scheduling and facilitating meetings, and working in concert with staff and other members to
assign tasks and monitor the progress of task completion as indicated within the Cultural and
Linguistic Competence (CLC) Plan.
Recommended Goals and Responsibilities:
Page 28 of 34
1. Conduct demographic analysis, linguistic analysis, and cultural analyses to identify

priorities for the CLC Plan.
2. Develop and implement the CLC Plan.
3. Develop policy recommendations for consideration by the agency that supports the
implementation of the CLC Plan.
4. Develop and monitor outcomes related to the delivery of culturally and linguistically
competent services as specified in the Continuous Quality Improvement Plan.
5. Develop and disseminate quarterly status report of the action steps and activities completed
within the CLC Plan to the executive team and annual status reports for the agency workforce and
the community.
Time and Commitment Requirements:
The committee should meet at a minimum of four times per year. However, members are expected
to participate on subcommittees to complete specific tasks. It is anticipated that service on this
committee will require a minimum of two hours every other month for meetings of the full
committee and additional time for subcommittee work.
References
Technical Assistance Partnership for Child and Family Mental Health. A System of Care Team
Guide to Implementing Cultural and Linguistic Competence. Cultural Competence Action Team.
July 2010. http://www.tapartnership.org/docs/clcCommitteeDescription_200705.pdf.
National Center for Cultural Competence. The Compelling Need for Cultural Competence. 1997.
http://nccc.georgetown.edu/foundations/need.html
Page 29 of 34
APPENDIX E: CLC EXAMPLE TRAINING PROGRAM
What should a cultural competence training program include?
It should discuss overall organizational cultural competence
Also can focus on the specific population groups and/or health issues that are relevant to the
community your facility serves.
It also should address the linguistic access needs of patients with limited English proficiency, as
outlined in the National Standards on Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS).
Conducting an organizational cultural assessment is a critical first step. Some organizations dont
know what they dont know. Doing an assessment helps determine the strengths and weaknesses of staff
in regard to cultural competency, and this information can be used to help design an effective training
program.
Other experts recommend conducting an assessment both before and after implementing the formal
training, to determine how much staff have learned. It can also serve as a benchmark down the line.
Be sure to start with a broad overview for new employees.
If the organization primarily serves a specific population, such as Latinos, it should target that group
or subgroups to discuss more specific care.
An effective training program should address the three themes of the CLAS standards: organizational,
clinical and linguistic competence.
A well-rounded program also should help providers with assessment issues, such as identifying issues
specific to certain ethnic patient populations but also address organizational issues that look at how
gatekeepers impact access and outcomes to care.
Many good presenters begin their presentations with a frank discussion about organizational racism.
But, trainers and training directors should be careful to understand the overall orientation of the audience
before delving into topics that the audience may not be ready for. Most experts agree that we have to
look at ourselves because we have individual and organizational biases. Many times we arent even
aware of them, but they impact the way we provide care.
This was highlighted in the 2003 report Unequal Treatment: Confronting Racial and Ethnic
Disparities in Health Care, which found that bias, prejudice and stereotyping on the part of health care
providers may contribute to minority patients receiving lower quality care than Caucasians. A good
training program needs to have such knowledge passed on in a way that speaks the individual orientation
of the participant and the overall orientation of the organization.
Tips for integrating cultural and linguistic competence into your training program from the National
Center for Cultural Competence.
Buss et al. 2014, pgs. 34-38

Page 30 of 34
Create a structure. Convene a work group with the sole purpose of determining how core
concepts relating to cultural and linguistic competency can be integrated into all aspects of the
ORGANIZATIONS training program. This group will serve as the primary body for
conceptualizing, planning, and framing the way in which this integration takes place. The work
group membership should be diverse and should include such key stakeholders as faculty, staff,
students, and community partners.
Clarify values and philosophy. Each ORGANIZATIONS training program will need to establish
its own philosophy and values of cultural and linguistic competence. This approach is essential
for creating a shared vision among faculty and staff to guide all efforts in this area.
Develop a logic model for cultural and linguistic competence. There are numerous concepts and
definitions for cultural and linguistic competence. (See Conceptual Frameworks/Models,
Guiding Values and Principles developed by the NCCC at
http://gucchd.georgetown.edu/nccc/.html). Reach consensus on a definition or framework for
cultural competence and linguistic competence within the context of the ORGANIZATIONS
training program and/or department. The term logic model refers to a visual schematic that
summarizes the relationship between the resources, activities, and outcomes of a culturally and
linguistically competent system of care (Santiago, 2003). For more information, see the Kellogg
Foundation Logic Model Development Guide, available directly from
http://www.wkkf.org/Pubs/Tools/Evaluation/Pub3669.pdf. See also a PowerPoint presentation
providing an introduction to the use of logic models (Dr. Rachele Espiritus Developing a Logic
Model).
Adapt or create curricula. The logic model and framework should be used to guide the adaptation
or creation of curricula that infuse content on principles, values, and practices of cultural and
linguistic competence that have been determined by the work group.
Determine faculty and staff development needs and interests. Conduct an initial assessment of
faculty and staff to determine what they perceive as their training or professional development
needs and interests related to cultural and linguistic competence. The assessment should query
faculty and staff on the preferred methods, approaches, and formats for increasing awareness and
acquiring new skills and areas of knowledge. Such an assessment should be repeated periodically
as the group acquires knowledge and skills. Ensure that resources are budgeted to support this
effort.
Conduct faculty and staff development assessment. Knowledge of cultural and linguistic
competence will vary among faculty and staff. Assessment results should be used to inform
strategies for faculty and staff development. Plan and conduct ongoing faculty and staff
development activities based on individual needs and preferences. Careful consideration should
be given to the fact that faculty and staff will have different levels of comfort with this content
area. Appropriate supports should be provided and may include:
1. provide opportunities for faculty and staff to meet informally to share opinions and
engage in discussions;
2. create a book club that is dedicated to exploring themes and issues of culture, race, and
ethnicity that are often difficult or controversial to discuss solely on an interpersonal
level;
3. convene facilitated sessions to address major issues or concerns;
4. offer mediation and conflict resolution as warranted by specific circumstances.
Page 31 of 34
Create a refuge for sharing and learning. It is critical to provide a safe, non-judgmental forum to
explore honestly cultural considerationstheir own and those of the constituency groups they
serve. Creating such a structure provides a much-needed venue to support faculty, staff, and
students in their journey toward cultural and linguistic competence. Utilize social media,
intranet, and online learning communities. Make it interactive, real time, and motivating. Move
as far away from the traditional classroom based, obligatory, boring training as you can.
Conduct an evaluation. Develop an evaluation strategy that measures at a minimum:
(1) the extent to which faculty and staff have increased the incorporation of cultural and
linguistic competence into all aspects of the ORGANIZATIONS training program;
(2) the extent to which students have increased awareness, knowledge, and skills in cultural and
linguistic competence;
(3) student perspectives on the effectiveness of the faculty and training program in incorporating
principles and practices of cultural and linguistic competence; and
(4) the extent to which key consumers benefit from the culturally and linguistically competent
approaches employed by the ORGANIZATIONS training program.
There are several options for providing cultural competence training. These include using existing
training programs that can be adapted for your organization; hiring a consultant to develop a program
specifically for your organization; creating your own in-house training program; or a combination of all
three.
Packaged or established training programs
There are lots of effective any effective cultural competency training programs that have already been
developed by experts? One of the best for mental health is CBMCS Multicultural Training Program.
http://www.sagepub.com/cbmcs/index.htm. It is specifically designed and tested for mental health
providers and agencies.
Some of the more widely used programs include those offered by the Cross Cultural Health Care
Program, Management Sciences for Health, and the Center for Cross-Cultural Health, to name just a few
(see Resources sidebar).
Respected cultural competency models that can be found in literature include those developed by
Issaacs and Bazron, Andrews and Boyle, Campinha-Bacote, Giger and Davidhizar, Leininger, Purnell and
Spector.
Train-the-trainer programs, such as the Cultural Competence Leadership Fellowship sponsored by the
Health Research & Educational Trust and others, are considered one of the most effective formats for
providing cultural competence education. The main reason is that this type of program enables an
organization to reach many individuals.
The primary benefit of using an established program is that it has been proven effective. Additionally,
many of these programs provide a consultant as part of the package to explain the program and how to
implement it.
Page 32 of 34
It is also important to spend the necessary time needed to research the various programs to determine
which one best fits your organizations needs. For instance, some programs may emphasize cross-cultural
communication skills while others may center on building community partnerships or addressing clinical
issues.
The main disadvantage of using an existing program is that it will have to be modified to fit your
organization. But many of these programs were designed to be adapted. Plus, the consultant can work
with you to help make the necessary adjustments.
Hiring a Consultant
A cultural competence consultant/trainer offers an objective perspective, something that is difficult to
obtain from within your organization. An outside consultant can direct your organization in assessing its
needs, design a program that incorporates those needs and help guide its implementation.
While a national consultant can be very knowledgeable, a local consultant knows the community and
the populations your facility serves.
In either case, the trainer should have expertise in both clinical and organizational issues, with
credentials from a reputable national or international credentialing body. A history of research and/or
publications in the area of cultural competency is important. The individual should demonstrate a history
of continuing growth in this field, because it continues to evolve. Outstanding interpersonal skills, a
genuine passion for the subject and an ethics/values and personality fit with your institution round out the
qualifications.
The trainer does not necessarily have to be a racial or ethnic minority but should have extensive
experience working with minority populations. You may want to ask the consultant for client references
that you can contact.
Doing It Yourself
The benefit of developing your own cultural competency training program from scratch is that your
training department knows your organizations culture best and therefore has a good grasp of what
approaches will be most effective. The disadvantage is that the individual responsible for this task may
lack experience and/or expertise in cross-cultural health issues.
It will be especially important to use the findings from your organizational assessment to develop
your in house training program.
A do it yourself approach allows you to have a multi-prong approach to training as well. Classroom
training doesnt have to be the only way that people are exposed to intercultural learning. There are other
ways that employees can develop these skills. Mitchell Hammer, creator of the Intercultural
Development Inventory Assessment tool suggests there are 12 key learning opportunities for intercultural
learning. Using these anchors, training programs could be developed that are highly interactive and
experiential. This approach also allows for shorter interventions that may be more practical for
employees whose work is scheduled by appointment with clients.
Making It Work
No matter which training option an organization chooses, experts agree that buy-in from administration is
essential for the program to be effective. The top players need to be committed to the concept of cultural
competency, because it is their attitude that will filter down to the staff.
Page 33 of 34
Leadership should be visible and send the message to middle management that they must be on board
with the training initiative as well.
On-going training and creating of new learning opportunities is an important step in the program. A core
set of training modules can be developed for incoming staff, but there must be new and ongoing
opportunities for staff that have been around a while. It means that time and money must be invested into
the developing training programs. It is an investment that will pay off in enhanced services and
outcomes.
Adapted from material developed by the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and
Developmental Services Office of Cultural and Linguistic Competence. Additional
information found at https://www.dbhds.virginia.gov/OHRDM-CLC.htm
Page 34 of 34

Alexandria City Children and Youth Master Plan

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Alexandria City Children and Youth Master Plan

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City of Alexandria

Children and Youth Master Plan

Implementation Approach to Goal 3.4

Implementation Approach to Goal 3.4

Cultivating Cultural Competence and Connections

Implementation Approach to Goal 3.4

MANAGEMENT OVERVIEW ........................................................................................... 7

PERFORMANCE MONITORING .................................................................................... 9

IMPLEMENTATION PLAN LOGIC MODEL .............................................................. 10

OUTCOME PERFORMANCE FRAMEWORK ............................................................ 11

PERFORMANCE OUTCOMES AND IMPLEMENTATION ACTIONS .................. 13

PERFORMANCE OUTCOME ONE: ENHANCED INSTITUTIONAL CULTURAL AND

Cultivating Cultural Competence and Connections

Implementation Approach to Goal 3.4

Alexandria City Public Schools

Alexandria Tutoring Consortium

Community Based Organizations

Cultural and Linguistic Competency

Center for Public Administration and Policy

City School Staff Group

Children, Youth & Families Collaborative Commission

Children and Youth Master Plan

Alexandria Department of Community and Health Services

Project Management Unit

Responsible, Accountable, Supporting, Consulted, and Informed Matrix

Cultivating Cultural Competence and Connections

Implementation Approach to Goal 3.4

Implementation Approach to Goal 3.4

Coordinate implementation of various aspects of the plan:

Implementation Approach to Goal 3.4

Staff the PMU

Make determination regarding Phased vs Full Fledged Implementation

Implementation Approach to Goal 3.4

Alexandria City Public School Strategic Plan 2010-2015;

Cultivating Cultural Competence and Connections

Implementation Approach to Goal 3.4

4 IMPLEMENTATION PLAN LOGIC MODEL

Short term Outcomes

Long term outcomes

Staff to craft and implement

Adopt CLC Policy

Official City of Alexandria

Staff & managers are

CLC Policy is included

Reports from the

A respectful, safe, &

Current goals & objectives

Formalize structure through

Creation of a contact list

Volunteers to join advisory

Expand the CLC Advisory

Attendance sheet, with selfdisclosed information to

Reports from department and

CLC training programs

Cultivating Cultural Competence and Connections

Implementation Approach to Goal 3.4

5 OUTCOME PERFORMANCE FRAMEWORK

Enhanced cultural competence

A respectful, safe,& positive

CLC Policy Signed (Yes/No)

Percentage of employees aware of CLC policy

75% by the end of the first