In communities all across the nation, groups of stakeholders have committed themselves to realizing the Promise Neighborhoods vision and approach—a seamlessly linked cradle-to-career pipeline of programs, services, and supports to ensure the achievement of the 10 results for children. While the neighborhoods and local contexts in which this work is unfolding are diverse, including tribal, rural, and urban communities with varying levels of resources that are home to people of a range of cultures, races, and ethnicities, the desired results and indicators of success are clear and shared by all. The pursuit of these common results must be unique to each community, but there are key milestones that communities can expect to pass as they make progress in building a cradle-to-career pipeline.

To support communities using the Promise Neighborhoods approach in understanding these milestones and charting their course, A Developmental Pathway for Achieving Promise Neighborhoods Results was created. The tool was developed by the Center for the Study of Social Policy (CSSP) in partnership with the U.S. Department of Education and the Promise Neighborhoods Institute at PolicyLink (PNI).* It reflects the collective knowledge developed by all three partners about Promise Neighborhoods since the creation of the federal program and includes targeted guidance from the Urban Institute regarding data collection and reporting.** The tool has also been initially reviewed by local Promise Neighborhoods leaders, and that process of local input, review, and refinement will continue as the tool is used in the field.