Boston Medical Center Vital Village Networks

Vital Village Networks (VVN), based at Boston Medical Center, builds the capacity of communities to optimize child well-being, prevent early life adversities, and advance equity through collaboration, research, data-sharing, training, and advocacy. VVN convenes cross-sector networks, supports collective learning, and fosters partnerships between residents and organizations, guided by a trauma-informed lens. Using a collaborative approach, the network creates innovations with community residents as designers and harnesses local community assets. VVN conducts research and develops public data dashboards and analytic tools to track benchmarks for child health, development, school readiness, and well-being. Through these combined efforts Vital Village is pioneering a sustainable approach to transforming systems of care and education in order for children to thrive in equitable, flourishing, resilient communities. 

The Networks of Opportunity for Child Wellbeing (NOW) Innovation Forum is a national network created to foster peer learning that empowers community-based efforts to succeed, building upon the VVN approach. The goal is to support the success of communities, community coalitions, and their regional or state-level partnerships to eliminate systemic barriers and lift up community-driven solutions.