Target Areas:
Where Jacksonville Can Make the Greatest Impact
Early Childhood Education
Parks and Green Spaces
Workforce Development
Early Childhood Education
All children will be kindergarten ready in Duval County.
The Impact
High-quality early learning produces some of the strongest and most reliable returns of any public or civic investment. Quality early learning improves higher educational attainment, increased earnings, and stronger workforce participation.
In Duval County, too many children enter kindergarten already behind, creating gaps that compound over time. Improving access to high-quality early learning is foundational to building human capital, expanding economic opportunity, and ensuring Jacksonville’s long-term competitiveness.
Why it Matters in Duval County
Jacksonville underperforms peer cities on early childhood education indicators, particularly enrollment and per-student investment. These gaps show up years later in graduation rates, workforce readiness, and income inequality. Closing them is essential to becoming a Top 50 city.
Direct Indicators
- Education Attainment
- Employment Growth
- Housing Expenditure
Target Team Partners
- University of North Florida
- Early Learning Coalition of Duval County
- Duval County Public Schools
- Jacksonville Public Education Fund
Parks and Green Spaces
Jacksonville will have a world-class county-wide parks system.
The Impact
Parks and green spaces are critical to our quality of life. They improve physical and mental health, increase life expectancy, strengthen neighborhood cohesion, reduce crime, and enhance environmental resilience.
With more than 400 parks and one of the largest park systems in the country, Jacksonville has extraordinary raw assets – but uneven quality, access, and investment. Elevating the entire system is one of the most powerful ways to improve quality of life county-wide.
Why it Matters in Duval County
Access to safe, high-quality parks varies significantly by neighborhood. Improving parks is a high-feasibility, high-impact lever that touches multiple Oxford indicators at once, while also strengthening Jacksonville’s identity and attractiveness.
Direct Indicators
- Recreation & Cultural Sites
- Life Expectancy
- Crime Rate
Target Team Partners
- City of Jacksonville
- Bobby Stein
- David Miller
- David Sweeney
- Christian Harden
- Darnell Smith
- Frank Frangie
Workforce Development
Jacksonville will be widely known as the good jobs city.
The Impact
Workforce development is central to economic mobility and long-term prosperity. Cities that align education, employers, and training systems around real labor market demand create stronger human capital and attract higher-quality jobs.
Jacksonville’s economy is growing rapidly, but gaps remain in income equality, career pathways, and access to opportunity. Strengthening the workforce system is essential to ensuring growth benefits more residents and supports future competitiveness.
Why it Matters in Duval County
Jacksonville’s future depends on its ability to connect people to good jobs and employers to skilled talent. Workforce development is a cross-cutting lever that influences income, economic diversity, and demographic resilience; especially as the city grows and ages.
Direct Indicators*
- Income Equality
- Income Per Person
- Age Profile
- Economic Diversity
* example indicators
Target Team Partners
Partners to be announced as the focus area is refined and aligned across employers, educators, and workforce leaders.