Community leagues and Edmonton schools had always worked very closely together through the years, but in 1969, it was the Edmonton community league movement that created the first kindergarten program in Alberta. While this was exciting, it was in 1973 that the EFCL really got a boost. Thanks to a grant from the city, the EFCL was able to hire its first full-time director. Up until that point, everything was still handled by the board, which was all volunteers nominated by the community leagues. The EFCL board also persuaded the city to increase each league’s operating grant to $600 per year.

The mid-70s also brought about a change in the leagues’ objectives in their role as the voice of their communities. No longer did they want to just advocate “after the fact” for improvements, now they wanted to be consulted in the planning of future development of their communities. By the late 70s, there were 118 community leagues in Edmonton which represented a very large portion of the population. The city wisely began involving leagues and the EFCL in a number of planning, zoning and development issues. It was clear to everyone, that through community leagues, citizen input was beginning to influence every aspect of many of Edmonton’s development and growth. This resulted in the city creating Policy C110, a resolution that recognized the EFCL and its league members as an important partner of the local government.