Promise Neighborhoods Bring Change to Families in Inner-Cities

Sometimes it is hard to break out of a cycle, especially when the cycle is one your family or you have been living for years. But a non-profit organization called the Harlem Children’s Zone does just that for children and families who live in one of the most impoverished cities in the country.

The Harlem Children’s Zone’s mission is breaking the cycle of generational poverty for the thousands of children and families it serves by focusing on urban education. The organization was established in the 1970s and has helped tens of thousands of people since it was founded.

Now, President Obama has announced plans to create similar programs, using the Harlem Children’s Zone as a template, across the country. In fact, he proposed spending $10 million in 2010 to create the Promise Neighborhoods program. The goal is to establish such programs in 20 cities that have high levels of poverty and crime and low levels of academic achievement.

“The core idea behind the initiative is that providing both effective schools and strong systems of support to children and youth in poverty, and thus meeting their health, social services, and education needs will offer them the best hope for a better life,” according to the U.S. Department of Education.

These Promise Neighborhoods will provide early childhood education opportunities, youth violence prevention programs, and after-school programs for school-age children. All of these programs will be free of charge and will be partially paid for by donations from citizens and by government funding.

Via Philanthropy.com and Harlem Children’s Zone.

posted on December 17th, 2009
by Kelsey, Student Blogger
Tags: barack obama, education, Harlem Children's Zone, Promise Neighborhoods, u.s. department of education
Posted in News, Politics | 4 Comments »