Boston has seen the public/private Harlem Children’s Zone and wants to replicate this inner-city swath if the Obama administration is serious about replicating the successful New York program around the country.
It’s gratifying to see how integrating key services – prenatal care, parenting classes, early care and learning – creates a pipeline for success in a place where the odds are stacked against most kids. Voices’ Birth to Five initiative is beating the drum for more support in these individual services, never mind bridging them together.
Private sector support for the Harlem Children’s Zone is lagging now due to the current economy, forcing the organization to pool resources with others. All any of us in the non-profit world can do right now is hang on and hope communities realize the importance of this work.
