A deeper look into Harlem Childen's Zone

From Harlem to Harvard

In viewing this website I found one area I had not explored yet which gave a very warming statistic about pre-kindergarten students: 100% were at grade level at grade level for the 7^th year in a row. One hundred percent!! That is amazing! We always strive for such a goal, but it is so excellent when we finally see it. They continued to talk more about this Pre-K program and what they teach within this program.  One of the main components was the emotionally responsive classroom which trains everyone in how to use a common positive language when talking to children. This program also has a 4:1 ratio and includes testing children at the beginning of the year and the end. By doing this they are able to develop an individual growth plan based on the findings.

Baby College

I had yet to read in detail about the baby college program which is designed for expectant mothers or mothers of children under three. This program provides information in the following areas:

*Brain development-  the importance of reading to your child

*Discipline- talks about not spanking, time out, and positive reinforcement.

*Health- making sure children are up to date on vaccinations. This prepares them for later head start programs and child care programs.
*Asthma-  How to handle asthma because it is so prevalent within the Harlem community.

I find this to not only be a way to inform parents of important information about caring for a child, but I also find it as a wonderful support group in which others can share their concerns and simply get to know other adults who share their concerns and interests.

Harlem Knights

Within my newsletter they mentioned that a Harlem Knights organization was formed so children were getting home safely. I decided to look in more detail as to why this decision was made now. I found a local newspaper that stated gang activity was at an enormous rise over the past year, which led many children not able to walk home from after school programs without getting pulled into the gang activity. Harlem Children’s Zone leader, Geoffrey Canada organized a group of people who assisted children home within the ten block radius of the campus.

Equity and Excellence in Harlem Children's Zone?

I find that the entire Harlem Children’s Zones program is designed with the understanding of equity and excellence. This community especially leader, Geoffrey Canada, recognized a need for the children and strives to make it happen. They strive for equal opportunities for these children despite the many challenges they may face on a day to day bases. Everything in this newsletter focused on the positive and demonstrates how no goal is unreachable within this program. Looking at the statistics is a clear example of that.

Insights

I feel viewing this website in more detail this week, just provided more information to support my growing belief in the fact that working together for a common goal makes things happen. Harlem Children’s Zone started with a small groups mission and goal, and has exploded into an enormous organization that is building and changing lives. I feel that if every community had a powerful program like this, we would eliminate many of the issues we currently have in education.