Axions

Harlem Children’s Zone began life in 1970 as Rheedlen, New York’s first truancy prevention program. Over the next quarter century, however, Harlem continued on a steep decline, ravaged by the crack epidemic and gang violence. In the early 1990s, a pilot project was launched with the idea that by bringing a range of support services to a single block, an organization could comprehensively address the problems faced by poor families. By 1997, the scope had expanded to a 24-block area and the Harlem Children’s Zone was born.

The project is defined by a unique approach to rebuilding social fabric and breaking the cycle of inter-generational poverty, underpinned by a focus on guiding children through a ‘pipeline’ from school to university and on to the job market. Now encompassing a 100-block area – serving more than 8,000 children and 6,000 adults – the Harlem Children’s Zone brings together a number of targeted initiatives. While the most prominent is the network of ‘Promise Academy’ charter schools, the organization also delivers after-school, social service, health and community-building programs free of charge, working towards a developmental ‘tipping point’.

Although the long-term impact of this ambitious ‘cradle to college’ model cannot yet be known, early evaluations have shown substantive improvements already across a range of educational and health indicators.