DCPNI Fall 2012 News Letter

Five Promises for Two Generations

1

On July 27th, with the help of unwavering staff, board members, funders, partners and supporters, DCPNI successfully submitted to the Department of Education our FY13 Promise Neighborhood implementation grant application, requesting $28.7 million over the next five years. We know this round of funding will be highly competitive, but I'm sanguine that DCPNI will be one of the 5-7 applicants awarded. Since my first day as Executive Director of the DC Promise Neighborhood Initiative, I have been committed to developing a solid, holistic framework that not only addresses the academic needs and challenges faced by our students, but one that also confronts the root cause of these disparities. It is equivalently important to me, that we not only implement a plan that focuses on educational outcomes for our children, but one where parents are an equal part of this equation, by ensuring they have the support and resources they need to be financially stable and active participants in their child’s educational journey. This commitment to both generations – children and parents – is the blueprint around which we’ve restructured our programming and built our FY13 grant application. Five Promises for Two Generations: Our commitment to serving both the children and families in the Kenilworth-Parkside community is at the heart of our continuum design. As such, under my leadership, DCPNI has adopted a new, evidence-based two-generation model that will systematically connect investments in both adults and children that will result in larger, longer-term impacts on students’ success in school, career and the community. Building upon the success of two-generation leaders such as, Ascend at the Aspen Institute, Annie E. Casey Foundation’s Civic Sites program, the Jerimiah Program in Minneapolis, MN, and the Community Action Project in Tulsa, OK; DCPNI has developed a cradle to career continuum of services for children, while simultaneously addressing the needs of parents, with particular focus on female heads of households (who make up 90% of our footprint), with young children. With the help of our 40 plus partners, our Theory of Action will deliver key program components to both children and their parents through early learning interventions, academic supports, financial literacy and workforce readiness. We are so excited to implement this model in the DCPNI footprint and I look forward to keeping you abreast on all of our progress as we continue to move forward. Aside from submitting the grant, other great opportunities have been bestowed upon us here at DCPNI! On August 2nd I was joined by our Founder, Irasema

F A L L 2 0 1 2

Message from Executive Director, Ayris T. Scales

DC PROMISE NEIGHBORHOOD INITIATIVE FALL 2012

2

Save the Date!

DCPNI&is&especially&thankful&to&the&

committed&funders&who&submitted&Match&Letters&for&our&Implementation&Grant&so&far.&We&are&well&on&our&way&to&an&amazing&

year!&&

Community&Foundation&for&the&National&Capital&

Region&&&

DC&LISC&

DLA&Piper&Foundation&

Fred&and&Wendy&

Goldberg&

JP&Morgan&Chase&

Lois&and&Richard&England&

Family&Foundation&

PNC&Bank&

Prince&Charitable&Trusts&

United&Way&of&the&National&Capital&Area&

&

2

Salcido, our Director of Resident Engagement, Sharita Slayton and LISC DC Executive Director, Oramenta Newsome to present on a panel at the United Neighborhood Centers of America’s 2012 Neighborhood Revitalization Conference. We shared our lessons learned from the DCPNI planning year, elements of our program design and grassroots community engagement strategies. Also, while August 27th marked the first day of school for our scholars, DCPNI was fortunate enough to be invited to join approximately 100 other community development organizations from all sectors across the country, to participate in the White House Forum on Urban Innovation. This forum is part of the Social Enterprise and Opportunity Series, a new set of conversations hosted by the White House to spotlight stories of social innovation on the ground. During the day long session we reviewed and addressed strategies around Neighborhood Revitalization, Public Health, Education and Economic Development. Additionally, I have been invited by the Aspen Institute to participate in their annual ThinkXChange from October 8-10th in Aspen, Colorado. This forum will convene more than one hundred dynamic leaders from cutting-edge community-based programs, policy, academia, philanthropy, business, and media – to discuss and debate opportunities, challenges, and solutions for moving parents, especially women, and their children toward educational success and economic security. The theme of the 2012 ThinkXChange is the power and potential of two-generation approaches, which focus on creating opportunities for and addressing the needs of both vulnerable parents and children together. These opportunities not only allow us to continue to raise the profile of DCPNI but to learn and extract from others across the country and in our community facing the same challenges as us. I look forward to taking what we learn, applying it to our model and sharing it with our partners and constituents. Lastly, as I transition over the coming weeks and months into life after the grant, I will be working closely with the DCPNI board and staff to strengthen our following areas:

• Partner Coordination and Accountability Measures • Data Collection, Management and Reporting • Formalizing our Organizational Structure • Recruiting Talented Staff • Enhancing our Outreach and Engagement Activities • Supporting Board Development and • Increasing our Budget

On September 19th, DCPNI will host our Partner Kickoff Breakfast at the offices of Holland and Knight to discuss implementing the continuum and coordination of services for our current partners. There you’ll have the opportunity to learn more about all the plans and efforts I summarized above. I look forward to seeing those of you who'll be joining us and for those who will not, I am always available to connect one on one. Thank you all for your ongoing support of DCPNI as I've transitioned into this amazing role. We are truly appreciative and look forward to the opportunity to continue to work with you in one way or another to change the lives of young people in the Kenilworth-Parkside community. Sincerely, Ms. Ayris T. Scales Executive Director, DCPNI


3

It Takes a Village: DCPNI’s 2012-13 Partners

CONTINUUM PROVIDER PARTNERS AARP Experience Corps • Bank on DC • Cesar Chavez Public Charter Schools for Public Policy • Children's National Medical Center • College Success Foundation • DLA Piper, LLC • DC Primary Care Association • East River Family Strengthening Collaborative • Educare • Fishing School • Georgetown University • Healthy Babies Project • Jumpstart • Live It, Learn It • Mentors Foundation USA • Save the Children • Tiger Woods Learning Center • Turnaround for Children • United Way of the National Capital Area • Unity Healthcare Medical Clinic • University of the District of Columbia Community College

1

FRIENDS OF THE FOOTPRINT DC Scores • Dolly Parton's Imagination Library • Dress for Success DC • Junior Achievement • Local Community Centers - Mayfair, Paradise, Kenilworth Courts, KPRMC • Through the Kitchen Door

Partnerships are the core ingredient to DCPNI’s program design and service delivery. We are proud to announce the current list of partners who will be working with DCPNI throughout 2012-13 to ensure we deliver on our goals for the organization, the schools, and the community.

2

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA GOVERNMENT PARTNERS DC Office of the Mayor • Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services • DC Housing Authority • District of

TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PARTNERS America’s Promise Alliance • Annie E. Casey • Aspen Institute Ascend Program • DC Appleseed • DC LISC • Fight for Children • Flamboyan Foundation • Tufts University Center for Promise • Urban Institute

3

Columbia Public Schools • DC Public Library • Metropolitan Police Department • Office of the State Superintendent for Education • Raise DC


4

Announcements from DCPNI

Successful Summer Programming

1

On June 17th, DCPNI launched the safe summer initiative by hosting our first annual Community Festival. We were pleased to have 27 organizations and 363 residents attend! From healthy meals to sports to drug prevention to enrichment, the children of DCPNI were active this summer thanks to our partners and friends of the footprint: At Kenilworth Elementary:

• 25 students were served by the The Department of Parks and Rec

• 75 students were served by The Fishing School

At the Kenilworth Courts (KPMRC), there were: • 50 residents in the Summer Feeding Program • 75 students in the Boxing Program • 60 students in Summer Basketball Tournaments • 25 students on the Baseball Team • 10 students in the Chess Challenge of DC • 40 students in the Youth Center Summer Day

Camp • 60 students participated in workshops by the

DC Drug Prevention Center

New Staff Join Our Team! Maintaining the highest quality leadership and staff is critical to ensuring DCPNI meets its goals in the coming year. We're excited to announce that we've filled two key positions:

Lauren Dunn, Director of Policy and Program Management For the past three years, Lauren served in the White House Domestic Policy Council as policy staff for the President Obama's urban policy and mobility & opportunity teams. Her portfolio encompassed children and families, responsible fatherhood, social safety net programs, and sustainable development. She brings specific experience managing federal interagency partnerships that helped cities achieve their economic development goals and leverage non-federal funds. In this position, she worked closely with stakeholders, advocates, and White House Public Engagement and Communications teams to develop, refine, communicate – and build support for – the President's urban agenda. Previously, she began her career in non-profit advocacy at NETWORK, the National Catholic Social Justice Lobby, and also served as a Special Assistant at the Center for American Progress. With DCPNI she will be responsible for overseeing our partnerships to ensure coordination and integration of programs and services along the continuum.

Sadie Ellner, Early Learning Network Coordinator Sadie worked as a teacher for 5 years before joining DCPNI’s team. For four years, she worked at Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School, a DCPS school in Ward 8, where she taught first and second grade. Most recently, she worked as a preschool teacher at AppleTree Early Learning Public Charter School, also in Ward 8. Before becoming a classroom teacher, Sadie worked as an Education Specialist at the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy where she supported the accreditation of universities in receiving specialized accreditations. In Sadie's new role, she will work with childcare providers to access available resources to continue to improve the quality of childcare services available to parents and children living within the DCPNI footprint.

2

At Neval Thomas Elementary, there were: • 125 students in Save the Children

programming • 130 students in DCPS Summer School for 12

DC Elementary Schools

At Cesar Chavez, there were: • 65 students in the Tiger Woods Program • 225 students in the Cesar Chavez Summer

Enrichment Program

Finally, the Chauncey E. Spruill Community Center on the property of Paradise apartments served 105 students.


5

For our infants & toddlers

For our school children

For our community

What’s Happening in the Promise Neighborhood! The grand opening of Educare will be September 13th! Educare is a high-quality nationally-recognized childcare provider which will now serve 175 students in the footprint. We also have a new Pre-School class at Neval Thomas Elementary. The school now has 2 Pre-School classes and 2 Pre-K Head Start classes. On the recent DC-CAS testing, Neval Thomas Elementary School made some of the highest gains in the entire city, logging 17.1% growth in its scores over last year. The school is at 43.6% overall proficiency and has been deemed a "reward school" by DCPS and OSSE. A major congratulations is in order for Principal Barnes, the students, parents, partners and staff at Neval Thomas. Keep up the great work, we are so proud of your progress! Huge kudos are in order for Cesar Chavez Public Charter Schools for Public Policy! They are the recipient of a $1.1 million grant through the DC Office of the State Superintendent of Education’s Race to the Top (RTTT) program to engage educators in professional development and collaborate to positively impact student success. The Professional Learning Communities of Effectiveness (PLaCEs) Grant Award provides an incentive for public schools to establish consortia with the goal to improve student achievement. On August 27, Adrianne Todman, Executive Director of the DC Housing Authority (DCHA), was informed by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) that DCHA was selected as a finalist for Choice Implementation funding for the Kenilworth Parkside neighborhood. HUD received a total of 42 applications and nine were selected as finalists. Winners will receive up to approximately $30 million in funding to implement their Neighborhood Transformation Plans. DCHA has selected its development partner for Kenilworth Courts, The Michaels Development Organization/The Warrenton Group. This opportunity is incredibly exciting for the community!

• • We’re also proud to announce that Unity Health Care broke ground on July 11th!

DCPCA’s Medical Home DC program is expanding access to primary care by breaking ground in the Parkside neighborhood. Replacing the Hunt Place Center in Ward 7, Unity Health Care, Inc. will more than double its capacity in the soon to be constructed state-of-the-art community health center. An estimated 50,000 projected annual patient visits will be scheduled at the brand new 43,200 square foot Unity Health Care – Parkside Health Center. Unity-Parkside is projected to open at the end of 2013.


6

Save the Date!

1

Ayris Scales, Executive Director [email protected] (202) 553-4959 Lauren Dunn, Director of Policy and Program Management, [email protected] (202) 553-4970 Sadie Ellner, Early Learning Network Coordinator [email protected] (202) 607-9044 Lisa Gans, Fuse Corps Fellow/ Director of Strategic Planning, [email protected]

2

Helen O’Keefe, Executive Assistant [email protected] (202) 271-7913 Evert Orinion, Program Assistant [email protected] (202) 567-8594 Sharita Slayton, Director of Resident Engagement, [email protected] (202) 267-2627 Tracy Wright, Chief Academic Officer, [email protected]

1

Educare Grand Opening September 13, 2012 10:00AM Partner Kickoff DC Promise Neighborhood Initiative September 19, 2012 8:00AM Back to School Night Cesar Chavez Middle & High School September 20, 2012 6:30PM

Stay Involved & Stay Connected with DCPNI

Save the Date

Stay Connected with DCPNI Staff

We'd love to hear from you! If you have announcements, updates, events or opportunities

please send them to Evert Orinion, Program Assistant, at [email protected]

.

Keep Us Updated!

2

Beat the Streets Metropolitan Police Department September 21, 2012 4:00PM Call to Action: Mentors Needed DC Promise Neighborhood Initiative September 25, 2012 10:00AM Back to School Night Kenilworth Elementary September 26, 2012 6:30PM

3

Back to School Night Neval Thomas Elementary School September 27, 2012 6:30PM The Mission Continues: Call to Service Cesar Chavez Parkside October 13, 2012 9:00AM For more information about any of these events, please contact Evert Orinion, at [email protected].

Find us Online!

@dcpni Look for us under DC Promise Neighborhood

Initiative!

Documents

DCPNI Fall 2012 News Letter