Harlem program inspires concept for local proposal

Charleston's latest effort to break the cycle of poverty and improve education would target the areas surrounding four high-poverty elementary schools downtown and in North Charleston.

Community leaders concerned about local children's welfare have been meeting for more than six months to develop a comprehensive set of programs modeled on the Harlem Children's Zone. The 97-block area in Central Harlem in New York City offers a continuous pipeline of educational, social, health and recreational initiatives for children from birth through college. The zone also works to strengthen students' families and their communities.

President Barack Obama has committed to creating Promise Neighborhoods based on the same concept, and $500,000, one-year planning grants will be available for 20 communities that want to develop these programs.

Charleston hopes to be among the front-runners for this money, and key leaders such as school Superintendent Nancy McGinley and Charleston Mayor Joe Riley have been working behind the scenes to better position Charleston for the funding.

Although school officials have led local planning efforts, the school district wouldn't necessarily coordinate the programs. The money would go directly to schools and programs included in Charleston Children's Zone, and the district would be one of the agencies involved in making the plan work.

The proposed zone would encompass Charleston's East Side, the Neck Area and extend into North Charleston, and it would target four elementary schools: Sanders-Clyde, James Simons, Mary Ford and Chicora. The focus of the zone's programs would be the area's roughly 3,000 children, from birth to age 17.

To pick those areas, Audrey Lane, the district's deputy for organizational advancement, said the zone's organizing committee studied the county's crime, education and poverty statistics; looked for areas with the greatest need; and tried to include Charleston and North Charleston.

They've outlined a proposal and traveled to New York City twice since August to learn more about the Harlem Children's Zone. They also have invited small groups of parents, volunteers and community leaders to meet at each of the zone's elementary schools to begin engaging the broader community.

"It can't be a 'We're coming in to save the day' mentality," Lane said. "We're trying to get buy-in from the community and get their support."

At a meeting last week at Mary Ford Elementary, a group of nearly 20 people watched a video about the Harlem Children's Zone and discussed the concept. They drew comparisons between Harlem and Charleston and talked about their vision and goals for their community.

Parent Mattie General was present and told the group that some parents don't think the school wants to help their children. Many of the parents are young, and their children aren't coming to school prepared, she said. They need help with parenting skills, she said.

McGinley responded by saying that's exactly the type of parenting program she hopes the Charleston Children's Zone would offer. The Harlem Children's Zone has a Baby College, a series of workshops for parents who are expecting a child or who have a toddler. Parents learn about issues such as brain development, discipline, immunizations and parent-child bonding.

Two of the schools in the Charleston area zone are in North Charleston City Councilman Michael Brown's district. He was a part of the local contingent that visited the Harlem Children's Zone last month, and he sees this plan as a way to better prepare children to attend college and be competitive in the workforce.

The biggest challenge in making it a reality will be rallying the community's support, and they need to try to improve area neighborhoods regardless of whether Charleston receives the grant, Brown said, adding that doing nothing is not an option.

Requests for proposals to create Promise Neighborhoods are expected to be released in January.

"We think we have a good vision," McGinley told the school board recently. "We think we're a community that can show success."

Reach Diette Courrege at dcourrege@postandcourier.com or 937-5546.