Strong Schools

CityBridge Foundation’s strategy for strong schools is to deliver excellent education to young, disadvantaged children in D.C. and to share effective early educational practices with other nonprofit leaders.

In the District of Columbia, almost half of the 15,000 three- and four-year-old children live in low-income families. These children are at greater risk for low educational achievement later in life and often present at kindergarten with skills and abilities well below those of their higher-income peers. While some lower-income children attend child development centers or schools focused on eliminating these risk factors, most settings tend to focus only on the safety and nurture of young children. Anything more traditionally “school” is left to kindergarten or later. By then, the achievement gap is much harder to close.

There is good reason, however, to be optimistic about change in D.C. Our educational policy environment is among the most favorable in the country for the creation of excellent schools for young, low-income children. Both charter and traditional public schools can take advantage of a generous per-student funding formula in order to open classrooms for three- and four-year-olds, and schools can contract with the city to provide subsidized before- and after-school care. With this system in place, enterprising school leaders are able to create comprehensive learning environments for young children. More like “school” than day-care, these institutions share several key components: 

• A rigorous and nurturing educational program,
• A focus on developing student vocabulary and background knowledge,
• High-caliber teaching,
• Partnering with parents for their children’s education,  
• A long day, with time enough for play, rest, and learning, 
• A compelling school culture.

Observers of K-12 education reform will recognize these components as crucial for any school determined to have successful educational outcomes for disadvantaged students. CityBridge partner schools will incorporate these same components into settings for young children, using the best science, research, and existing examples to build schools that should maximize the opportunities available to lower-income young children in the District.