Education, Children & Families

Proposed Framework for Child/Family Development and Youth Education
Approximate Percentage of Foundation's Work: 13%

Vision

The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation aims to build economic self-sufficiency through child/family development and youth education, so that those assisted are able to participate in society as self-supporting adults. The Foundation will achieve this goal by tackling immediate needs of organizations, as well as building organizational capacity, for programs serving low-income youth and their families with the intention of economic self- sufficiency.

Goals and Strategies:

Early Childhood Education

Goal: Children up to the age of five enter school healthy and ready to learn

1. expand children's access to quality instruction by teachers, child care providers and volunteers in early childhood learning opportunities
2. provide quality support to parents in teaching their children how to be their child's first teacher

K-12 Education

Goal: Children will graduate, ready to succeed in higher education or the workplace, with help from non-profit organizational involvement supplementing K-12 education in public schools.

1. support supplemental programs (both in-school and out-of-school) that focus on increasing literacy, mathematical, entrepreneurial and college/work readiness skills
2. support the recruitment, training and mentoring of able instructional leaders to guide challenging schools
3. ensure that the school environment is a violence-free and safe place for children to learn
4. enhance the ability of schools to provide quality education to "at-risk" populations, including those with learning and/or language differences, those not yet achieving grade-level, and/or disaffected and disconnected youth.
5. provide intensive support for youth through each key educational transition (elementary, middle, high school and college entry)
6. enable parents to become better partners in their child's education
7. connect schools with other community resources that will serve youth and families in their educational, health, and social well-being, with priority given to those programs that address barriers to success in school.

Goal: Families will have ability to make educational choices for their children

1. support autonomous alternative governance schools that are capable of high student performance and that help stabilize poor neighborhoods
2. expand opportunities for economically disadvantaged children to attend independent school systems that provide high quality education

Out of School Time

Goal: At-risk youth will be provided with consistent direction, motivation, and support from caring, competent adults.

1. expand juvenile detention alternatives and diversion programs with links to broader support and educational opportunities
2. expand mentoring capacity of formal volunteer mentors and appropriate youth professionals to foster proper emotional and personal development of youth by capable role models
3. provide structured and safe out-of-school time opportunities (after school and summer programs) that promote academic gain, career/entrepreneurship exploration, and/or personal development
4. support gap-year programming to assist with successful transitioning to college, work, or military service

Family Safety and Development

Goal: Parents will know how to, and will, support the proper emotional and physical development of their children.

1. provide low-income parents with information, support, networks and capacity to successfully raise children
2. prevent child abuse/neglect or family violence; adequately provide treatment when such violence does occur.

Goal: Children will have a safe place to live when living with biological parents is not viable

1. enhance the ability of children's homes/youth villages in Israel and the FSU to provide quality care for children who have been abandoned
2. support alternatives for children in the Metro Baltimore area to live in safe temporary and/or long-term homes

Goal: Families will have access to short term economic and social support in times of hardship.

1. provide short term financial assistance for utilities, rent, and other expenses to prevent eviction, loss of electricity, etc.
2. provide funding on a limited basis to free loan programs aimed at making low income families more self sufficient
3. provide holiday gifts on limited basis
4. support organizations that provide information and referral, case management and other social services for those experiencing hardship.

The foundation primarily supports education and child/youth/family development in Maryland, DC, Northeast Pennsylvania and Hawaii, and extends its geographic preferences to Israel and the FSU for Jewish projects. Within these geographic preferences, priority is given to applicants working in high poverty neighborhoods.

Special consideration will be given to:

• youth/education programs that involve parents in supporting the youth's development
• programs that, by design, link to other services in health and welfare

The Foundation will not support the following:

• Grants to a college or university
• College scholarships
• Direct funding to school districts
• research or publications
• advocacy/public policy efforts
• curriculum development and testing (not to be confused with curriculum implementation/professional development)
• foster care or adoption

The Foundation will support the following in other related areas of our work:

• The Foundation supports adult education through its workforce development strategy.
• The Foundation supports asset development through its workforce development strategy.
• The Foundation supports securing stable long-term housing through its homelessness strategy.
• The Foundation supports substance abuse issues through its addictions strategy.
• The Foundation supports early intervention services (evaluation and treatment) for developmental disabilities through its disabilities strategy.
• The Foundation supports many of the above goals and strategies for the disabled through its disabilities strategy (please see specific allocation goals for disabilities for more information).
• The Foundation will give preference to projects listed above that link to other mental health/preventative health services. Stand alone mental health services will be addressed through the Foundation's disabilities strategy and stand alone preventative health services will be addressed through The Foundation's health strategy (please see specific allocation goals for health and disabilities for more information).
• The Foundation supports efforts to decrease child/adolescent mortality through its health strategy.
• The Foundation supports nutrition education and food assistance for youth and families through its hunger strategy and is especially interested in programs aimed at birth to age two.