Paul Tough

Writer & Speaker

Sunday, October 4th, 2009

An Albany Children’s Zone?

According to an article in today’s Times-Union, the city of Albany, New York, is making a bid to land a Promise Neighborhood:

A group of educators, parents and elected officials has been quietly laboring for a year to establish an anti-poverty corridor in Albany that is based on Harlem Children’s Zone, an ambitious initiative to reach every child in a 100-block section of New York City and provide them and their families with social, health and educational services from birth all the way through college graduation. …

President Barack Obama’s administration has earmarked $10 million in its 2010 budget to plan how it will make Harlem Children’s Zone a national model called Promise Neighborhoods Initiative that will expand to 20 cities across the country. Details of the federal plan have not yet been released, but applications are expected to be accepted next year. Councilwoman Barbara Smith wants to ensure that Albany is on that list and she is not willing to wait for Washington before starting such a program here.


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