The CDF Freedom Schools® Program Overview

The Children’s Defense Fund Leave No Child Behind® Mission is to ensure every child a Healthy Start, a Head Start, a Fair Start, a Safe Start and a Moral Start in life and successful passage to adulthood with the help of caring families and communities.

CDF provides a strong, effective and independent voice for all the children of America who cannot vote, lobby or speak for themselves. We pay particular attention to the needs of poor and minority children and those with disabilities.

Mrs. Marian Wright EdelmanPresident

Est. 1973

Mission of the Children’s Mission of the Children’s Defense FundDefense Fund

MWE with Rep. Robert Clark (MS)

Health Coverage for All Children Campaign

Tax and Public Benefits Outreach

Student Poverty Reduction and Health

Outreach Programs

Cradle to Prison Pipeline® Campaign

Beat the Odds® Celebrations

CDF Emerging Leaders® Program

Religious Action (October Children’s

Sabbath)

Young Advocacy Leadership Training

(YALTSM) Program

CDF’s National ProgramsCDF’s National Programs

• Modeled after the intergenerational servant leadership approach used

during the Mississippi Freedom Summer Project of 1964

• Reborn in 1992 under the leadership of Marian Wright Edelman and the Children’s Defense Fund’s Black Community Crusade for Children as “parallel institutions” to provide complementary learning support

• First summer program sites were in Bennettsville, South Carolina, and

Kansas City, Missouri

• After-school model implemented post-Katrina in Mississippi and Louisiana to serve displaced and affected families

BCCC® meeting at the Rockefeller Foundation in Bellagio, Italy, 1990

CDF Freedom Schools® History

• Believing in children so that they believe in themselves.

• Empowering young adults for active lives of leadership and service to children.

• Engaging parents as guideposts on the path of hope and success. • Transforming communities through literacy and leadership development.

• Dismantling the pipeline to prison by addressing children’s health needs and modeling non-violent, conflict resolution skills to the children, youth and young adults in our care.

CDF Freedom Schools® Program 1992-2009

Collaborative ModelCollaborative Model

The Hannah Project

• All children are capable of learning at high standards.

• Appreciation and knowledge of one’s culture engenders self-worth and the ability to live in community with others.

• Literacy is essential to personal empowerment and civic responsibility.

• Learning communities that offer a sense of safety, love, caring and personal power are needed for transformative education.

• Parents are crucial partners in children’s learning and need supports to become better parents.

• As citizens, children and adults have the power to make a difference in their communities and be advocates for themselves.

Educational PhilosophyEducational Philosophy

Key Program Components:High Quality Curriculum

Intergenerational Leadership DevelopmentParent and Family Involvement

Civic Engagement and Social ActionNutrition, Health and Mental Health

Program Theme: I Can Make a Difference!

Week 1: In my SelfWeek 2: In my Family

Week 3 : In my CommunityWeek 4: In my CountryWeek 5: In my World

Week 6: With Hope, Education and Action

8:00–8:30 a.m.Breakfast with Scholars and Staff8:30–9:00 a.m.Harambee!9:00–10:30 a.m. Integrated Reading Curriculum, Pt. 1

Reading, Conflict Resolution and Social Action10:30–10:45 a.m. Morning Break10:45–11:45 a.m. Integrated Reading Curriculum, Pt. 211:45–12:00 p.m. D.E.A.R. Time

Drop Everything And Read 12:00–1:00 p.m. Lunch with Scholars and Staff 1:00–3:00 p.m. Afternoon Activities3:00 p.m. Dismissal3:30 p.m. Daily Debrief Meeting (Staff)

Typical Daily ScheduleTypical Daily Schedule

• Swahili word that means “let’s pull together”• First used by Jomo Kenyatta upon release from prison

in Kenya • Still used today to bring communities together and

resolve conflicts • Time of informal sharing to celebrate selves and each

other• Energizes and creates a positive atmosphere• Parents and community leaders are encouraged to

participate

Harambee! ComponentsRead Aloud

Motivational SongCheers/ChantsRecognitions

Moment of SilenceAnnouncements

Harambee!Harambee!

Integrated Reading Integrated Reading CurriculumCurriculum

The CDF Freedom Schools Integrated Reading Curriculum:

• Engages scholars with books written by and about individuals who represent the diversity of our world.

• Emphasizes stories of children, women and men who have made a difference and encourages children to do the same.

• Helps scholars explore issues related to self-esteem and self-respect.

• Offers scholars ideas/encouragement to involve themselves in service.

• Expands scholars’ capacity to dream and to believe they can make their dreams reality.

The CDF Freedom Schools Integrated Reading Curriculum is:

• Developmentally appropriate.• Grounded in research and best practices.• Organized by grade level and features engaging activity-based

lessons.• Features cooperative group activities and conflict resolution

strategies that extend the literature-based curriculum.

• Includes a Resource Library that remains with the partner sponsor.• Features multicultural books suitable for diverse student

populations.• Gives each scholar a book for their home library each week.

Integrated Reading CurriculumIntegrated Reading Curriculum

Afternoon ActivitiesAfternoon Activities

Street Clean-ups Field Trips TheatrePerforming Arts Chess Cooking Sign Language Music Service ProjectsDance Drumming Organized SportsMulti-Media Social Action Non-Competitive Games Photography Science/Math Labs Public Speaking Storytelling Athletics Swimming Pottery Computer Lab Art

• Educationally and culturally enriching activities related to the IRC

• Age appropriate

• Arranged in a rotating schedule

• Requires advanced planning and preparation

National Day of Social ActionNational Day of Social Action

Youth Leadership DevelopmentYouth Leadership Development

Servant Leader Interns are:• Identified by local Freedom School Directors

• Trained by the CDF at Haley Farm

• Empowered as current and emerging leaders

• Given the tools to build strong and healthy communities, and

• Engaged and sustained with lasting intergenerational relationships

Achievement Gap at a GlanceAchievement Gap at a Glance

State Rank: 3 out of 10

API Score: 709

(2009)

Marin CityMLK Middle School

Mill ValleyMill Valley Middle School

State Rank: 10 out of 10

API Score: 912

(2009)

Marin Education StatisticsMarin Education Statistics

Attainment of a high school diploma is the single most effective preventive strategy against adult poverty. Yet a significant number of students do not graduate on time with a regular diploma.

• In 2008, 24 percent of California 3rd graders scored “Below Basic” or “Far Below Basic” on the California Standard’s Test (CST) English-Language Arts test.

• In Marin County, 14 percent of 3rd graders scored “Below Basic” or “Far Below Basic” on the CST English-Language Arts test, including:

– 5 percent of Asian 3rd graders;– 8 percent of White 3rd graders;– 28 percent of African-American 3rd graders;– 36 percent of Latino 3rd graders.

A three-year longitudinal study of the Kansas City CDF Freedom Schools initiative by the Philliber Research Associates of New York found that:

“The average scholar demonstrated a significant improvement in reading. End-of-year scores were 2.7 percentile points higher than assessments completed during the first week. Students in the comparison group did not demonstrate similar improvements.”

“Scholars appear to end the summer looking for more ways they can make a difference in their communities by helping others, including others they don't know.”

EvaluationEvaluation

Why Would an Episcopal Why Would an Episcopal Parish Get Involved?Parish Get Involved?

1.Today’s Gospel Story2.Area Ministry

– Embedded in community– Diversity– Collaboration

3.Millennium Development Goal #2: Achieve Universal Primary EducationEnsure that, by 2015, children everywhere, boys and girls alike, will be able to complete a full course of primary schooling.

Political will, coupled with targeted investments, have yielded widespread progress in primary school enrollment

Poverty’s grip keeps children out of school The quality of education is as important as enrollment

Next Steps: Next Steps: Financial ContributionsFinancial Contributions

Three-Year Vision

• Program is free to the scholars and families

• $91,000 investment per year– Training ~ 20%

– Operating Costs ~ 30%(art supplies, meals, field trips, parent workshops, enrichment, books, additional staff training)

– Personnel ~ 40%

– Administration ~ 10%

How Will Donations be Spent?

Over a Six-Week Program:

• Every $100 donation will provide: – Books and instructional materials for one (1) scholar, including books

to take home • Every $200 donation will provide:

– Music and art materials and supplies for (ten) 10 scholars• Every $1,000 donation will provide:

– Intensive one-week training for one (1) Servant Leader Intern  at the CDF’s Haley Farm in Tennessee

• Every $5,000 donation will provide: – Books and instructional materials for the entire program (all 50

scholars), including books to take home and a well-stocked permanent library for the site

• Every $10,000 donation will provide: – Compensation for two mental health professionals, one music

therapist, one art teacher, and one life skills counselor at a site serving 50 scholars.

Next Steps: Next Steps: Hands-On InvolvementHands-On Involvement

How Might Congregations Offer Additional Support?

Partial List:• Be a guest reader during Harambee!• Provide snacks for scholars each day• Provide transportation for 2 scholars coming from Homeward Bound• Provide housing for one of the Servant Leaders who will be

coming from Alabama• Offer services/classes for parents and/or scholars in such areas as

art, music, financial planning, health and fitness, parenting skills, conflict resolution

• Provide tickets for field trips to events such as ball games or museums

• Provide entre for tours into venues such as newspapers, retail corporate headquarters, media venues, performing arts centers, or medical facilities as a way to expand the scholar’s world view and vision of career opportunities

• Provide in-kind services including marketing, bookkeeping, graphic arts or printing

Thank You