Less than 25 percent of Philadelphia’s youth graduate from high school with enough skills to go to college or career-training programs, according to education advocates who yesterday launched a 10-year initiative to support children through every stage of development.

“It’s not about a plan, it’s about doing the work - really doing the work,” said Rhonda H. Lauer, chief executive officer of Foundations Inc., during a packed news conference at the National Liberty Museum, 321 Chestnut St.

“Every single day we intend to be there, making sure that children and their families and every single child who lives in the KidZone will succeed,” she said.

KidZone Philadelphia is an initiative of Foundations, a national nonprofit education organization based in Moorestown, N.J.; several other organizations, and state Rep. Dwight Evans.

Over the next 10 years, young people in the city’s northwest - from prenatal nutrition through age 24 - will be served by programs and services spearheaded by Foundations, Germantown Settlement, the Reinvestment Fund, the Greater Philadelphia Urban Affairs Coalition, United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania and the Ogontz Avenue Revitalization Corp.

The mission, they said, will be accomplished through a host of services - described vaguely as a “seamless and integrated delivery system” and “a one-stop shop” for children and families - in East and West Oak Lane, Germantown, Mount Airy and Chestnut Hill.

KidZone hopes to raise $2 million from public and private sources each year of the initiative, said director Leann Ayers.

“The primary goal of KidZone is to make sure that our young people make it through each critical transition step,” Ayers said.

That starts with expectant mothers receiving proper prenatal care, and ends with young adults’ being prepared for college and work, she said.

Evans said the effort is long overdue, and he expects it to be replicated across the city.

“It’s about making a place where kids can grow up safe, sound and be the best that they can be,” he said. “A kid 8 years old now will be 18 when this is completed.”

KidZone Philadelphia’s office is at 7157 Ogontz Ave. in West Oak Lane. For more information, contact Ayers at 215-424-5810 or visit the Web sites www.kzphila.org or www.foundationsinc.org.

Source: macon.com

This entry was posted by Taman Siswa on Monday, April 24, 2006 at 5:27 am and is filed under Education News, Scholarship. Tags: College, Dwight Evans, Education News, Foundations Inc., Germantown, Germantown Settlement, Greater Philadelphia Urban Affairs Coalition, Leann Ayers, Moorestown, National Liberty Museum, New Jersey, Ogontz Avenue Revitalization Corp, Philadelphia, Reinvestment Fund, Rhonda H. Lauer, . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.