Atlanta Civic Site

We seek to help kids succeed in school and improve health, economic opportunities and neighborhoods for children and families.

• Through the Dunbar Learning Complex, providing kids with effective teachers, a learning environment geared toward their needs and comprehensive physical, mental, social and emotional care — and helping parents become actively involved in their child’s development.
• Building a statewide coalition of public and private stakeholders to increase third-grade reading proficiency in Georgia.
• Connecting parents and other adults to job opportunities, training, education and resources such as the earned income tax credit and other benefits.
• Awarding grants to residents seeking to improve their community, training new resident leaders and helping people advocate for their neighborhoods.
• Redeveloping more than 50 vacant and foreclosed properties and attracting business and jobs to the area.
• Through a statewide campaign, advocating policy changes so that people with criminal records can get jobs, homes and an education to support themselves and their families.

• The state-of-the-art Dunbar Learning Complex has improved young kids’ readiness for school and become a model for early childhood education.
• Educare Atlanta has seen a nearly 40% jump in babies and toddlers meeting or exceeding literacy expectations and 35% increase in parent employment. Nearly 100% of kids enrolled in the school’s health program had an annual primary care visit and received proper immunizations.
• More than $160 million in public and private funds has been invested in new and redeveloped housing and mixed-income rental units in NPU-V, which has also seen the opening of renovated community and recreation centers that offer programs and activities for teens.
• Nearly $20 million in funds raised for educational programs and services.
• The efforts of the Georgia Justice Project led to new state legislation that could remove barriers to employment for more than 3 million Georgians with criminal records.

Our Atlanta Civic Site team brings together civic, education, nonprofit and business partners to promote high-quality education for kids, economic opportunity for their parents and safety and stability in their communities. To those ends,we use the following core strategies:

• Providing high-quality early childhood and elementary education for kids and supporting their healthy development to build a solid foundation for academic success.
• Increasing reading proficiency among Georgia’s children.
• Engaging parents in their child’s education.
• Helping parents and other residents become financially stable and support their families.
• Addressing the needs of kids and their parents at the same time.
• Building up resident leaders to advocate for their neighborhoods.
• Transforming NPU-V into a community with actively involved residents, safe and affordable housing and access to educational, work and business opportunities for kids and families.
• Continually evaluating the effectiveness of investments and programs for children and families.
• Removing barriers to employment.

• This comprehensive neighborhood-focused data project inspired the creation of an online database for all metro Atlanta communities.
• Residents are essential to community change. Learn how we've helped build community ownership of the process.
• Our Plain Talk initiative provides a concrete example of giving community residents the tools to take the lead and support their young people.
• Read more about our civic site effort to help kids and their parents succeed — at the same time.
• What is philanthropy's role in building a safety net for suburban families? Brookings explores what foundations are doing to support low-income individuals and families living outside urban areas.
• This Urban Institute report highlights how eight cities, including Atlanta, strengthened services key to school readiness.
• Check out this Atlanta Public Schools video on the Dunbar Learning Complex.
• Learn more about Paul L. Dunbar Elementary School.
• Educare Atlanta joined the Educare network in 2012. Read more about this elite group of high-performing early learning schools.