Family Success Alliance

Though most of Orange County’s public bodies are in recess until after the new year, there are two key meetings happening this week. First, on Tuesday, a committee of elected officials, county board members and staff will hear presentations as to which zones should be selected to the first to benefit from the county’s new Family Success Alliance program. Then on Thursday, the Chapel Hill-Carrboro School Board will discuss its growth plan, consider revising its policy on class rank and make committee assignments.

Here’s the full summary:

CARRBORO BOARD OF ALDERPERSONS

• The Board is in recess until Tuesday, January 13.

CHAPEL HILL TOWN COUNCIL

• The Chapel Hill Town Council is in recess until Monday, January 5.

CHAPEL HILL-CARRBORO BOARD OF EDUCATION

Recently, the Orange County Health Department launched plans for the Family Success Alliance, modeled after the success of the Harlem Children’s Zone. 

With its inception as the Rheedlen Centers for Children and Families in 1970, the Harlem Children’s Zone aims to disrupt generational poverty with a holistic, long-term approach providing education and support from early childhood through college, supportive services to families to prevent homelessness, and health services including obesity prevention.  Serving over 13,000 children and 13,000 adults in 97 blocks of Central Harlem, the engaged children (70% in the served blocks) have a 92% college acceptance rate, 100% of pre-K participants are assessed as school ready, and the 800 local employees fuel economic growth.  The Harlem Children’s Zone also serves as the Model for President Obama’s Promise Neighborhood Initiative that has awarded 58 grants to communities across the country to implement similar programs.