Impact

Since winning a Promise Neighborhood planning grant in 2010, DCPNI has completed 18 months of planning and nearly 12 months of program piloting and implementation. We currently have 43 partners. Through the services and programming provided by DCPNI and our partners, we’ve provided over 3632 services to positively impact students and their families.  We are working to expand and scale up programs to accommodate more children and families. DCPNI has also achieved some key milestones in the development of the organization, including:

  • Established DCPNI as an independent nonprofit organization.
  • Launched Summer Programming (Digital Media Academy, Fishing School, Boys and Girls Club).
  • Initiated a Promise Ambassadors Program to engage residents in community outreach efforts.
  • Assisted in the successful transfer of 41% of Kenilworth Elementary School students to Neval Thomas Elementary after Kenilworth closed, and negotiated transportation services for transferring students.
  • Launched Fall Programming (Parent Academy at Kenilworth, Out of School Time at Kenilworth, Out of School at Chavez-Parkside High School, and Parent Resource Center at Neval Thomas Elementary School).
  • Completed highly successful DCPNI Neighborhood and School Climate surveys, which will establish important baseline data on the community and metrics for our work.
  • Received additional funding and support from organizations including, the Community Foundation of the National Capital Region, Consumer Health Foundation, DC LISC, Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer Foundation, JP Morgan Chase, Taproot Foundation, and Washington Area Women’s Foundation.
  • Convened seven Innovation Group meetings with 30 of our K-12, College & Career, and Family & Community Supports partners to share programmatic information, identify areas of overlap and collaboration, and begin to link individual programs to help create DCPNI’s cradle to career pipeline.
  • Developed relationships with key stakeholders and new partners, including the D.C. Department of Health, D.C. Council Health and Education Committee Chairs, and Comcast Corporation.
  • Broke ground on two key facilities instrumental to our continuum- a new Educare DC early learning center that provides a state-of-the-art, full-day, full-year program serving at-risk children from birth to age five which opened in the summer of 2012, and a Unity Healthcare Clinic opening in winter 2013
  • Established our Principals Council. Breaking down traditional  ilos, DCPNI brought together the principals of two public charter schools and two traditional DC public schools (DCPS) for regular joint strategic planning. This achievement cannot be overstated, as strife between DCPS and public charter schools has run deep and there is little evidence of such close planning and coordination happening elsewhere across the city.
  • Engaged residents and community groups in a multi-faceted planning process that included 10 Results Driven Work Groups, focus groups, planning retreats, monthly community engagement dinners, weekly footprint tours and extensive community outreach at the neighborhood level.
  • Collaborated with the DC Housing Authority on a successful Choice Housing grant application in which DCPNI is the Education Implementation Entity. The DC Housing Authority (DCHA) and DCPNI have been closely coordinating planning efforts, sharing data and resources, conducting work groups and joint community meetings, and implementing joint programming since the spring of 2010.
  • Developed our Five Promises for Two Generations strategy, working with national partners and researching two-generation programs around the country.
  • Solidified DC Promise Neighborhood Initiative by formalizing commitments with a range of partners and providers, and launching ten Research and Development Working Groups.
  • Established a Permanent DCPNI Board and worked with the Mosaica
    enter for Nonprofit Development and Pluralism to develop bylaws, a governance structure, and an operating budget, and raised over $1.5 million to support DCPNI’s programming and sustainability.
  • Engaged the Urban Institute to conduct the community needs assessment and segmentation analysis, and identified key findings to drive and shape DCPNI’s continuum.
  • Submitted a $28 million Implementation Grant proposal to the Department of Education in July of 2012.

DCPNI tracks a list of indicators prescribed the by the Department of Education. DCPNI works toward annual goals to increase the number of:
  • Children entering kindergarten ready to learn
  • Students are proficient in core academic subjects
  • Students successfully transition from middle grades to high school
  • Youth graduating from high school
  • High school graduates obtaining post secondary degree, certification or credential
  • Students who are healthy
  • Students who feel safe at school and in their community
  • Students who live in stable communities
  • Families and community members supporting learning in PN schools
  • Students who have access to 21st century learning tools