CharityWorks transforms the lives of families and children in the Washington Metropolitan area.
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CharityWorks Partners

2009 Partner
The Friendship Public Charter School

Low-income children living within sight of the landmarks that define our nation's capital face a life of violent crime, substance abuse, unemployment and one of the worst public school systems in the nation. In the most powerful city in the most powerful country in the world, fewer than 50% of children graduate from high school. These students are failed by an ineffective system designed to warehouse rather than educate. And we all pay the price.


Outcomes for children in these neighborhoods often include high drop-out rates and more incarcerations than graduations. Recent studies show that many states determine the number of prison cells to be built in the future by how many children are not reading on grade level by the fourth grade. In D.C. more than four out of every five fourth graders in public schools are reading below grade level --- nearly 2/3 of them far below.

Yet there's hope. Friendship Public Charter School in Washington, D.C. has responded with a comprehensive program that addresses the educational and social needs of the most vulnerable in our society. More than 4,000 students in pre-kindergarten through grade 12 (approximately 10% of D.C. public school students) receive a world-class education.

More than 90% of Friendship's students are born into poverty. They arrive at Friendship with significantly below-average reading and math skills. Yet within three years, these same students are performing on or above grade level and are well on their way to developing the skills needed to attend the higher education institution of their choice and be prepared for 21st century employment.

Much more needs to be done. A house built on sand will never be stable. The same is true with education. Effective early childhood education is a necessary foundation for children to succeed.

CharityWorks and Friendship Public Charter School are joining forces to design and build early childhood centers of excellence at Friendship Public Charter School. These centers will give young learners in the District's least-advantaged neighborhoods a chance to forge their futures long before the community around them gives up on them. They will be equipped with appropriate reading, math and social fundamentals and will be ready to succeed in school.

Robust early childhood education yields higher literacy scores, more efficient math skills, and reduces high per child costs that usually come in the form of remediation over time. Friendship's early education centers of excellence will transform the lives of these three and four year olds, support their parents as partners in the educational process and put them on the path to academic achievement and a productive future.

CharityWorks and Friendship Public Charter School believe that educating these children is the true economic stimulus package. As they acquire the tools to pursue their dreams, these children come to believe that anything they can imagine is indeed possible.