The CDF Freedom Schools®
Program Overview
Mission of the Children’s
Defense Fund
The Children’s Defense Fund Leave No Child Behind®
Mission is to ensure every child a Healthy Start, a
Head Start, a Fair Start, a Safe Start and a Moral Start
in life and successful passage to adulthood with the help
of caring families and communities.
CDF provides a strong, effective and independent voice
for all the children of America who cannot vote, lobby
or speak for themselves. We pay particular attention to
the needs of poor and minority children and those with
disabilities.
Mrs. Marian Wright Edelman
President
Est. 1973
MWE with Rep. Robert Clark (MS)
CDF’s National Programs
Health Coverage for All Children Campaign
Tax and Public Benefits Outreach
Student Poverty Reduction and Health Outreach Programs
Cradle to Prison Pipeline® Campaign
Beat the Odds® Celebrations
CDF Emerging Leaders® Program
Religious Action (October Children’s Sabbath)
Young Advocacy Leadership Training (YALTSM) Program
CDF Freedom Schools® History
• Modeled after the intergenerational servant leadership approach used
during the Mississippi Freedom Summer Project of 1964
• Reborn in 1992 under the leadership of Marian Wright Edelman and the
Children’s Defense Fund’s Black Community Crusade for
Children as “parallel institutions” to provide complementary
learning support
• First summer program sites were in Bennettsville, South Carolina, and
Kansas City, Missouri
• After-school model implemented postKatrina in Mississippi and Louisiana
to serve displaced and affected families
BCCC® meeting at the Rockefeller
Foundation in Bellagio, Italy, 1990
CDF Freedom Schools® Program
1992-2009
• Believing in children so that they believe in themselves.
• Empowering young adults for active lives of leadership
and service to children.
• Engaging parents as guideposts on the path of
hope and success.
• Transforming communities through literacy and
leadership development.
• Dismantling the pipeline to prison by addressing
children’s health needs and modeling non-violent,
conflict resolution skills to the children, youth
and young adults in our care.
Collaborative Model
The Hannah Project
Educational Philosophy
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All children are capable of learning at high standards.
Appreciation and knowledge of one’s culture engenders self-worth
and the ability to live in community with others.
Literacy is essential to personal empowerment and civic
responsibility.
Learning communities that offer a sense of safety, love, caring and
personal power are needed for transformative education.
Parents are crucial partners in children’s learning and need
supports to become better parents.
As citizens, children and adults have the power to make a
difference in their communities and be advocates for themselves.
Program Theme:
I Can Make a Difference!
Week 1: In my Self
Week 2: In my Family
Week 3 : In my Community
Week 4: In my Country
Week 5: In my World
Week 6: With Hope, Education and Action
Key Program Components:
High Quality Curriculum
Intergenerational Leadership Development
Parent and Family Involvement
Civic Engagement and Social Action
Nutrition, Health and Mental Health
Typical Daily Schedule
8:00–8:30 a.m.
8:30–9:00 a.m.
9:00–10:30 a.m.
10:30–10:45 a.m.
10:45–11:45 a.m.
11:45–12:00 p.m.
12:00–1:00 p.m.
1:00–3:00 p.m.
3:00 p.m.
3:30 p.m.
Breakfast with Scholars and Staff
Harambee!
Integrated Reading Curriculum, Pt. 1
Reading, Conflict Resolution and Social Action
Morning Break
Integrated Reading Curriculum, Pt. 2
D.E.A.R. Time
Drop Everything And Read
Lunch with Scholars and Staff
Afternoon Activities
Dismissal
Daily Debrief Meeting (Staff)
Harambee!
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Swahili word that means “let’s pull together”
First used by Jomo Kenyatta upon release from prison in Kenya
Still used today to bring communities together and resolve conflicts
Time of informal sharing to celebrate selves and each other
Energizes and creates a positive atmosphere
Parents and community leaders are encouraged to participate
Harambee! Components
Read Aloud
Motivational Song
Cheers/Chants
Recognitions
Moment of Silence
Announcements
Integrated Reading Curriculum
The CDF Freedom Schools Integrated Reading Curriculum:
• Engages scholars with books written by and about individuals
who represent the diversity of our world.
• Emphasizes stories of children, women and men who have made
a difference and encourages children to do the same.
• Helps scholars explore issues related to self-esteem and self-respect.
• Offers scholars ideas/encouragement to involve themselves in service.
• Expands scholars’ capacity to dream and to believe they can
make their dreams reality.
Integrated Reading Curriculum
The CDF Freedom Schools Integrated Reading Curriculum is:
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Developmentally appropriate.
Grounded in research and best practices.
Organized by grade level and features engaging activity-based lessons.
Features cooperative group activities and conflict resolution strategies that extend
the literature-based curriculum.
Includes a Resource Library that remains with the partner sponsor.
Features multicultural books suitable for diverse student populations.
Gives each scholar a book for their home library each week.
Afternoon Activities
• Educationally and culturally enriching activities related to the IRC
• Age appropriate
• Arranged in a rotating schedule
• Requires advanced planning and preparation
Street Clean-ups
Performing Arts
Sign Language
Dance
Multi-Media
Photography
Storytelling
Pottery
Field Trips
Chess
Music
Drumming
Social Action
Science/Math Labs
Athletics
Computer Lab
Theatre
Cooking
Service Projects
Organized Sports
Non-Competitive Games
Public Speaking
Swimming
Art
National Day of Social Action
Youth Leadership Development
Servant Leader Interns are:
• Identified by local Freedom School Directors
• Trained by the CDF at Haley Farm
• Empowered as current and emerging leaders
• Given the tools to build strong and healthy communities, and
• Engaged and sustained with lasting intergenerational relationships
Achievement Gap at a Glance
Marin City
MLK Middle School
Mill Valley
Mill Valley Middle School
State Rank: 3 out of 10
State Rank: 10 out of 10
API Score: 709
(2009)
API Score: 912
(2009)
Marin Education Statistics
Attainment of a high school diploma is the single most effective preventive strategy against
adult poverty. Yet a significant number of students do not graduate on time with a
regular diploma.
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In 2008, 24 percent of California 3rd graders scored “Below Basic” or “Far Below
Basic” on the California Standard’s Test (CST) English-Language Arts test.
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In Marin County, 14 percent of 3rd graders scored “Below Basic” or “Far Below Basic”
on the CST English-Language Arts test, including:
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5 percent of Asian 3rd graders;
8 percent of White 3rd graders;
28 percent of African-American 3rd graders;
36 percent of Latino 3rd graders.
Evaluation
A three-year longitudinal study of the Kansas City CDF
Freedom Schools initiative by the Philliber Research
Associates of New York found that:
“The average scholar demonstrated a
significant improvement in reading. End-ofyear scores were 2.7 percentile points higher than
assessments completed during the first week.
Students in the comparison group did not
demonstrate similar improvements.”
“Scholars appear to end the summer looking for
more ways they can make a difference in their
communities by helping others, including others
they don't know.”
Why Would an Episcopal
Parish Get Involved?
1. Today’s Gospel Story
2. Area Ministry
– Embedded in community
– Diversity
– Collaboration
3. Millennium Development Goal #2:
Achieve Universal Primary Education
Ensure that, by 2015, children everywhere, boys and girls alike, will be able to
complete a full course of primary schooling.
 Political will, coupled with targeted investments, have yielded widespread
progress in primary school enrollment
 Poverty’s grip keeps children out of school
 The quality of education is as important as enrollment
Next Steps:
Financial Contributions
Three-Year Vision
• Program is free to the scholars and families
• $91,000 investment per year
– Training ~ 20%
– Operating Costs ~ 30%
(art supplies, meals, field trips, parent workshops,
enrichment, books, additional staff training)
– Personnel ~ 40%
– Administration ~ 10%
How Will Donations be Spent?
Over a Six-Week Program:
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Every $100 donation will provide:
– Books and instructional materials for one (1) scholar, including books to take home
Every $200 donation will provide:
– Music and art materials and supplies for (ten) 10 scholars
Every $1,000 donation will provide:
– Intensive one-week training for one (1) Servant Leader Intern at the CDF’s Haley Farm
in Tennessee
Every $5,000 donation will provide:
– Books and instructional materials for the entire program (all 50 scholars), including
books to take home and a well-stocked permanent library for the site
Every $10,000 donation will provide:
– Compensation for two mental health professionals, one music therapist, one art teacher,
and one life skills counselor at a site serving 50 scholars.
Next Steps:
Hands-On Involvement
How Might Congregations Offer Additional Support?
Partial List:
• Be a guest reader during Harambee!
• Provide snacks for scholars each day
• Provide transportation for 2 scholars coming from Homeward Bound
• Provide housing for one of the Servant Leaders who will be coming from
Alabama
• Offer services/classes for parents and/or scholars in such areas as art, music,
financial planning, health and fitness, parenting skills, conflict resolution
• Provide tickets for field trips to events such as ball games or museums
• Provide entre for tours into venues such as newspapers, retail corporate
headquarters, media venues, performing arts centers, or medical facilities as a way
to expand the scholar’s world view and vision of career opportunities
• Provide in-kind services including marketing, bookkeeping, graphic arts or
printing
Thank You