REALIZING PROMISE: Nurturing Children and Building Community in Chicago's Woodlawn Neighborhood

Initiated in 2009 by Bishop Arthur M. Brazier, the Woodlawn Children’s Promise Community (WCPC) is a community-based organization acting as a catalyst for change in Chicago’s Woodlawn neighborhood. The WCPC models itself after the Harlem Children’s Zone and other “Promise Neighborhoods” in its effort to create a “pipeline” of programs to support children from early childhood through young adulthood. In conjunction with the WCPC, the Chicago Policy Research Team (CPRT) investigated how to best address challenges related to early childhood development, public schools, after-school programs, children’s health care, and public safety in Woodlawn. This report is a culmination of that research and our rewarding collaboration with the WCPC. The CPRT is comprised of 73 undergraduates in the University of Chicago’s Public Policy Studies Program.