Leaders and Partners Gather to Announce $70M Initiative

POSTED BY SBCS | Mar, 13, 2019 |

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San Diego, CA – San Diego County Supervisor Greg Cox and San Diego Mayor Kevin Falconer along with more than 40 civic, school, nonprofit, and business leaders gathered at Perkins K-8 in Barrio Logan to celebrate the announcement of a $30 million Promise Neighborhoods grant from the U.S. Department of Education over five years.

Coordinated by South Bay Community Services (SBCS), San Diego Promise Neighborhood (SDPromise) brings together a collaboration of partners including three school districts, local government agencies, non-profit organizations, health services and businesses to develop and implement a seamless continuum of ‘cradle to career’ solutions for Barrio Logan, Logan Heights, and San Ysidro neighborhood. In addition, partners have committed to matching funds amounting to $39 million making the total investment of nearly $70 million for holistic opportunities and services that will support SDPromise children from the minute they are born to college completion.

Along with Supervisor Cox and Mayor Faulconer, San Diego Unified School District (SDUSD) Superintendent Cindy Marten, San Ysidro School District (SYSD) Superintendent Gina Potter, Sweetwater Union High School District (SUHSD) Superintendent Dr. Karen Janney, SBCS President/CEO Kathryn Lembo, Director of Central & South Regions – County of San Diego Health & Human Services Barbara Jimenez, Manpower CEO Phil Blair, Barrio Logan College Institute CEO Jose Cruz, Barrio Station CEO Rachel Ortiz, San Ysidro Health President/CEO Kevin Mattson, Casa Familiar CEO Lisa Cuestas, Say San Diego President/CEO Nancy Gannon Hornberger, The Children’s Initiative CEO Sandy McBrayer, San Diego Futures Foundation Executive Director Gary Knight, Southwestern College Trustee Nora Vargas, Former San Diego Councilmember David Álvarez, Perkins K-8 Principal Fernando Hernandez, Perkins K-8 student leaders and leadership from SANDAG, Chicano Federation, ARTS, UCSD, and partner organizations attended the celebration.

“As a community, we came together to develop the most comprehensive plan that is data-driven and results-based, and we will continue to enhance and expand through each step of the initiative,” SBCS President/CEO Lembo said. “What makes it so special is knowing how much the schools, parents, and children will benefit. This will give our young people an incredible opportunity to be healthier and more successful in school and life.”

With strong schools at the heart of the comprehensive plan and opportunities extending beyond the school walls, SDPromise pipeline of services will offer various services and programs focused on family, education, health and community for the San Diego neighborhoods and target schools including Smythe Elementary School, Perkins K-8, Logan Complex, San Ysidro Middle and High Schools. By being on school campuses, SDPromise partners can provide support to struggling students as well as resources and support to our teachers, counselors, and administrators as well. The initiative will simultaneously provide parents with resources they need to overcome barriers and support their child’s success, so that neighborhood will no longer define which students succeed in college, career and beyond.

“The San Diego Promise Neighborhood initiative will serve as a valuable resource for our students, staff, and parents. I believe the grant funding offered under this initiative will provide support in the areas we have identified such as education, mental health, and family assistance,” SDUSD Superintendent Marten said. “We are committed to working with San Diego Promise Neighborhood partners, so our students are prepared to graduate as contributing members of society who are ready for college and careers.”

The U.S. Department of Education’s Promise Neighborhoods initiative launched in 2010 to support innovative strategies that bring together public and private partners to help break the cycle of intergenerational poverty. SDPromise will join Chula Vista Promise Neighborhood as one of two in San Diego County. To date, there are more than 20 Promise Neighborhoods in the nation.

In 2012, Chula Vista Promise Neighborhood (CVPromise) was one of 12 Promise Neighborhoods in the nation. In 2018, CVPromise received a two-year extension. Coordinated by SBCS, CVPromise partners have developed a nationally successful research-based, data-driven academic intervention model supporting students and families of the Castle Park neighborhood in the City of Chula Vista. In six years, the data shows an increase in all interventions including academic achievement, attendance, college attainment and persistence, parent involvement, as well as the increase of civic and community engagement.

SDPromise partners include South Bay Community Services, SDUSD, SYSD, SUHSD, ARTS (A Reason to Survive), Barrio Logan College Institute, Barrio Station, Casa Familiar, CAST, Chicano Federation, The Children’s Initiative, The County of San Diego; Manpower of San Diego, OCL Group, San Ysidro Health Center, San Diego Future’s Foundation, SAY San Diego, San Diego Unified School District, SANDAG, Sweetwater Union High School District and UCSD: Extension.

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