Dean's NYC early education efforts sound very intriquing. "Big Apple Baby College".

[madfloridian]

Dean Pushing Big Apple 'Baby College

Now that his tenure has ended at the DNC, Dean is working to launch a school readiness program in New York City. The integrated services are expected to include home-nurse visits, parenting workshops, day care, early childhood education, and after-school programs.

"We found a school, there are some wonderful people associated with it, it has especially strong leadership, there are social services in the district," he said. "So, all the ingredients are there. And now the question is: can we coordinate it and can I come up with some money so that nobody gets left behind?"

To learn how to get this project off the ground, Dean has consulted Geoffrey Canada, the president and CEO of the Harlem Children’s Zone (HCZ), a multi-faceted anti-poverty program which includes something called "Baby College," a place where pregnant women and their significant others receive counseling on how to care for newborns.

Dean, who grew up in New York on Park Avenue, is not the only one who has looked to the HCZ program as a model.

While campaigning for president, Obama proposed replicating the Harlem program in 20 cities across the country. He said the federal government would provide half of the funding with the rest of the money coming from philanthropies and businesses.

He did something along these lines when he was governor of Vermont.

Thinking Outside the Box

EARLY CHILDHOOD INTERVENTION: Another example of Dr. Dean’s innovative thinking is the program he implemented in Vermont called, “Success by Six.” It builds upon his theory that teachers can tell by first or second grade which student is going to college and which is going to jail. They offer every new mother, not just single moms, a chance to have a home visit. 91% say yes. They are offered parenting classes, job training, childcare, healthcare and programs to keep fathers involved at no cost to the family. After 10 years they have seen a 43% decrease in child abuse and a whopping 70% decrease in cases of incest. To find out if this program works in tougher neighborhoods, they implemented a pilot program in East Los Angeles and it is just as successful.

He sounds like he will enjoy his new projects...good for him.