Partners for Education at Berea College (PFE) is engaged in a large scale collective impact effort in the Kentucky Promise Zone and Promise Neighborhoods as part of our mission to collaborate with schools, families and community partners to meet the educational needs of all Appalachian students. The counties featured in this project were selected based on their “Promise” designations and participation in this collective work.
WHAT IS THE KENTUCKY PROMISE ZONE?
In his 2013 State of the Union Address, President Obama laid out an initiative to designate a number of communities as Promise Zones. These zones are identifiable as high-poverty urban, rural and tribal communities. The federal government will partner with and invest in communities to create jobs, leverage private investment, increase economic activity, expand educational opportunities and reduce violent crime.
The Southeastern Kentucky Promise Zone is the first rural Promise Zone. It includes Bell, Clay, Harlan, Knox, Leslie, Letcher, Perry and Whitley Counties.
More about the Kentucky Promise Zone: http://www.kypromisezone.com/
More about Promise Zones nationwide: https://www.hudexchange.info/programs/promise-zones/promise-zones-overview/
WHAT ARE THE KENTUCKY PROMISE NEIGHBORHOODS?
The Promise Neighborhood program supports a continuum of services for youth from cradle-to-career. Promise Neighborhood partners with schools and community based organizations to provide workshops, public health initiatives, community safety programs, and educational support for all children within the Neighborhood from early childhood to age 24.
Starting in 2012, the Berea College Promise Neighborhood was the first rural Promise Neighborhood and includes Clay, Jackson and Owsley Counties. Partners for Education at Berea College launched an additional Promise Neighborhood initiative in Knox County in 2017 and will begin in Perry County in 2018.