Strengthening the Central Neighborhood

Cleveland Central Promise Neighborhood

Serving and supporting our community of residents, ambassadors, children and families in the Central neighborhood. Family Partners Initiative

The Family Partners initiative utilizes a network of experts in early childhood development, family health and social connections to build relationships with families in Cleveland’s Central neighborhood, affirm their strengths and areas for growth, and help them build the support systems necessary for positive, stable outcomes for children and caregivers alike. Experts at Promise, Family Connections/SPARK-Ohio, OhioGuidestone and Starting Point comprise the Family Partners core team.

While home visits are not a possibility during a pandemic, families still have a need for education, mental wellness and activities to do with children at home together. Family Partners worked with its families through virtual sessions and contactless supply drop-offs, ensuring little to no interruption to a family’s connection with the Family Partners network. Throughout 2020, the Family Partners core team engaged with and retained 27 Central families to provide the SPARK early learning program and connect families to additional resources, including virtual social connection opportunities through social media and Family Cafes. The core team has connected 17 families to mental health coaching and partnered with Care Alliance to provide emergency access to child psychiatric services not previously offered in Central. Even amid the adverse effects of COVID in the community, Family Partners' work in 2020 made an important impact on families. Of participating children, more than 70 percent gained learning skills in pre-literacy, and 77.5 percent of participating parents grew their ability to teach their children—which became imperative during periods of school closings and virtual learning. With a shift in priorities for families, some had a difficult time staying in contact with the Family Partners network and their parent partner. In many of these situations, a parent partner or other representative of the Family Partners initiative dropped off food items from local food pantries each week to increase connection and open conversation.

Connecting to the Classroom

As a part of the Cleveland Central Promise Scholarship program, Promise distributed 25 new Chromebooks to the 2020 cohort of scholars. This distribution allowed students to remain connected to the Promise team despite the shelter-in-place regulations. It also served as a conduit to enable scholars to participate in a virtual transitional support program throughout the month of July 2020.

Virtual learning continued in Cleveland Metropolitan School District into early 2021. To help ensure students and families in Central have the support and resources they need, community learning pods have remained opened and in active use. The King Kennedy Boys and Girls Club learning pod has remained consistent throughout the pandemic, offering uninterrupted supports to students throughout and beyond the school day.

As families in the Central community transition into their preferred learning options (in-person, virtual in-home, or hybrid, etc.), the Promise team continues to work with partners to identify, align and provide supports to families as needed.

“There is a new energy in the community to work collectively. People are feeling inspired and looking for others to join them to address historic issues such as structural racism, violence, poverty and emotional wellbeing.”

Richaun Bunton, Managing Director, Cleveland Central Promise

Testimonial from Participating Family: “[Family Partners staff] actually came and brought activities to us during quarantine and made videos for online learning. We didn’t feel like we had to do it by ourselves because we had the videos at home. They didn’t forget about us this year.”

Central's Residents Are Central's Changemakers

Family Partners During COVID-19

Family Partners’ Katlyn Woods, community mental health worker for OhioGuidestone, reminds the families of the Cleveland Central Promise Neighborhood that there are small ways that we can have discipline with our children while still creating joyful moments. Remember, there is no such thing as “the perfect parent,” especially in a pandemic.

Demetrius Carter

The Central community had a particular increase in gun violence throughout 2020, all while grappling with some of the highest COVID-19 positivity rates in Cleveland. The Cleveland Central Promise team convened the Partnership for a Safer Cleveland and MyCom to develop a strategy to target young people in the community. This collaboration led to a resident-led youth landscaping program.

Prisicella Fayne, Walter Patton

Promise Ambassadors and neighborhood residents have always been willing to support one another, and the selfless giving of time and resources has only grown within the coronavirus pandemic. In this video, Joe Black, now program officer at SOCF Cleveland, speaks to Ambassadors Walter Patton and Prisicella Fayne about the work they do in the community, and highlights three major themes to providing concrete support in times of need. All PPE supplies in the video were donated by SOCF Cleveland.