Home, School, and the Heart of a Thriving Neighborhood
As summer fades and school doors swing open, we’re reminded that learning doesn’t begin with the sound of a bell. A child’s journey to academic success is shaped by their home, their neighborhood, and the daily rhythms of their family life.
At Purpose Built Communities®, we believe education is more than just a curriculum. It’s about the entire ecosystem that surrounds a child. That’s why our model doesn’t isolate schools as standalone solutions but integrates them within a holistic neighborhood strategy. When stable housing, high-quality public education, accessible healthcare and wellness resources, and economic opportunity are all working in tandem, the impact is transformative for individual students and for generations of students.
This work reflects Purpose Built’s deep commitment to child and family well-being. We recognize that student success is inextricably linked to what’s happening at home, in the neighborhood, and in a child’s daily experience. When any link in the cradle-to-career education pipeline, from infancy to college, is weakened by housing instability, health challenges, or limited school performance, children are more likely to fall behind. Our model is designed to bridge every gap, ensuring continuity, care, and connection throughout a child’s development.
The Challenges Facing Our Schools
Across the United States, communities are grappling with barriers that limit access to early learning, from gaps in childcare availability to the broader impacts of poverty and inequity. In Georgia, as in many states, these challenges are stark: state data shows that only about 40% of the estimated demand for childcare and early learning for children under age 5 is met by current capacity in quality-rated programs or school-based Pre-K. As a result, many children begin kindergarten without the foundational skills they need, adding stress to already overburdened classrooms and educators. In neighborhoods experiencing economic instability, housing insecurity, and health disparities, schools are often expected to do more with less.
The Georgia Experience: Five Communities, One Shared Goal
To combat the challenges facing parents’ needs for early learning childcare, Purpose Built Communities leveraged grant funding from the Georgia Power Foundation and our partnership with the Low Income Investment Fund (LIIF) to better understand and address these challenges. We explored what neighborhood challenges and obstacles were playing a role in the limited access of neighborhood children to Early Learning. Five neighborhoods, four Purpose Built Network Members, and one community preparing to join the Network engaged their residents and childcare providers in an assessment to identify local assets, challenges, and opportunities. Together with their communities, they began to imagine long and short-term solutions that addressed increased access, improved quality, availability, and affordability.
Looking Ahead
With those assessments now complete, Purpose Built Communities is working hand in hand with these Network Members to bring new solutions to life, solutions that place children and families at the center of neighborhood transformation. These efforts are now evolving into community-driven strategies that continue to grow and adapt, that keep children and families front and center as we build thriving ecosystems in these neighborhoods. As these Georgia communities demonstrate, early learning is not a luxury. It’s a necessity. The work unfolding in Georgia neighborhoods is laying the groundwork for generations of success.
