What We Do

Deep, intractable poverty and its related issues has a negative impact on children and families across the social determinants of health. Children who grow up in this kind of poverty are at risk for compromised development and poor educational outcomes. Preschool is critical to improving outcomes, but research indicates that preschool alone is not enough. Children must be afforded equitable education at high functioning schools and long-term support for their families. In 2017 Face to Face partnered with a high-quality preschool provider, Mercy Neighborhood Ministries, to offer 60 students at Face to Face high quality Head Start. Face to Face will help stabilize and empower families to break the cycle of poverty for the next generation by establishing relationships with the children’s families, supporting familial bonds, assisting with employment, housing, benefits, etc. to improve the families’ well-being, connecting them to quality elementary education and providing on-going support.

Face to Face works to ensure families living in poverty have the resources they need to successfully manage their child’s educational experiences from Kindergarten through High School and even college. Face to Face employs three strategies: engage the families of the pre-school children to build trust, develop relationships with area schools to enable a seamless admission/scholarship process, and connect the families to our meals and legal, social, and health services and other community resources to alleviate stressors in family life. Once transitioned to elementary school, Face to Face will continue to support families. We envision these relationships continuing throughout the child’s school experience. This three-pronged, evidenced-based approach will mitigate the long-term consequences of growing up in poverty.