Zone 126 Overview
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About Zone 126 Promise Neighborhood
The Zone 126 Promise Neighborhood is an organization recently developed with the support of The Elmezzi Foundation.
The Mission of the Zone 126 Promise Neighborhood is to dramatically increase the number of low-income children in Long Island City & Astoria who complete high school, graduate from college, and enter adulthood with the knowledge and skills necessary to participate in the 21st century world.
Our Vision is that every child in Long Island City & Astoria, Queens – from birth to college – has sufficient access to 1) caring adults, 2) effective education, 3) preventive and medical health services, 4) a safe neighborhood, and 5) opportunities to help others.
Our Approach is to create a unique partnership among neighborhood schools, service providers, community residents, private corporations, experts and funders to build a pipeline of services and supports for all children in Long Island City & Astoria, Queens.
The short-term goals of Zone 126 is to 1) win a Federal Department of Education Promise Neighborhood Planning Grant, 2) spend 12 months working with schools, service providers, residents and other stakeholders to answer the question “what would it take to ensure every child in Astoria Houses (approximately 2,400 children) is adequately supported, from cradle to college?”
The long-term goals of Zone 126 are to 1) attract the resources necessary to implement the Astoria Houses plan, 2) facilitate similar planning processes for Ravenswood Houses and Queensbridge houses, 3) implement those plans, and 4) closely track each implementation to ensure effective programs and services are being provided to children.
The Core Principles that will inform our process are: 1) The children and schools must be at the center of everything we do, 2) Accountability, excellence, and data-driven results are fundamental to success, 3) Close, continual collaboration among partners is complex, but essential, 4) Resident engagement and input should be involved in all decision-making.
