Building Blocks for Kids

In 2005, 27 non-profits, county agencies, local, state and federal government representatives, community members, and foundations joined forces to create the Building Blocks for Kids (BBK) Collaborative. This place-based collaborative has focused on the children and families in the Iron Triangle. With the Harlem Children’s Zone as its model, BBK is committed to doing whatever is needed to reverse the present reality of poor health, low academic achievement, violence and crime, and persistent poverty for the children in the BBK “zone.”

BBK employs a collaborative approach to improve and, if needed, change service systems to better serve children and families with multiple issues. The collaborative members work as partners with parents and families in the targeted community to ensure that they play significant roles in designing, planning, and implementing BBK programs and policies.

In addition to serving on the Steering Committee, RCF plays a role in helping to implement BBK’s Emerging Technology Plan for Family Inclusion (ETPFI) in the Coronado and Santa Fe neighborhoods. This initiative will provide broadband access, training on basic computing, and refurbished computers to 1000 families who have children enrolled in local public schools. The plan's objectives are to digitally accelerate and improve family access to resources and to assist with education, health, and social service challenges that impact family life in the Iron Triangle.

www.bbk-richmond.org