Over the last three years, BUILD awardees have been building community power and changing systems to create healthier neighborhoods. This story features the Families First in Franklin Park collaborative in Allentown, PA.
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The Families First in Franklin Park collaborative in Allentown, Pennsylvania, is a cross-sector partnership focused on strengthening health and education equity for local families. The collaborative focused its efforts on early childhood education because evidence shows it is an important factor that contributes to lifelong health.
In one example of responding to key priorities of neighborhood residents, the collaborative established the UPLIFT Afterschool Program. Local partners committed to a long-term strategy of community-centered engagement and have become an established and built a trusted presence in the Franklin Park neighborhood.
Over the past three years, the collaborative has:
- Aligned a diverse group of cross-sector partners to provide whole-person care for new moms, children, and families;
- Established the UPLIFT Afterschool Program for children in kindergarten through 8th grade;
- Built lasting relationships with Franklin Park residents through an extensive series of listening sessions, community meetings, and family-friendly events.
Read about the BUILD Allentown initiative, and learn more.
“Families consistently saw that in all aspects we were willing to help, willing to get involved, willing to get other community organizations all together to help the neighborhood. “
In honor of BUILD’s tenth anniversary in 2025, we interviewed the Allentown partners. Listen here to learn more about what their work together has unlocked.
