City Connects: Whole child approach helps low-income children thrive

City Connects has emerged as a national model for addressing out-of-school challenges—such as poor health care or lack of enrichment—that discourage low-income students from learning and thriving. Rooted in developmental science research, the program applies a “whole child” approach to intellectual, social, emotional, spiritual, and physical development. And a growing body of research shows that the program produces measurable and lasting effects in school and later in life. In a video, Mary Walsh and Julia MacEwan of City Connects, and Lynch School faculty Henry Braun, Eric Dearing, and Deoksoon Kim discuss the program, and how it builds “the proverbial village around the child.”