Growing wealth inequalities and wage gaps increasingly disadvantage women—and particularly women of color—in the United States. Without support to overcome these systemic barriers, low-income single mothers often struggle to balance career-track educational attainment with the costs of safe housing and quality childcare.
No mother should have to make the untenable decision between investing in herself and her children.
Jeremiah Program’s holistic, two-generational model proves that we can break the cycle of poverty and support low-income parents and children in sustaining success and prosperity. We do this by equipping single moms with the tools they need to design and build their futures and become the leaders our communities need.
Jeremiah Program works with communities where:
- Leaders understand that single mothers and young children living in poverty is a social justice issue
- Local colleges partner with community organizations to increase the success rate for nontraditional students
- Businesses invest in the local community and prioritize living wages for families
- Early childhood education is valued and viewed as a right for all children
- Government resources for the most vulnerable citizens are not compromised by their choice to pursue higher education
JP In Your Community
If you believe single mothers in your community could benefit from JP’s two-generation model, connect with us by writing to info@jeremiahprogram.org.
Phases of Implementation
What does it look like when JP expands to a new community? Every campus is different, but here’s an overview of how the process usually works.
- Cultivation. Jeremiah responds to sparks of interest from a community, asking whether there is sufficient influence within education, government, philanthropy, business, or faith communities. A preliminary assessment is made of local capacity and of leadership’s understanding of the two-generation model.
- Exploration. Jeremiah fully assesses the feasibility of a program in a specific community, testing for adequate leadership, willing organizational partners, and possibilities for lead funding.
- Pre-development. A community moves to planning for a campus or non-residential model when there is a critical mass of leadership and funding to launch the project. JP hires local leaders to guide volunteers and work with partners (e.g., housing, education, etc.).
- Development. A community begins building a residential campus or establishing a home for non-residential programs. Staff and programming are added. With local leadership, decisions are made regarding a campus building (e.g., Will a building be co-developed/co-owned? How will any partners be involved with the start-up, launch, and operation?)
- Operation. Jeremiah Program is fully operating in a community. The focus is on creating sustainability with staff, board, volunteers, and fundraising, as well as on increasing the impact and effectiveness of the program