Support CFA

Our vision for Baltimore’s children is grounded in the voices of the community – and we want to build on our 25 years of reach and influence to achieve greater outcomes for children and families.

Your support will help us:

Expand our reach to serve more schools and more families.

Increase physical, social, and mental health partnerships.

Diversify our funding to sustain current programs.

Broaden our program offerings to better engage middle schoolers.

Reestablish our advocacy presence in the education and youth development landscape.

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Give a gift and watch it make a difference. Here are a few things even a modest gift can do for our students:

1995/1996

Voter accountability session with the Mayoral candidates; Baltimoreans United in Leadership Development organized listening campaign with citizens that identified afterschool programming as key need in the city; City Ordinance granted that created Baltimore Child First Authority.

1996

1996

Kermit "KC" Burton named first Executive Director of Child First Authority.

1997

1997

Carol Dunston Reckling named Executive Director.

1997

1997

Governor Parris Glendening earmarked $500,000 in dedicated state funding to Child First Authority; earmark still exist in state budget today.

2000

Grant from Abell Foundation to develop our own curriculum to boost academics in Out of School Time Program.

2000

Received initial funding from
Family League of Baltimore.

2002

2002

“We are not leaving without a meeting.” Action against Department of Human Resources to maintain state earmark.

2004

2004

CFA held the first Show What You Know student showcase.

2008

High Expectations - In partnership with Baltimore City Public Schools Office of Partnerships, Communications & Community Engagement, CFA worked with William H. Lemmel and Garrison Middle School students to create a school climate and culture that supports relationships of trust with students and their parents and facilitates intervention strategies.

2009

CFA began CFA Art Core, an initiative that placed visual and performing community artists at each afterschool site to facilitate high-quality arts instruction.

2009

2009

Baltimore Education Coalition created and Child First serves as a lead organizing member

2012

2012

Family League launches Community School Strategy and CFA becomes lead agency for community schools and OST sites

2015

2015

CFA plays pivotal role in 21st Century Building Design process at Dorothy I. Height Elementary School (then John Eager Howard)

2016

2016

Carol Reckling retires after 19 years at the helm

2016

Danista E. Hunte named 3rd Executive Director

2020

COVID-19

RESPONSE

2020

CFA Family and Community Engagement Team established during the global COVID-19 pandemic to share community resources and to provide family engagement workshops and events for parents and community