Collaboration with Communities
We have a track record for working with communities and as a result HAF’s first efforts centered on developing capital to foster new approaches and expand the reach of proven solutions. This was based on initial interviews with community-based organization (CBO) leaders who made clear that they had specific needs that go beyond that of a typical capital campaign aimed towards a building. We also worked to bring the PACE (Programs of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly) model to local communities.
In an ongoing partnership, HAF established the Nuestros Niños effort and a partnership with Sesame Street in Communities now known as Sesame Workshop. Working together, we are fostering collaborations with communities to create a future in which all children have the support they need in the first years of life to grow smarter, stronger, and kinder to shape a better world and future for all. Nuestros Niños supports families and those providing early childhood services and distributed over 150,000 free Sesame Street bilingual toolkits for families and providers and books for kids. In Hispanic early childhood services centers we opened Sesame Street Comfy-Cozy Spaces in 20 cities bringing Elmo and friends to Hispanic family community events. Sesame Street resources include: Book Buddies (Book); Comfy Cozy Nest (Book); Here for Each Other (PDF), and videos below.
For more free resources visit https://sesameworkshop.org/resources/ (English)
18 years of success with ¡Vive tu vida! Get Up! Get Moving!® shows the tremendous collaborative capacity that local organizations can mobilize, leveraging seed grants 10 to 1 to deliver services to over a quarter million families including over 100,000 free health screenings powered by over 500 partner groups and 50,000 volunteer hours. During the COVID-19 pandemic, we used virtual platforms to continue to serve our families.
We have learned that the strategy of developing a model and scaling up often ignores the resources, strengths, and needs of communities. As a result, we collaborate with communities by listening to their needs and developing innovative interventions to build on their resources.
Our collaborative efforts resonate to the needs of the communities we serve.