CamdenCityKids is a nonprofit organization that acts as a catalyst to bring business, government, private and public schools, nonprofit youth organizations, parents and youth together to develop and implement solutions to the education crisis that plagues the city.

Our inclusive approach allows us to work with a number of organizations, without regard to denomination or affiliation.  The challenges of providing children with an environment that will enable them to flourish academically are great and varied, continuing throughout the child’s formative years.  Solutions need to provide the necessary elements from birth until college.  Anywhere along the way children can slip through the cracks if the solutions are not continuous and connected.  Recognizing this, CamdenCity Kids has decided to focus on children and their parents from birth until the children begin formal schooling.  

The most recent Census report in 2006 identified Camden, NJ as the poorest city in the nation. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, more than 35 percent of the population are children under age 18 and more than 57 percent of the city’s children live in poverty. This is compared to less than 20 percent of children living in poverty nationwide, and less than 12 percent statewide. In addition, Camden has twice been named America’s most dangerous city by City Crime Rankings.

While the needs of Camden are varied and many, we feel that focusing on the early development of children and their educational needs is an important way to provide an alternative path that can break the cycle of violence, drug-abuse and poverty.