From there, many of the children enter a free preschool program, where they learn their ABCs and 123s, not just in English but in Spanish and French. Schools are not just for learning, but a place where children can get their teeth cleaned, eat organic fruits rather than processed foods, and receive treatment for asthma, which is common in their neighborhood.

The children are part of a surprisingly successful large-scale urban experiment known as Harlem’s Children Zone, a collection of programs that President Obama is looking to replicate across the US and that Boston activists are eager to bring to a poverty-stricken corridor that slices through the heart of the city.

At its core, the more-than-decade-old program, which encompasses 97 city blocks, is at once simple and complex. It takes existing disparate social service programs commonly available to families, and brings them together in an attempt to improve the well-being of children in their homes and neighborhoods – a key element often missing in overhaul of public education. If children are not well fed, well rested, or in good health, they face immense odds of succeeding in school.

Today, a group of Boston nonprofit leaders – led by City Year’s Hubie Jones – will be touring the zone, as they launch a campaign to make the city one of Obama’s chosen sites. Obama is calling his endeavor “Promise Neighborhoods,” a nod to the program’s success in boosting student achievement and reducing hospitalization rates for children with asthma, among other feats.

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