For generations, families across the nation have sought neighborhoods where they can raise their children in an environment in which they can thrive. For some families, this means moving from one neighborhood to another. For others, it means remaining where their families have been for generations.

However, we know that the zip code in which children are raised is one of life’s strongest predictors of upward socioeconomic mobility. And we know that over generations, disinvestment in schools, infrastructure, public amenities – often along racial and socioeconomic status lines – have caused immense disparities in the educational, health and economic outcomes from neighborhood to neighborhood.

Oftentimes, policy interventions connecting place and socioeconomic mobility focus on opportunities for families living in poverty to move out of lower-income neighborhoods. What those interventions ignore is that those are also neighborhoods with incredible assets. They are rich in culture and history, with deeply rooted family and social ties, bringing strong social capital – another indicator of upward social mobility. They are often places in which families have lived for generations; their identities become inextricably tied to the fabric of place.

Kresge’s efforts to strengthen child- and family-centered neighborhoods is rooted in the belief that all neighborhoods must be places where children can thrive and where families can choose to raise their children. Child- and family-centered neighborhoods ensure that all families can choose where to live and work to best support their children to thrive and succeed in life.

A movement to strengthen child and family-centered neighborhoods has already started in Detroit. Over the years, Detroit’s neighborhoods have experienced population loss among households with children. Many parents choose to send their children to schools outside the city every day, while others have chosen to move their families entirely. A coordinated effort among schools, municipal government, community organizations, nonprofit organizations and philanthropy continues to work to reverse this trend and to make Detroit a place where families can choose to raise their children.

Today marks the beginning of a new Kresge series, Families in Neighborhoods, that will explore efforts underway in Detroit, led by Detroiters, to reimagine our neighborhoods as places of opportunity for children and families, through investments in family-centered infrastructure, coordination among schools and place-based organizations, and public policy that seeks to provide pathways for upward mobility.

The series will feature commentaries about Detroit’s family-centered policies and innovations, which can serve as a blueprint for cities seeking to strengthen the conditions in which communities can become places where children and families can thrive.

The first installment kicks off today with a Q&A with Sarah Winchell Lenhoff, associate professor of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at Wayne State University: Mobility trends of children and families in Detroit’s neighborhoods. I invite you to read it and look forward to sharing more installments throughout 2025.