For Love of Children (FLOC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that has worked to protect and inspire thousands of Washington, DC's most vulnerable children and youth, and to strengthen their families, since its founding in 1965.

Today, FLOC's mission is to offer educational services that equip high-risk children and youth with the skills necessary to break the cycle of poverty, become life-long learners, and make substantial contributions to their communities. Through example and partnership, For Love of Children will use education to empower young people and their families to close society's achievement gap.

For the past forty years, For Love of Children has helped more than 10,000 children discover and build on their dreams for a bright future….

A child with a dream is a child with a future. Our early dreams are often the foundations that allow us to thrive and grow into contributing citizens.

However, the dreams of far too many children in Washington are crushed as a result of growing up in poverty. Children who grow up amidst poverty are at the highest risk for academic failure, drug abuse, teen pregnancy, and juvenile crime.

• In Washington , D.C. , the need is great. In 2004:
• 37% of children in the District of Columbia lived in poverty
• 42% of DC's class of 2004 failed to graduate from high school
• 48% of DC students who leave school before graduation drop out by the 8th grade
• DC students had lower average 2003 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) reading scores than students in eight of the nine other cities tested, and they students scored lower in math than their counterparts in all nine cities
• More than 86% of the District's 11th graders performed at or below basic proficiency in reading
• More than 91% of 11th graders performed at or below basic proficiency in math.

Education is our most critical tool for ensuring children a bright future. For Love of Children provides the opportunities and practical support that allow children to make the most of their education - and break the cycle of poverty.

Former FLOC Programs