Located in the heart of Metcalfe Park, Next Door is a multi-faceted education center that works with thousands of children and families throughout Milwaukee. Next Door gives Milwaukee central city children and families the skills they need, not just to get by , but to achieve sustainable success.

NEXT DOOR'S MISSION IS:

"To support the intellectual, physical, spiritual and emotional development of children so they become self-sufficient, contributing members of the community."

NEXT DOOR'S VISION IS:

"To position neighborhood children and families for long-term success."

THE NEXT DOOR DIFFERENCE

Next Door is guided by a comprehensive and innovative program rationale which includes:

• offering educational programming for children as young as 6 weeks of age
• monitoring the healthy development of at-risk children
• emphasizing communication between staff and parents
• promoting language and literacy development for all age groups
• developing a sense of self-worth and resiliency in participants
• teaching techniques for handling peer pressure to school-age children
• reducing drug and alcohol abuse among youth
• providing guidance on health and nutrition issues to families
• teaching childhood development stages to parents
• encouraging positive relationships between children and parents

Annually, Next Door staff, parents and community representatives conduct comprehensive self-assessments to strengthen programs and improve operational efficiency. Next Door’s management team is committed to evaluating program achievements and conducting strategic planning. Outcomes data from all Next Door programs are linked in order to better evaluate program effectiveness, improve accountability and document the progress taking place within our center and surrounding community.