History

Founded by educator Louise W. Wiener and headquartered in Washington, DC.,  Learning and Leadership in Families began as a research and demonstration project under the auspices the National Head Start Association. LLF became an independent non-profit organization at the end of 1995.

LLF’s approach is rooted in research undertaken by Louise Wiener in partnership with the National Head Start Association and the Institute of Museum Services and funded by the William T. Grant Foundation. LLF has launched initiatives in Maryland, Virginia, and DC as well as Dayton, Ohio. Its partners have been Head Start agencies, museums, public school systems, charter schools, and daycare agencies.

LLF’s initiatives since 1995 include:

  1. Museum as a Resource, a parent, teacher and museum educator partnership, was undertaken  with the National Head Start Association and multiple museums with initial funding from the Freddie Mac Foundation and the Mead Foundation, Dayton, Ohio.
  2. Message of the Build Environment (Messages), a classroom-based early childhood enrichment program undertaken in partnership with the American Architectural Foundation, was funded by the National Endowment for the Art, the Kellogg Foundation and the Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation among others. Evaluation of the program was funded by the Annenberg Foundation.
  3. Parenting for Literacy, a parent-child adaptation of Messages was funded by Prince George’s County United Way and the Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation
  4. TAP: Teaching Advantage for Parents,  a classroom based adult education enrichment program based on Messages, was funded by the Fannie Mae Foundation, the Annenberg Foundation, the State Education Agency, Washington, DC and the Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation.
  5. The Perfectly Punctual Campaign, a recognition program to promote good work habits initiated in partnership with the United Food and Commercial Workers, Local 400  was funded by UFCW and the Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation and the Mimi and Harold Steinberg Charitable Trust.