Here, in our nation's capital, the evidence is everywhere that without early intervention children will continue to be the victims of a broken system. DC leads the nation in teen pregnancy, drug use and broken families. If this cycle is to be stopped, it will only occur through active intervention.

Numerous programs exist to help the best and brightest students, as well as the underachievers, but no programs exist for the "majority in the middle." Yet mastery of core academic skills will often determine a child's lifelong career path. Moreover, steps must be taken to keep a child from falling behind while that child's youthful idealism is still intact.

YLF's mission is to hone basic reading, writing, and comprehension skills to enable students to perform at grade-level or better. Our programs increase proficiency in core subjects of English, math, science, and history, which improves the academic achievement of these students enabling them to enter a college-prep course of study in high school. YLF's programs also stress the importance of character development for our students so they can take what they have learned in the classroom and become future leaders who do their work with a spirit of service toward others.