NorthStar Learning Centers

Founded in 1974 in New Bedford’s South End, NorthStar Learning Centers, Inc. began as a neighborhood preschool rooted in the civil rights movement’s commitment to community action and equity. Over the past five decades, NorthStar has grown into a multifaceted organization offering a continuum of high-quality educational and youth development programs throughout the South Coast region. Today, NorthStar operates a nationally accredited Early Education Academy serving 130 children ages one month to five years, as well as the SCHOONER After School Program, which supports 45 children ages five to twelve. Together, these programs provide a continuous pathway of learning, social-emotional support, and family engagement for nearly 175 children and their families. NorthStar’s mission is to help young people overcome the effects of poverty, discrimination, and educational disadvantage by building essential skills, confidence, and hopefulness to transform their lives and communities. Central to this mission is the belief that meaningful change begins with parents—a philosophy that guides NorthStar’s Parent Strengthening Program and its broader commitment to family empowerment.

NorthStar’s mission is to help young people overcome poverty, discrimination, educational disadvantage, violence, and other adversity through learning essential competencies and hopefulness with which they can transform their lives and communities. In advocacy and public policy, we as a minority-led nonprofit organization advance diversity as a strength and resource to open pathways to create a better life.