The new Fitzgerald house, which celebrated its grand opening on June 8, is the latest in a series of innovative neighborhood child learning centers set up by Brilliant Detroit in the city over the last several years.

“Brilliant Detroit is an organization that helps to create kid success neighborhoods, where kids and families have what they need to be school-ready, reading at grade level by third grade, and healthy,” says Cindy Eggleton, the organization’s co-founder and CEO. “And how we do that is we create neighborhood hubs out of houses that we repurpose to bring in activities programs and fellowship.”

Brilliant Detroit’s services are geared toward children 8 years old and younger and their parents. Programming is evidence-based and holistic family support is an integral part of the nonprofit’s efforts. The organization got off the ground three-and-a-half years ago through the joint efforts of Eggleton and Michigan philanthropists Carolyn and Jim Bellinson, who among other things brought investment, early childhood, and community expertise to the project.