Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan, MD, are creating a school that will provide free early childhood and K-12 education as well as free healthcare for low-income students in Palo Alto, Calif., according to a report from The Christian Science Monitor.
"Health and education are closely connected," Mr. Zuckerberg wrote in a Facebook post. "When children aren't healthy, they can't learn as easily. Many kids and teachers across the country deal with the consequences of poor health in classrooms every day."
In addition to teaching the children of the underserved communities in the area, the private, nonprofit school will collaborate with the Ravenswood Family Health Center in East Palo Alto, Calif., to provide free prenatal support for families and healthcare for children at the school.
Dr. Chan, a practicing pediatrician, will serve as CEO of The Primary School, which is scheduled to open in August 2016. When the school is built, it will serve 50 students in 14 grades (pre-K through 12).
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