NBCDI is a national early childhood organization working exclusively towards the success and well-being of Black children, particularly those between the ages of birth through 8. The organization serves as a "powerful and effective voice on issues related to the education, care, and health of Black children and their families" (http://www.nbcdi.org/).
Focusing on the strengths and needs of our communities through a culturally competent lens, National Black Child Development Institute serves as a "national resource agency providing programs, publications, advocacy and trainings related to early childhood care and education; K-12 education; health and wellness; literacy; family engagement; and child welfare" (http://www.nbcdi.org/).
Working in an under-served neighborhood with few resources, everyday I see the consequences of a neglected community. NBCDI shares a quote in the description of what they do that caught my attention:
"It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men."
-Frederick Douglass
This speaks to the importance of our constant search for equity in education, and the need to offer high-quality early childhood programs for all children!
Connecting this to our discussion this week about the growing diversity in the country, the NBCDI posted a recent podcast of a conversation with Dr. DeHaney describing "The New Face of Poverty." In the discussion, Dr. DeHaney talks about how schools need to be prepared to deal with children from all economic backgrounds. She says, "The context in which families come to us is very important. We have to be ready for these children, and we have to work with our schools as partners beyond our traditional means of engagement."
I clicked on the link and noticed an area for family involvement and on that page it mentioned a program called "The Parent Empowerment Project" It sounds like a great program. Are you involved with this program at all?
ReplyDeleteHello Parker! Last week I chose this organization to study. This was my first time hearing about this organization and I believe it's a great resource for African American families. Not to say that only African American understand other African Americans but they can relate closely to many of the issues that this culture of children and families deal with. How do you feel about this?
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