Sharing Web Resources

Through exploring advocacy work of economists, scientists, and politicians this week, I have learned that investments in early childhood care and education are aimed primarily at children alone.  I believe that in order to maximize benefits of investments in early care and education, family engagement and parenting education programs must be considered as part of the investment package. 

Understanding that parents are children’s first and most important teachers, National Black Child Development Institute places heavy emphasis on family engagement. They define family engagement as a “systemic and sustained commitment that occurs across time, spans many settings, and requires shared responsibility from all parties.”  Although NBCDI acknowledges the critical role families play, many schools and early childhood programs struggle to “successfully engage and empower parents and the broader community.” 

While policy makers also acknowledge the importance of family, current policies and practices are falling short in support of teachers and parents, “nor is anyone held accountable for comprehensively and consistently engaging a diverse range of families.”  

Although NBCDI recognizes that strong parent education programs exist in the United States, many of them fall short of providing “the depth of cultural relevance that allows the curriculum to fully resonate with Black parents.”  As NBCDI works to ensure high-quality care and education is provided to low-income families, they emphasize work with families as an essential component of that care and education. 

NBCDI has created and is implementing the Parent Empowerment Program (PEP), which they call “a comprehensive, culturally-relevant, self-discovery curriculum for parents and guardians to improve their effectiveness as the primary positive influence in the lives of their children.” 

NBCDI believes race and culture bias has been unfortunately embedded in the lives of our children and families. After exploring new information on the organization’s website, I understand that in order to ensure parent engagement and strong connections with families, there must be a deeper and more complete understanding of families and community members before effective policies representing their best interests can be developed.