Sharing Web Resources Part 2

     This week when I visited the National Black Child Development Institute (NBCDI) website, I found information highlighting its Parent Empowerment Program.  This section contains information relating to the development of Early Childhood professionals because this we should always seek to engage parents in their children’s education.  NBCDI have developed their Family Empowerment Program in correlation to the definition of family engagement that defines it as a “systemic and sustained commitment that occurs across time, spans many settings, and requires shared responsibility from all parties.” (NBCDI, 2013).  This week’s course focus was on how politicians, neuroscientists, and economists support the field of Early Childhood Education. The organization has issued a statement commenting on President Obama’s attention to early childhood education during a State of the Union address.  The full statement can be access at the following link: http://www.nbcdi.org/sites/default/files/uploads/NBCDI%20Statement%20on%20High%20Quality%20ECE%20for%20All.pdf

The following quote is at that the top of the statement “We know this works. So let’s do what works and make sure none of our children start the race of life already behind. Let’s give our kids that chance.” -President Barack Obama, The State of the Union, 2013.

     The NBCDI supports the investments that have been made to increase the quality of Early Childhood Education but believes that additional funding should be available to assist with other developments and improvements.  “NBCDI supports the idea that increased investments should go to programs in a mixed delivery system that provide high-quality care and education–but substantial funding should also be available to help programs move up the quality ladder through both environmental improvements and professional development.”  (NBCDI, 2013). 

      The NBCDI considered the efforts of elected officials at all levels and determined that these officials could not really identify with what Black parents needed to get them engaged.  “Although there are excellent parenting education programs currently in use across the United States, many of them do not possess the depth of cultural relevance that allows the curriculum to fully resonate with Black parents, in particular.”    Therefore they have designed a parent engagement curriculum that they believe will be a good tool that will provide education, engagement, and empowerment to Black parents.  This program will help parents and guardians do self-discovery that is relevant to their culture with the goal of improving effectiveness for influencing their children’s lives.  This program has gained the support of Child Trends 

     The fact that the NBCDI focuses on children of color could be a controversial issue for some people.  However, the organization believes that the African American children should have a voice that advocates and supports their race and culture.  Many educators are not aware of the specific idiosyncrasies of the Black race and this organization effort are helping others learn about the things that are important to African Americans and is insuring that the children have a voice that is heard.   “NBCDI believes in prioritizing conversations about race, culture, class and gender in the context of family engagement; not to say that these things must, or should, be at the forefront of all of our conversations, but rather to say that those of us who provide services and solutions should learn as much as we can about the context of race and culture bias in which our children and families are embedded.  It is critical for us to make conscious decisions about engaging with family and community members in ways that demonstrate a deeper and more complete understanding, as part of our efforts to build positive relationships that ensure parent engagement is an ongoing series of supports that create a strong foundation of connection, particularly in the early years.”  (NBCDI, 2013).
    

      Another trend that was highlighted on the website is the connection with International educators.  The president of the NBCDI (Dr. Felicia DeHaney) was a guest at the first Early Childhood Education Summit in American Somoa. 

http://americansamoa.gov/index.php/news-bottom/209-governors-early-childhood-education-summit-children-ready-to-learn

Resources

The National Black Child Development Institute.  Retrieved from http://www.nbcdi.org/news