Editors note:The post below is written by Lauren Hogan, Vice President of Programs and Policy at Grantee Partner National Black Child Development Institute.
“We are so proud of you,” we said to Corliss, on the day she graduated from college. “I am so proud of him,” T.J.’s mom said, on the day her son wrote his first letter. “You should be so proud of yourselves,” Simone said, on the day the early childhood teachers enrolled in their first higher education courses.
Ah, pride. Some might say that it comes before a fall—but at the National Black Child Development Institute (NBCDI), we’re willing to take that risk. From our Parent Empowerment Program, to our Good for Me! curriculum, to our T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood DC project, our work intentionally and actively cultivates pride. We want our children to be bursting with it: proud of who they are, proud of their families, proud of their histories and their cultures. We want to see pride shining in the eyes of our T.E.A.C.H. project recipients—showing in the lifting of their chins and the straightening of their shoulders—as they enroll in their first college class, earn their first credits and graduate with their degrees in early care and education.
Our measures of success are concrete. Over the last four years, with support from the Office of the State Superintendent of Education and Washington Area Women’s Foundation, T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood DC has awarded over 400 comprehensive higher education scholarships to early childhood educators working with children birth through age five throughout the District of Columbia. We have conducted over 500 information sessions and site visits. Thirty-five women have earned their associate’s and bachelor’s degrees. Importantly, wages have increased by over six percent for those who have been a part of the program for at least one year. But, these are not the only measures that count.
This month, as Americans of all races focus on celebrating the enormous accomplishments of Black leaders throughout our history, we also continue to count the measures of pride. How much more respected do our early childhood educators feel when they are recognized as professionals charged with the critically important role of supporting our youngest learners? How much better do women feel about their capacity to provide for their families, with increases in educational attainment and compensation? How much more confident do our children feel when they successfully master an early skill? How much bigger can they dream when they see their communities honor leaders who look like them?
The District of Columbia, committed to a voluntary, universal prekindergarten program that begins at age 3, is a great example of where this work is taking shape. As the community collectively looks to increase access to high quality early care and education, especially for infants and toddlers across all 8 wards, we know a strong, supported and well-compensated early childhood workforce is critical. T.E.A.C.H. and NBCDI are dedicated to working with The Women’s Foundation and our partners to increase the quantity, quality, affordability, flexibility and cultural relevance of professional development, training and higher education programs.
Together, we have an opportunity to get this work right, to honor our history and to make our children proud.
