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 I deserve a

#StrongStart!

http://www.nbcdi.org        National Black Child Development Institute (NBCDI)

 

Our mission “to improve and advance the quality of life for Black children and their families through education and advocacy.” 

VISION

NBCDI envisions a society that ensures a successful future for all children

          The National Black Child Development(NBCDI) is a great advocacy organization that focuses on improving the health and well being for Black children by advocating for policies, programs, and engaging professionals in the quest for justice.  Every year NBCDI puts on a very informative conference that offers workshops and dynamic speakers that share the new research in early childhood education and suggestion on how to improve the Black family as a whole (healthcare, education, and economics).  The NBCDI addresses the following initiatives which are:

·       Policy

·       Early Care and Education

·       Health

·       Family Engagement

·       Literacy

·       Child Welfare

 

            In early January the NBCDI started a great advocacy campaign called “Smart Start Campaign for Early Learning” which involved a massive Twitter feed on January 21 advocating for early learning to the President a week before “The State of the Union Address).  Supporters (children, parents, and educators) were asked to take a photo holding a sign that read “strong start for children” that they could download from the NBCDI website and send to President Obama a week before his speech to remind him to speak up for the rights of young children.  This campaign was very effective because the President did mention the benefits of an early childhood education. 

            Under the resource section on the website there is an article “A Framework That Works: How Prek-3^rd Can Be a Smart Strategy for Black Kids. Families and Communities” that suggests strategies to close the achievement gap between White and Black students.  The earlier Black children are submerged into a quality early childhood setting the better the results (NBCDI, 2014).  These children benefit from having a close and supportive relationship with teachers and culturally responsive teaching.  Strong family engagement in the learning process is crucial for academic attainment.  Teachers must be “Highly Qualified” in order to give the best services to Black children and they must have high expectations for these children if they are to be academically successful.

            I gained a wealth of knowledge from this website and I would welcome my colleagues to visit this website often.  The resource section contains helpful articles that have enlightened my thoughts on the best strategies to serve my students and their families.  I also learned that there needs to be an academic framework established through a cultural lens if we truly want Black children to thrive and succeed academically.

 

References

National Black Child Development Institute (NBCDI), (2014). Retrieved from

            http://www.nbcdi.org