Community

Push forward!

Similar communities across the country are also pushing for anti-racist curriculum and are being met by loud and hostile community members as in Carroll ISD - legalities and more. We owe it to the children to move forward; local leaders and organizations will arise and plans will form as a result of these obstacles. The following can help communities start at a grand scale to prevent and support marginalized families within their community.

Strengthening Families™

Strengthening Families™ is a research-informed approach to increase family strengths, enhance child development and reduce the likelihood of child abuse and neglect. It is based on engaging families, programs and communities in building five key protective factors:

Parental resilience: Managing stress and functioning well when faced with challenges, adversity and trauma
Social connections: Positive relationships that provide emotional, informational, instrumental and spiritual support
Knowledge of parenting and child development: Understanding child development and parenting strategies that support physical, cognitive, language, social and emotional development
Concrete support in times of need: Access to concrete support and services that address a family’s needs and help minimize stress caused by challenges
Social and emotional competence of children: Family and child interactions that help children develop the ability to communicate clearly, recognize and regulate their emotions and establish and maintain relationships

Resources:

Center for the Study of Social Policy. (2020, December). Community Development and Early Childhood: Partnering for Better Outcomes. https://cssp.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/NW_CSSP_Early-Childhood-Action-Lab_Final-Report.pdf

Center for the Study of Social Policy. (2021, January 19). Strengthening Families. https://cssp.org/our-work/project/strengthening-families/

Early Childhood Development Community Support

Services to young children and their families are often provided by private agencies (non-profit or for-profit) that operate with funding, licensing, and/or regulation from a combination of local, state, and federal government agencies and programs. Some programs are entirely funded or directly operated by government entities; many are partially funded by the government (such as through child care subsidies or Medicaid payments); some receive public and private grants or individual donations to deliver services; and some operate entirely on a fee-for-service model paid by individual families or private health insurance.

Healthcare

Health care, including pediatric and general practice clinics, hospitals, public health agencies, and early intervention services for children with developmental delays.

Early Care and Education

Early care and education, including formal child care, preschool, and Head Start, as well as informal “family, friend, and neighbor” care .

Family Support

Family support, including family resource centers, home visiting, parenting education, parent leadership training, mutual support groups, child abuse and neglect prevention, and financial supports.

Housing Suggestions

Housing development is one piece of a holistic community development strategy, which serves to engage, empower, and improve neighborhoods. Important aspects of a successful community development strategy include an integrated and cross-sector focus on people, place, and systems, as shown below. This list represents only a small part of the overall strategy a neighborhood can pursue to engage in comprehensive community development, but should provide an idea of the wide variety of opportunities available.

Many different types of organizations and agencies have developed in the United States to help support improved access to housing and further community development efforts. While these agencies and organizations all focus on ensuring individuals and families have access to safe, healthy housing in prospering neighborhoods, each can be quite different in terms of how they approach the work. The following list represents the range of entities supporting this work:

Please explore how the following collaborations approached supporting early childhood and their community housing issues and the lessons learned - they may inspire your community!

Through navigating partnerships, implementing projects, and dealing with the struggle of a pandemic, the early childhood and affordable housing partners emerged with some important lessons learned that can be applied to multi-partner community impact projects.

Two-Generational Approach to School Readiness by Urban Edge and United Way Boston, MA

Home Repairs and Code Enforcement Remediation for Families, and Access to Family Support Services by Community Partners of South Florida & Children's Services Council of Palm Beach

Strengthen Early Childhood Education and Resource Hub at the Family Resource Center by East Bay Asian Local Development Corporation & First 5 Alameda County

Access to Quality Parent Support Programs and Parent Engagement in Affordable Housing by Eden Housing and First 5 Alameda County

Improved Housing Conditions to Improve Child Health by Mutual Housing Association of Greater Hartford and Connecticut Children's Medical Center Hartford, CT

Recommendations:

1) Make connections between early childhood and housing and community development.

2) Educate each other about your work, your areas of expertise, and your current connections to families with young children.