Celebrating Black History Month

Our mission at ZERO TO THREE is to ensure all babies and toddlers have a strong start in life. We envision a society that has the knowledge and will to support all infants and toddlers in reaching their full potential, regardless of race or national origin.

“As an organization we support the clinicians, educators, care providers…all the professionals, who are on the frontlines of care. They are also on the frontline for social and economic justice. And we must support them in that cause as well,” said ZERO TO THREE Executive Director, Matthew Melmed.

In honor of our Black children and the adults who support them, ZERO TO THREE is hosting a free virtual event on February 18, entitled “Continuing Conversations on Race and Equity: Honoring Black Excellence and the Commitment to Racial Consciousness”. We have also curated a collection of resources below promoting equity and antiracism, with complementary access to selected webinar recordings and Journal Articles through February.

Virtual Event: Honoring Black Excellence

Continuing Conversations on Race and Equity: Honoring Black Excellence and the Commitment to Racial Consciousness

Lisa M. Wilson, M.Ed. Director of Equity & Outreach

Recorded: Feb. 18, 2021

The National Center on Early Childhood Development Teaching, and Learning (DTL) honors and values black excellence by celebrating Black History Month and integrating Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging into policies and practices. DTL has a Director of Equity & Outreach to ensure equitable practices and mindfulness are being implemented into every area of the National Center’s work from social media messaging, content delivery, and content creation for professional learning opportunities.

The webinar showcased the beauty of Black Excellence and the importance of celebrating and honoring Black Excellence within an organization. Through honoring Black excellence, an organization will create/nurture a space of belonging and inclusiveness to create diversity and equity in recruiting diverse talents, democratic hiring practices, overall language about racial consciousness, and a commitment to continued growth and development through professional development learning opportunities.

Journal Articles

Parenting African American Children in the Context of Racism, MARCH 2015 VOL 35 NO 4

Angela W. Keyes, Anna T. Smyke, Melissa Middleton, and Corey L. Black

There has been a growing recognition of the importance of culture as the U.S. has become an increasingly diverse society, and due to the growing recognition that research on child development has largely reflected Western ideals and requires a broader approach to account for cultural variation. The articles in this issue examine such topics as the effect of cultural variations in infant/toddler group care, how to effectively educate ethnically diverse children, the impact of trauma on parenting and child development in the context of immigration, and the history of racism on African American culture and parenting.

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Cross-Sector Allies Together in the Struggle for Social Justice: Diversity-Informed Tenets for Work With Infants, Children, and Families, JAN 2019 VOL 39 NO 3

Kandace Thomas, Irving Harris Foundation, Chicago, Illinois; Carmen Rosa Noroña, Child Witness to Violence Project, Early Trauma Treatment Network, Boston Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts; and Maria Seymour St. John, University of California San Francisco Infant–Parent Program, San Francisco, California

The Tenets were born of a recognition that social forces conspire to interfere with the capacity of some groups of children and families to thrive. The Tenets are a response to the persistent and urgent need to expand our professional capacity and deepen our work with families by increasing awareness and developing intentional action for individual, organizational, and systemic change. This article presents a revised and expanded edition of the Tenets. The authors introduce a new name—Diversity-Informed Tenets for Work With Infants, Children, and Families—and describe the productive struggles, deepened understandings, sustaining alliances, and critical insights that brought this edition into being.

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Building Equity in the Birth-to-3 System: Who Is in the Room? MARCH 2016 VOL 36 NO 4

Wendy Harris, Benita Rodriguez Horn, Susan Tripp, and Barbara Yasui

The earliest years of life are a time of tremendous growth and opportunity, and early experiences have lasting effects on future development. Thus, high-quality services must be a priority for programs and professionals serving families with infants and toddlers. This issue of ZERO TO THREE explores a variety of innovative approaches to quality improvement. The articles focus on efforts to: improve the capacity of home visitors to address maternal depression, increase cultural competency and equity in the early intervention system, evaluate the effectiveness of family child care networks that have the potential for improving family child care quality, and create competency standards in early care and education programs.

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Recorded Webinars

Continuing the Dialogue: Infants and Toddlers Face Racism Too

Guided conversation with Sarah LeMoine, MS and Maria Spriggs, MPH, ZERO TO THREE

Part II

State of Babies Yearbook 2020: Using Data to Inform State Infant-Toddler Policies

Parenting Resources

Racism and Violence: Using Your Power as a Parent to Support Children Aged Two to Five

This resource provides thoughts and guidelines for talking about the complex issues of racism and equality in age-appropriate ways with children aged two to five years of age.

Using Stories to Nurture Identity

What do young children understand about their identity? How can parents help them construct a positive self-identity? Read on for tips and tools.

Baby Brain Builders: Tools and Tips for Families

The National Black Child Development Institute (NBCDI) has partnered with ZERO TO THREE to promote the Think Babies campaign, ensuring that Black infants and their families have the tools and skills needed for them to thrive from birth.

Policy Resources

Building Strong Foundations: Racial Inequity in Policies that Impact Infants, Toddlers, and Families

This brief by ZERO TO THREE and the Center for Law and Social Policy explores racial disparities, and the policies that drive them, among infants, toddlers, and their families.

In Pursuit of an Equitable Start

Leveraging and expanding public funding to support a more equitable recovery for young children, families and child care workers.