Are Some Churches Not Prioritizing Early Childhood Development?
(ANALYSIS) A new report titled Flourishing Futures: Early Childhood Development in Black and Latine Churches and Faith Communities published by Sojourners, an American Christian social justice organization, revealed that the early childhood development is not prioritized in church budgets, with financial resources often directed towards non-early childhood development funding priorities.
Families with young children, especially Black and Latino families in lower-income communities, need additional resources to help young children grow and develop.
When more than 1,000 Black and Latino parents, caregivers and faith leaders nationwide were asked about the role of churches in supporting families and young children, there was a difference of opinion on what faith leaders think support is and what Black and Latino families want.
While the clergy felt that preaching, blessing children or conducting a church service meet families’ needs, parents and caregivers report that they still want more “tangible” support including small group gatherings, food security efforts and childcare support such as pre-and post-natal support for birthing people and diaper banks.
The report highlighted that systemic barriers at local, state and federal levels preventing families from accessing resources for their children's well-being. These barriers include lack of affordable healthcare, discriminatory housing policies, language barriers, food insecurity and limited access to food assistance.
Parents and caregivers — especially those from urban areas or with less economic stability — felt that the church could do more to support early childhood development and address their community's needs. This is where Black and Latino community churches and faith leaders need to step in to support families.
There is space for clergy leaders to better meet communities’ needs by advocating for systems-level or transformative policy reforms that lead to long-term changes for families. But the churches do lack prioritizing early childhood development programs, staff or resources, reflecting a lack of interest or engagement from the church thereby leading to low attendance of people.
In the survey, over 62 per cent people felt that the churches only “sometimes” support families with young children. About 57.6 % of parents showed a higher level of significant interest as opposed to 29.9% clergy in the church’s early childhood development support.
Community members agreed that clergymen can be powerful advocates for social justice and early childhood development, urging them to provide resources and create conditions for flourishing.
Some churches, however, are doing their bit to help the communities. In Washington D.C., Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal (AME), a historically Black congregation with a membership of 1,500 congregants, has invested in early childhood through their cradle roll program, which begins the faith and learning journey for infants. Recently, the church was granted ownership of the trademark of the white supremacist group, Proud Boys, which vandalized it in 2020.
In nearby Baltimore, the Salem United Methodist Church, a multi-ethnic and intergenerational community of faith with a large Latine congregation, not only runs a diaper bank, but it also hosts a parenting class for new mothers so that they understand how to best support their new babies. Similarly, in central Arkansas, Salem United Methodist Church hosts a free diaper bank open to all residents.
In the U.S., faith-based organizations play an important role in the delivery of child care, and faith leaders are uniquely positioned to share information about child care and advocate for children and families. Research shows that faith-based organizations can shape families’ experiences and perceptions of early care — whether it is related to hosting a child care program or operating a child care facility education.
Experts say that church-based social networks for Black and Latino communities can provide tangible and emotional support for coping with life challenges. According to a 2020 nationwide poll conducted by Bipartisan Policy Center, 31% of working-parent households used center-based care and about 53% of these families used one that was affiliated with a faith organization. In this poll, parents cited trust as the leading factor for why they selected their childcare program.
The Sojourners report provides clear recommendations on how faith leaders are well positioned to advocate, showing how faith leaders can take meaningful action that helps dismantle injustices and clear the path for faith communities to thrive.
It stated that there is a need to examine the persistent link between socioeconomic status and race to dismantle extensive, systemic discrimination that creates barriers for Black and Latino communities to access basic services. It calls for the clergy to advocate, repair and restore the harms caused by systemic social injustices to the Black and Latino communities.
But the key question remains if these churches are recognizing the support that the families and young children of these communities truly need?
Sonia Sarkar is a journalist based in India. She writes on conflict, religion, politics, health and gender rights from Southeast Asia. Her work has appeared in a range of international publications, including the South China Morning Post, Nikkei Asia and Al Jazeera.