Housing is Our Lane: The Role that Early Childhood Sector Should Play to Improve Access to Quality, Affordable Housing
This session was presented during BUILD 2022 National Conference.
Having a safe and stable place to call home is at the center of our lives, yet even before the pandemic, our nation was experiencing a housing crisis decades in the making that disproportionately impacted young children and families, particularly children and families of color and those residing in poverty. Nationally, over 1.6 million families with young children experience homelessness every year, and another 6 million children live in households burdened or severely burdened by housing costs. Homelessness and housing insecurity have dire consequences for children and families, causing psychological and physical trauma, increasing the likelihood of suicide and emergency room usage, and leading to poor academic performance and family separations. Rooted in structural racism, housing policies and practices have historically contributed to stark and persistent inequities in where children and families live and in their access to quality jobs, economic opportunities, education, and other critical services. In the face of these inequities, the early childhood field can play a critical role in advancing antiracist policies that ensure that children and families have access to safe, affordable housing that allows them to build economic wealth? This session featured leading experts who discussed the the housing crisis and its impact on children and families, explore new research showing a correlation between illegal evictions and incidences of preterm births among Black women; and highlight examples of community-driven housing innovations that illustrate the role that the early childhood field can play with multiple sectors to secure affordable, sustainable housing for those furthest from success.
Slide Deck – Shawnita Sealy-Jefferson
Slide Deck – Commissioner Crawley
Explore More
Advocating for Early Intervention Our Passion, Our Future
Archived Webinar April 12, 2024
Parents, advocates, early interventionists, and their partners in four very different states will share their experiences to discuss how they formed new partnerships to strengthen Early Intervention and their struggles and solutions. Key themes including equitable access, adequate funding, workforce recruitment/retention, and family voice in decision-making will be highlighted.
Reducing Disparities for Latino Children and Families: A National Latino Infant Policy Agenda Provides Solutions
Blog April 10, 2024
BUILD believes that to effectively meet the needs of young children and their families, we must recognize existing disparities, including opportunity and achievement gaps. Therefore, we see the urgent need to support policy solutions to better serve Latino infants, toddlers, and families.
Operationalizing High-Quality Dual Language Programming: From the Early Years to the Early Grades
Report April 9, 2024
The aim of this brief, from Children's Equity Project and The Century Foundation, is to operationalize what high quality dual language immersion looks like for infants/toddlers, preschoolers, and students in Kindergarten through second grade. The brief provides an overview important context and core concepts foundational for this work, including a description of emergent bilinguals in the United States, a strength-based approaches to bilingualism, a historical account of bilingual education, and a description of how DLI education is part of a broader, equitable child serving system.