SojoAction: Early Childhood Development

Optimal development is every child’s right! Black and brown children’s potential is often and disproportionately sabotaged by systemic racism, harmful policies, discrimination, and violence. Sojourners is embarking on an exciting opportunity to build early-childhood development champions by partnering with churches and lay leaders to protect and promote the health of children and primary caregivers in key stages of life.

Ours is a two-generation approach focused on parents and very young children to ensure optimal development in the first 1,000 days of a child’s life and through all subsequent stages of their life cycle. Our strategy includes a participatory action research project where we will be working with local congregations on unearthing theological frameworks, practical needs that support children in their community, and ways that faith-based advocacy organizations like Sojourners could play a role in lifting up their early childhood development priorities.