FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
1 p.m. ET on March 6, 2025
Contact: Lauren Empson, Senior Advisor, Forthright Advising | lauren@forthrightadvising.com
Nationwide Study Reveals Church Leaders’ Support for Affordable, High-quality Child Care and Other Critical Early Childhood Policies
Washington, D.C., March 6, 2025 – Results from a new nationwide research study highlight Black parent, Latine parent and clergy perceptions about the church’s role in supporting families, with a focus on early childhood development.
Sojourners, the Christian justice organization that led the study, shares the results in “Flourishing Futures: Early Childhood Development in Black and Latine Churches and Faith Communities.”
The research team asked parents, caregivers and faith leaders across the country – with a focus on Black and Latine communities – for their views on the church’s role in supporting families and young children.
“We found that clergy are often well-informed and well-positioned to engage with and advocate for early childhood policies,” said Rev. Adam Russell Taylor, Sojourners president. “We must live out God's call to end social injustice and advocate for the policies that will build healthier, thriving communities today and for future generations.”
According to Black and Latine parents and caregivers, churches provide tangible, essential supports to communities, from childcare to Sunday school. At the same time, Black and Latine families want to see church leaders advocate for large-scale societal change so young children can develop and thrive. Clergy must first understand and address systemic barriers – barriers such as lack of healthcare or affordable housing, language barriers, food insecurity and racism – for church-based supports to make a difference for young children and families.
Surveyed clergy selected the following as policy priorities the church should support:
- 60% support policies that secure high-quality, affordable child care and early learning opportunities for every family.
- Nearly half support policies that guarantee every primary caregiver has the resources and the support they need to raise their children.
- 43% support policies that ensure birthing people are free to decide whether or when to have children.
Other notable data from the report includes:
- Participants agree that churches offer some early childhood development opportunities.
- More than half of research participants say their churches offer group-based information gatherings, such as book clubs or parents groups, as well as welcoming messages geared toward parents or children.
- Forty percent of respondents say their church has faith-based education and learning programs.
- Parents and caregivers want more tangible supports, alongside advocacy efforts.
- Across all races, clergy and community members believe the number one policy priority the church should support is securing high‐quality, affordable child care and early learning opportunities for every family.
- Most clergy (more than 80 percent) are aware of early childhood development policy issues, with a significant portion selecting very aware or aware.
“When we support our youngest members and their families, we are living out our commitments to each other and social justice as we work to build a better world for our communities today and for future generations,” said Sandy Ovalle Martínez, Sojourners’ senior director of campaigns and mobilizing. “We’ve created specific resources that clergy can use as they lead this kind of advocacy.”
Through Flourishing Futures and other resources, Sojourners is working to provide clergy the information they need to support their faith communities, including the youngest members and their families.
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About Flourishing Futures
More than 100 parents and caregivers participated in nationwide focus groups and workshops, and more than 1,000 family members and clergy participated in the national survey. Focus groups were held in diverse urban and rural regions, including Central Valley and Orange County, California; Dallas, Texas; Washington, D.C.; and Baltimore, Maryland. This report is made possible by a grant from the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation.
About Sojourners
Sojourners is an ecumenical Christian media and advocacy organization that works towards social and racial justice. Sojourners publishes an award-winning magazine, produces daily news and commentary on sojo.net and mobilizes people of faith for social justice through its advocacy initiative SojoAction. We seek to inspire hope and build a movement to transform individuals, communities, the church, and the world by articulating the biblical call to racial and social justice, life and peace and environmental stewardship.