Cover Sojourners Flourishing Futures Report
 

How Church Leaders Can Best Support Young Children and Families

From child care centers to food banks, churches work hard to provide vital programs and resources that help children learn and grow. At the same time, there are deeply rooted structural injustices that make it challenging for families to access all of the supports they need.
 
Faith leaders need to fully understand these challenges and address them both at the individual church level, as well as advocate for large-scale societal change. When clergy advocate, they tear down social injustices that help young children and families access the critical supports and resources they need to develop and thrive.
 

That’s why, at Sojourners, we set out to answer: how exactly can clergy better support young children and early childhood development?

Now, with our new report “Flourishing Futures: Early Childhood Development in Black and Latine Churches and Faith Communities,” we’re sharing what we learned by listening to our communities about their needs and solutions, especially when it comes to clergy advocacy.

Report Resources

Flourishing Futures Methodology Report

The research project is the first of its kind and asked parents, caregivers and faith leaders in Black and Latine communities – especially in economically destabilized communities – about the church’s role when it comes to supporting families and young children. The report shares parents’, caregivers’ data-based insights into how churches are supporting young children and families based on their responses in surveys, focus groups and workshops.

Flourishing Futures Systems Report

The individual supports that churches offer young children and families are essential. But clergy must not only offer resources – they must also create conditions for flourishing. Through this report, we hear directly from parents and caregivers to better understand their day-to-day challenges. We also learn more about the historical, systemic challenges that keep families from accessing the resources they need to ensure their young children can grow and thrive.

Together, these reports illuminate the early childhood development challenges facing Black and Latine families. The findings and insights together provide clear recommendations for 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.

Questions? Contact Sandy Ovalle, Senior Director of Campaigns and Mobilizing, at sovalle@sojo.net.