National Black Child Development Institute (NBCDI)

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National Black Child Development Institute (NBCDI) NBCDI's mission is to improve and advance the quality of life for Black children and their families

The stories we tell about care have the power to shape its future. ✨ Join us on October 13 for a special virtual screeni...
10/10/2026

The stories we tell about care have the power to shape its future. ✨

Join us on October 13 for a special virtual screening of The Care Next Door: An Afrofuturist Celebration of Black Family, Friend, and Neighbor Care, followed by a thoughtful conversation with an incredible panel of voices helping us reimagine what care can look like for Black children and families.

Together, we'll explore the wisdom, love, and ingenuity that have sustained generations of Black families and the possibilities that emerge when we center their experiences in shaping the future of care.

Meet the voices joining the conversation! We can't wait for you to hear their perspectives and be part of this important dialogue.

📅 Tuesday, October 13, 2026
🕡 6:30–8:00 PM ET
📍 Virtual | Register Here:
https://www.mobilize.us/nbcdi/event/1047691/

Because the future of care should be shaped by the communities who have always known its power.

09/17/2026

The care that raised us is finally on screen. ✨

NBCDI is proud to share The Care Next Door, a love letter to the grandparents, aunties, uncles, neighbors, friends, and kin who help Black children feel safe, known, and deeply loved.

Our deepest gratitude goes to the caregivers and families who trusted us with their stories; our BCDI Villages in Detroit, Iowa, Nashville, and Philadelphia and Vicinity; NBCDI’s Research, Policy, and Communications teams; TMPAV and the film production team; and our partners and supporters.

The Reimagining Child Care project and documentary were made possible through the generous support of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJFoundation).

This film carries the love and vision of so many, and we are honored to share it with you. 🤎

🎬 Watch The Care Next Door at nbcdi.org/thecarenextdoor.

Washington, DC, we’re coming your way next Tuesday, September 15, with something special to share. 💛During the Congressi...
09/11/2026

Washington, DC, we’re coming your way next Tuesday, September 15, with something special to share. 💛

During the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s Annual Legislative Conference, we’re bringing our community together for NBCDI Presents: Care & Safety, a special evening centered on the care, protection, and well-being of Black children.

The evening will feature a screening of "The Care Next Door: An Afrofuturist Celebration of Black Family, Friend, and Neighbor Care" and the introduction of NBCDI's Commission on Black Child Safety, a body of national leaders convened to examine the conditions shaping Black children's safety and identify what institutions must do differently to protect their well-being.

Together, we will gather around a shared vision for Black children to grow, play, learn, and thrive in every community and every space they inhabit.

📅 Tuesday, September 15, 2026 | 5:00–8:00 PM ET
📍 National Education Association | Washington, DC

Space is limited. RSVP by Monday, September 14. bit.ly/cbc-2026

Head Start is a promise to our children, and right now, that promise needs our voice.The federal government has proposed...
09/01/2026

Head Start is a promise to our children, and right now, that promise needs our voice.

The federal government has proposed changes to the rules that shape class sizes and teacher-to-child ratios, health and developmental supports, disability inclusion, culturally and linguistically responsive learning, discipline protections, and family voice. More than 500,000 children and pregnant women may be impacted.

But this rule is not final.

Public comment is open through October 6, and we have an opportunity to put the experiences of families, educators, providers, alumni and communities directly into the federal record.

To help you take action, NBCDI has prepared the foundation for your public comment. Take a few minutes to personalize it, tell HHS what Head Start means to your community, and submit it.

Help us reach our goal of 5,000 substantive public comments.

Head Start has opened doors for generations. We cannot let those doors narrow, now. Add your voice. nbcdi.org/action/headstart

"The National Black Child Development Institute (NBCDI) stands firmly with our civil rights partners to oppose these cha...
08/07/2026

"The National Black Child Development Institute (NBCDI) stands firmly with our civil rights partners to oppose these changes and to defend a Head Start that remains accessible, inclusive, and rooted in the dignity of every child."

- Dr. Leah Austin, President & CEO, NBCDI

Read the full Civil Rights and Disability Organizations’ Joint Statement: https://bit.ly/3RGi0DE

06/02/2026

Say That With Love Episode 8 is here — and it asks a question our policies must answer: when does a Black child stop being seen as a child?

Dr. Leah Austin is joined by child & adolescent psychiatrist Dr. Byron Young to talk about adultification — "projecting onto children the qualities, characteristics, and consequences of adulthood" — and how our systems strip innocence from Black children far too early.

The data is sobering: it can begin as young as five for Black girls and around ten for Black boys. And it carries real consequences — Black children face harsher school discipline, higher rates of police involvement, and less protection across the very systems built to serve them.

As Dr. Young puts it: "At what point does that dehumanization start? It happens so early, so quickly. And it's a real travesty."

That's why Is Seen as a Child is one of NBCDI's Eight Essential Outcomes. Affirming Black childhood means building policy and practice — in schools, child welfare, and health care — that protect Black children's right to simply be children.

📺 Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/j8iRuHzOe00
🎧 Listen now → nbcdi.org/podcast

NBCDI is hiring a vendor — and we'd love your help spreading the word. 💜Our Family Empowerment Program (FEP) has long be...
05/27/2026

NBCDI is hiring a vendor — and we'd love your help spreading the word. 💜
Our Family Empowerment Program (FEP) has long been a space where parents and caregivers of Black children build their leadership and advocacy power to navigate the systems their children move through every day — health, education, nutrition, and more.

Now we're ready to evolve it.

We're seeking a vendor to reshape the 12-week curriculum into a 10-week program aligned with our Afrofuturism & Systems Change framework and Eight Essential Outcomes — including fresh content on environmental health, digital safety and AI, public policy, and advocacy & organizing.

The vendor will also design and deliver a 20-hour facilitator training and support two pilot sites running September through November 2026.

Curriculum updates are due July 17, with training wrapping by August 31.

📄 Full RFP, scope details, and submission instructions: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1vXfDlUjQz6pkM1A8jbHptOUV9gIeNnJG/view?usp=sharing

Reviewed on a rolling basis. Know someone perfect for this? Tag them below.

"Clean air and clean water are not amenities. They are the conditions under which children grow, learn, sleep, and dream...
05/27/2026

"Clean air and clean water are not amenities. They are the conditions under which children grow, learn, sleep, and dream."

Think about the children in your life. The ones you tuck in. The ones you pack lunches for. The ones who run barefoot in the yard and ask a thousand questions before breakfast.

Now think about what they're breathing. What's coming out of the tap. What's in the soil where they play.

For too many Black families, those answers are not safe ones. Not because of anything our children did — but because of decades of decisions made about where plants get built, where pipes get replaced, and whose neighborhoods get prioritized.

"Breathes Clean Air and Drinks Clean Water" is one of NBCDI's Eight Essential Outcomes because we believe environmental justice and child development cannot be separated. A child's right to thrive begins with the air in their lungs and the water in their cup.

Share this if you believe every Black child deserves both. 💛

05/22/2026

NBCDW 2026 was made possible by a Village.

This week, parents, caregivers, educators, advocates, and community members showed up - sharing content, taking action, and centering what Black children deserve. From our Village Network to the Dream Forward • Act Now Digital Advocacy Hub, you were part of something real.

Dr. Leah Austin said it best - thank you. The work continues.

The future Black children deserve is not a distant vision. It is being built right now — by the families who show up eve...
05/21/2026

The future Black children deserve is not a distant vision. It is being built right now — by the families who show up every day with knowledge, love, and an unshakeable belief in what their children deserve. 💜

Black families are not the problem. They are the solution. They hold the expertise, the power, and the vision to build the future their children need — and our systems need to be designed to support that, not work against it.

That is what National Black Child Development Week is about. That is what this movement is about.

Dream Forward. Act Now. 👉🏾 nbcdi.org/actnow

Address

8455 Colesville Road, Suite 910
Silver Spring, MD
20910

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5:30pm
Tuesday 9am - 5:30pm
Wednesday 9am - 5:30pm
Thursday 9am - 5:30pm
Friday 9am - 5:30pm

Telephone

+12028332220

Website

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