All children need PCEs to thrive
The HOPE National Resource Center remains committed to practicing anti-racism and prioritizing equity in our work on positive childhood experiences (PCEs). Promoting equity is fundamental to the HOPE framework. HOPE outlines the key types of PCEs – the Four Building Blocks of HOPE – that all children need to thrive:
- Safe and supportive relationships
- Safe and stable environments
- Opportunities for engagement
- Opportunities for emotional growth
Systemic racism can hinder access to these positive experiences. The HOPE National Resource Center offers tools to identify and address the policies and procedures that result in inequitable access and engagement.
When child- and family-serving professionals, organizations, and communities incorporate the HOPE framework into their work, they learn to recognize the dignity of each child and family, celebrate their strength and resilience, and understand them holistically. This includes updating policies and practices to remove biases and harmful assumptions. The work of promoting HOPE, equity, and anti-racism go hand in hand.
In celebration of our commitment to helping all children thrive, we updated our equity statement, which shares our promise to promote equity and continue our practice of anti-racism. We have also updated our anti-racism resource with new visuals.
Excerpt of our Equity Statement
We understand that achieving equitable access to PCEs requires acknowledging and addressing systemic barriers that countless children and families face. Many of these barriers result from centuries of bias and require sustained intentionality to identify and dismantle. The HOPE National Resource Center works with local and national partners to create more responsive systems so that every child has the resources and experiences they need to grow into thriving adults.
Updated Anti-racism worksheet
This guide walks you through the process of thinking about policy and practice changes from an anti-racism, HOPE-Informed lens. The resource provides two case studies in early childhood education and pediatrics settings to guide you through the process of reviewing the data, engaging with your community(s), and prioritizing and making changes.
Supporting anti-racism and equity
There are many ways to support anti-racism and equity in your practice with children and youth, and in your organization:
- Partner with your community to understand their needs and wants.
- Create policy changes that remove barriers to accessing care or needed resources.
- Learn more about systemic structures that stop people from being able to access PCEs in their personal lives.
- Advocate for state and federal changes that promote eliminating barriers created by these systemic issues.
- Look inward, learn about what biases you hold and how they affect those you serve and those you work with.
