Zahirah Lynn Eppard

Schools of all kinds should be welcoming places. A community of children from families that are similar and different, all celebrated for their uniqueness and potential. When that is not the case, children feel the effects deeply.

As the mom of a handful of children with thick and curly hair Black locks, I can attest that the attention and effort put into caring for their hair is significant.

A few years back, my daughter and I went to the hospital to visit a friend who had just delivered her first child, a baby boy.

At all stages of our lives, we are learning. But did you know that more learning takes place during the ages of birth to five than all the other lived years combined! The process of learning to master our bodies, acquire language, interact with others, and more is hard work.

Helping children learn new skills is a lifelong process. Some they will need - such as learning to walk and talk and some they will simply like to do - like learning to ride a bike or play a video game. In these ways they learn to negotiate and interface with the world they live in.

Part of any efforts related to strengthening family ties is about making good use of existing resources and also learning about new ones.