One Hundred and Nine Years of Moxie
As many may know, this is my last year to write to you while serving at the helm of The National Center for Children and Families (NCCF). To write to you summarizing and reflecting on our community’s successful and ambitious collaboration. To write to you reminding you of the work yet to be done, and […]
Childhood Reflections on Death, War, and Uncertainty
Fourteen faces, as diverse as the colors of a rainbow overarching a water-logged earth, all peered back during this virtual meeting as this team came together. The mission: to clinically debrief and to discover the best approach to supporting a 13-year-old girl whose father was violently murdered over the weekend. The Child Welfare system removed […]
NCCF Research Team Publishes Book Arguing for a New Protected Class for Black Males
Authors Sheryl Brissett Chapman, Ralph Belk, Jasilyn Morgan, Krystal Holland, Bruce Tyson, and Omore Okhomina’s latest work entitled Black Male Youth Raised in Public Systems: Engagement, Healing, Hope (NASW Press) raises the provocative idea that Black men and boys raised by public systems should be entitled to specific legal protections designed to limit the intersectional […]
UMD Football Players Leverage Their Own Digital Media Company to Support Elementary School Students in NCCF’s Programs
When two University of Maryland (UMD) Football players, Beau Brade and Dante Trader, co-founded ONE SPEED Entertainment, they identified their mission as, “whatever you are doing, give it your best effort with no dilution.” Beau, Dante, and teammate Ruben Hyppolite, use ONE SPEED as a platform to produce content on sports, life experience, and pop […]
The Meaning of a Dollhouse
Four-year-old Naim liked the painted cloud and sun on the roof and the words handwritten in gold inside the rooms: Explore. Dream. Discover.
The Power of Connection
As we begin the holidays and season of celebrations, we will revisit the traditional appeals for hope, peace, love, and forgiveness. These virtues are centuries old and at their very core, are all rooted in connection. “Deep human connection is … the purpose and the result of a meaningful life – and it will inspire […]
Our Children Are Not Ours
Your children are not your children.They are the sons and daughters of Life’s longing for itself. -Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet, 1923 As the Nation approaches Memorial Day, a time of reflection begun in the 1860s to remember those who sacrificed their lives to keep our country free and safe, we all are confronted with a […]
Comfort Comes from Connecting to the Heart
This year, all of us at the National Center for Children and Families (NCCF) celebrate its century-old mission to strengthen the great connectedness of our community – connections which emerge from the heart and comfort our very being. As a society, we often emphasize romantic love because it is exciting, passionate, and natural; it aspires […]
The Children Are Watching Us: A Refrain
Be the person you prefer to be.
Talk to Me
Ultimately, as parents, we must stay present for our children
