Last January in my early childhood education class, we began discussing the idea that supporting children and families is important for the overall well being of our country and how it is our collective responsibility to do so.  Creating a framework for this discussion in the classroom, it was very important to remove political leanings out of the conversation so that we could focus on the root causes of poverty, the challenges that families in poverty face on a daily basis, solutions for supporting these families, and the long term benefits we gain as a country when we provide high quality education and care for ALL children and families.

We began class by exploring “The State of America’s Children”2017 report which provides some eye opening insights into the perils faced by a large percentage of the children in the United States.

Every semester, students are shocked the first time they read this report.  This semester was no different.  In fact, many of my students appeared to be not only disillusioned, but truly outraged by these numbers.  How could this possibly happen in the United States of America?  Well, the rest of the semester was spend exploring this question.  Throughout this process, students began to see the importance of not only being proficient in the classroom, but also becoming strong advocates for the children and families they will support.  To this end we decided to compile an electronic repository of local resources for families and children that, as advocates, they could refer to when the need arises.  The following is the completed “directory”.  It focuses on resources in the Washtenaw county area.  We utilized elink to create this resource.  It is a free service and a great tool for educators.  The platform is easy to navigate and has great premium features.  Here is the link to our final repository:  Community Resources