Mississippi Delta Children's Partnership

A Partnership for Nurturing Excellence

·Children's Village is a child focused program that emphasizes

Language development:
Academic performance
Social and problem solving skills
Cultural heritage

·Each child's language proficiency is assessed upon enrollment.
·Children are viewed in the context of their families.

A Partnership for Parental Engagement

Parents are engaged as the most critical influence in the child's socialization.
Family Circles provide community-based parenting support.
Family CIrcles provide a place where parents can share their experiences as well as their hopes and dreams for children in their community.

A Partnership Maximizing Community Strengths

Uses an assets-based approach that focuses on strengths rather than deficits
Works in collaboration with local school, business, community and professional partners.
Maximizes use of local indigenous knowledge, skills, and human and material resources.

A Partnership That is Accountable

Has process as well as outcome objectives.
Has measurable and attainable goals and objectives.
Involves participatory planning and implementation.
Has a mission which continues to evolve over time.
Use competent, skilled and committed staff.
Is based on respect and mutual trust.
Provides a support system
Reflects transparency

A Partnership That is Sustainable

Builds local capacity through strengthening the natural roles and practices of parents.
Builds local organizational capacity to address local needs.
Maximizes the use of natural and voluntary organizational capacity
Emphasizes collaboration with local partners.
Leverages existent resources.

ABSTRACT

Contained within that which we contribute, we have the power to point individuals toward what they have, rather than what they lack; toward their resources and capacities, rather than their needs and deficits. In this way we can encourage them to rise to new levels of worth and accomplishment.
-- Unknown

MISSISSIPPI DELTA CHILDREN’S PARTNERSHIP

The Mississippi Delta Children’s Partnership, is a culmination of a 16-month planning process focused on the development of an evidence-based child-focused intervention in the Mississippi Delta. The planning process was extensive including an exploratory convening, conceptualization of a child-focused program, a literature review, community mapping and local community Talking Circles. The Partnership, consisting of five nonprofits organizations located in Anguilla, Cary, Mayersville/Glen Allen, Quitman and Webb, serves a total of 17 socially and geographically isolated communities in five counties.

The purpose of the Partnership is to engage these Delta communities in a collaborative process of addressing issues related to the well-being of children and families. It is envisioned that individuals from diverse backgrounds in the Mississippi Delta will work collaboratively to assure the optimal growth and development of all children in the region. Further, it is envisioned that this Partnership will become the authentic voice for addressing the needs of children in the Mississippi Delta. The composition of the Partnership includes the funded sites and other community stakeholders and professionals.

Each of the five sites has an independently designed child-focused program that emphasizes language development, academic performance, social and cognitive development and self and ethnic group efficacy. These after-school/summer programs have been titled, Children’s Village and are operated by five nonprofit organizations in Anguilla, Cary, Mayersville/Glen Allen, Marks, and Webb Mississippi.

The design and planning process revealed that very little is known definitively about how children are socialized in the Mississippi Delta. For example, what do parents (Black and White) instill in their children regarding race, class and gender? We do know, however that parents are central to the socialization process. Consequently, parental engagement, namely the Family Circles, is a critical component of this Initiative. Each community will have a Family Circle whereby parents (guardians and grandparents) can receive support and more importantly collectively explore and strategize ways to address their needs. Through the technique of Appreciative Inquiry, parents will be able to share their stories about parenting, as well as their hopes and dreams for children in the community. Appreciative Inquiry is a strategy for purposeful change that focuses on what is and possibilities of what could be.

It is expected that the Family Circle will result in increased Social Capital. Additionally, social capital will be enhanced through the use of a family resource developer who will help each family access natural resources (Boy/Girl scouts, 4-H clubs, etc.) available for children.

The theory of change which under girds the proposed Initiative is the Ecological Model of Human Development with the child as the center. This model was selected because it enables one to view socialization and early development within its broader context; specifically the interaction of child and environment. Secondly, the community change process is asset-based and focuses on communities solving their own problems through use of their strengths and untapped resources. Local strengths and resources are mobilized through social capital development using indigenous natural helpers.

The proposed initiative is comprehensive and indeed will require an array of support services. This support system, coordinated by an independent contractor, will include community capacity building, training and technical assistance, public relations branding, a learning community and monitoring and evaluation. The Initiative includes explicit measurable outcomes for children, families and communities.