In the annals of early learning history, there exists a cohort of remarkable Black women who, against the backdrop of segregation, Jim Crow, and a fragile social safety net, developed centers of care for poor Black children that would serve as beacons of hope and possibility.
The Hope Day Nursery for Black Children in Harlem was founded in 1902 by a group of Black women because existing day nurseries did not accept Black children or would only enroll a small number at a time. Not long after, Frances Joseph, a member of the National Association of Colored Women, privately raised funds to hire Black teachers and open a Black kindergarten in New Orleans. And in Philadelphia, Women’s Union Day Nursery was founded and operated by Black women.
These women and so many others like them not only filled an essential need at a time when the hurdles of racism, sexism, and classism were nearly impossible, but they also helped to change perceptions about whose childcare needs were legitimate and the potential of Black children. In the book False Starts, scholar Casey Stockstill sites the work of historian Elizabeth Rose:
“[…] seeing European immigrant women work in factories was particularly jarring to some: ‘It was the presence of white mothers in factories, not of African-American mothers in domestic work that seemed to threaten the social fabric.'”
Further, “The native-born white women who typically ran these nurseries viewed the (white) immigrant children they served as capable of assimilation […] having been enslaved mothers and then working mothers for decades, Black mothers were defined by white day nursery reformers […] as workers who could support white middle-class mothers, rather than as mothers in their own right.” Put another way, Black working mothers, often domestics, were perceived as workers first and mothers second. Under these conditions, if Black children were accepted into a white-run day nursery, their assumed potential only went so far as to prepare them to serve their white peers later in life.
Among these pioneers, there was an understanding that children’s future success depended on learning and growing in a nurturing environment. They also understood the added social and economic benefits to the community and working mothers by creating such a space for children close to home. This is an early example of operationalizing equity and taking a holistic approach to building strong, resilient communities through education.
Purpose Built’s approach to strengthening neighborhoods is also holistic and includes a neighborhood-serving cradle-to-college education pipeline. That pipeline begins with an early learning program and a network of partners that support children and their families from ages zero to four. Recognizing that one early learning solution is unlikely to serve the needs or desires of every family, our goal is to ensure that families have robust choices of early care and learning providers who meet their needs.
With support from the Georgia Power Foundation and in partnership with the Low Income Investment Fund, Purpose Built and our Atlanta Network Members (the East Lake Foundation, Grove Park Foundation, and Focused Community Strategies) are developing strategies to ensure a healthy and equitable early learning ecosystem in every community. The partners are conducting a landscape analysis of each respective neighborhood to learn more about the current early learning offerings and who the providers and other partners are. The analysis will also surface parental needs and existing policy barriers that may impact access to high-quality early care that meets each family’s needs. We will create a toolkit for all Network Members and place-based field partners based on the learnings drawn from this experience so they may also be better equipped to nurture and support an early learning ecosystem in their neighborhood.
Ultimately, we want to be able to support families with excellent options, strengthen early care and learning providers – whether home- or center-based – and help build Black and women-owned businesses through this project. There are many possibilities for impact. That demonstrates that the power of choice should not be to the detriment of at-home care or friends and family child care. The goal is for them all to be part of a robust ecosystem of care that supports all children. A dynamic early learning ecosystem ensures access is not a barrier for families, furthering equity and social cohesion in the neighborhood. It also supports families’ upward economic trajectory.
The legacy of Black women leading and influencing Early Childhood Education continues today across our Network. Black women lead many of our Network Members with Early Learning Centers. Those great women from Philadelphia, Harlem, and New Orleans, fueled by a passion for education and a commitment to community upliftment, carved out spaces where children could thrive despite the barriers imposed upon them. Their stories deserve to be celebrated and remembered for their resilience, innovation, and dedication to the next generation.
