Celebrating Black History Month

As February comes near to a close, we asked our staff to share some of their favorite ways they’ve been celebrating Black History Month within their programs!

Decorating for the Month at Layla’s House

If you’ve ever been to our Layla’s House location… and then been again… you know our amazing staff there love to change up the look so that little ones and parents attending our programs have opportunities to look, learn, and get excited about different topics each time they visit! This month, the team redecorated for Black History Month. Check out a few photos below.

Beloved Children’s Books by Black Authors

At Champions, we love to see kids in our programs – and their parents – read, read, read! This month, staff at our Family Learning Center incorporated two of their favorite children’s books by black authors – Just Like Your Daddy by Tiffany Parker and Hair Love by Matthew A. Cherry – into parent-child reading activities and groups, while our Baby Bungalow team shared this list of 50 Delightful Picture Books by Black Authors.

Celebrating Black Leaders

Lifting up the accomplishments of black leaders alike is another important way our program teams celebrated this month. From Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to figures like Mae Jemison (the first black woman to travel to space) or Dr. Evangeline Ward (an influential academic in the field of early childhood), check out Layla’s House and Baby Bungalow’s Facebook pages (HERE and HERE) to read about inspirational black leaders. This is a great way to involve your little ones in celebrating Black History Month!

abcProgram Staff Featured in the “Blacktation Diaries.”

Throughout the month of February, through a series called the “Blacktation Diaries,” the United States Lactation Consultant Association highlights a different black International Board Certified Lactation Consultant in their social media channels each day. On February 16th, our very own Deidra Washington was recognized! Deidra works with new moms to meet their baby-feeding goals and overcome common and not-so-common lactation challenges at our Baby Cafe locations around Hillsborough County. Click HERE to read the full highlight.

What are your favorite ways to celebrate?

These are just a few of the ways members of our team let us know they worked to bring Black History Month to life in their programs. Have you celebrated in a way that was particularly meaningful to your family? Send us a message on Facebook or Instagram (@cfctampabay) and let us know!