Our institutions of teaching and learning — our schools and daycares – are often touted as the “silver bullet” that will sustain society. But in actuality, institutions of teaching and learning are secondary to the institution of family, which is the most critical socializing agent for young children. I’m not really certain and I don't know what it is going to take, but I am hopeful that sometime, in the not too distant future, there will perhaps be a well-informed, fervent public opinion that to preserve the sanctity of family life is the most important thing that we as members of society can do. Developmentalist Urie Brofenbrenner once said: Children need people (families) in order to become “uniquely human”. The most important work to spur children's growth and development is done quietly in our homes, in our neighborhoods, our parishes, mosques and in our communities. No government can really "love" a child and no policy can substitute for a family's love and care. But isn't it strange that we have "degrees" for murder but not for "love". Love is as ancient a prescription as any tonic we know — it heals, it inspires and it motivates! Yet many of our young children suffer from the lack of it. What our children need most of all is heavy dosages of love. Famed educator Jonathan Kozol once said that "the most deadliest of all possible sins is the mutilation of a child's spirit, for such mutilation undercuts the life principle of trust." And the acclaimed poet, writer and actor, the late Maya Angelou, once said: I've learned that people will forget what you have said and they will forget what you have done, but they will never, ever forget how you made them feel. Also, it has been said that "no one has been able to measure, not even poets, what the heart can hold."

And so it is with our very young children. The "significant" adults in children's lives are their emotional tool kit. We must always remember that we can either build children up or tear them down in an instant, not just simply by the words we use but by our actions, our deeds and terms of engagement. We are the ones who are charged with the awesome task of teaching children notions of justice and fairness, ideas about personal responsibility and perseverance, honor and integrity and attitudes about work and effort as well as beliefs about what it is not. So we can never afford to undermine the fundamental relationships that exist between parents and/or significant caregivers in the lives of children. The undeniable fact is that our children’s future is shaped by both the values of their parents, guardians, grandparents and the legacy of their ancestors—as well as by the policies of our nation. Children need more than our educational institutions can teach them. All of us as parents and significant others in the lives of young children are responsible for the socialization and the education of them. So, what I am really trying to convey here is that the healing of our nation really begins in the homes of its people—all of its people!

What are your thoughts regarding the impact of the institution of family and the institution of education on the lives of young children? How can the two entities work in tandem to ensure a more productive and thriving future society? What types of polices can be enacted to support family life and the reduction of the systemic economic, social and environmental disparities that often exist in communities throughout this nation?

Dr. Wanda Roundtree - 8/29/2014