Black History Month started in 1915, half a century after the Thirteenth Amendment abolished slavery in the United States. In September of 1915, the Harvard-trained historian Carter G. Woodson and the prominent minister Jesse E. Moorland founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (ASNLH). This organization dedicated itself to researching and promoting achievements by Black Americans and other peoples of African descent.  It created the beginnings of what we now know as Black History Month (BHM).

Black History Month allows everyone to share, celebrate, and understand the impact of black heritage and culture. Black History Month continues to inspire our BCC community and reminds us of the important core values of Empathy and Relationships.

In the past, present, and future, BCC pursues and walks in our purpose, carrying our core values.  In 2020, to gain our footing in a tumultuous environment, we established the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion committee. This committee has continued to meet monthly and is helping BCC navigate these challenging and unprecedented times.  We are grateful for their guidance this month as they enrich our learning about Black History and nourishing our skills in empathy and relationships.

The great thing about Black History Month is that it’s for us all!  Learning about the contributions of our Black brothers and sisters is essential. Learning about Black history is part of the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion journey and helps us develop our core value of Empathy and nurtures the core value of Relationships.  Please, reflect on where you are in your journey. Are you unaware, an ally, advocate, or activist? I ask this question as I reflect on where I am in my journey – how far I’ve come and how far I need to go yet.  I also think about where BCC is on its EDI journey. One thing I know for sure. We have a long way to go. But we are moving in a promising direction. During Black History Month, consider how you might drive yourself to your next level:

• Achieve allyship through research and self-reflection.
• Educate yourself on the journey of black people in this country.
• Find books by black authors, listen in on podcasts, participate in a community service project that targets underserved communities.
• Push yourself to engage in reflective practices that allow you to see where you can serve as an ally.

It is only through educating yourself and action that you will develop a skill set to be an ally and gain an appreciation for the Black community that extends past Black History Month.

As we celebrate Black History Month this February, we are dedicated to illuminating and amplifying Black contributors’ work in mental and behavioral health. However, we will not stop there. Through 2021 and beyond, we are committed to highlighting our underrepresented mental and behavioral health professionals from diverse backgrounds, celebrating their important contributions to our field.

Learn more about the BCC’s commitment to embracing equity, diversity, and inclusion by reading the BCC Compass, our new blog, created to share our pursuit of an equitable, diverse, and inclusive environment at BCC.

A special THANK YOU to BCC’s staff members who identify as Black and/or African American.

Thank you for all that you do to contribute to our purpose of “enriching communities, one family at a time.” Choosing to be a mentor and part of the healing and recovery of the children and families we serve makes a difference that lasts and matters.

Laurie Anne Spagnola, MSW
President and CEO
Board of Child Care

A letter from BCC’s CEO:

Talented mentors walk a fine line.  They must carefully balance constructive feedback and ask objective questions, while allowing those to whom they are providing counsel to decide what path to choose.

On December 14, 2020, Board of Child Care (BCC) lost a longtime board member, fierce advocate, and loyal friend.  Bob Kimmons was a man who inspired every single member of BCC’s leadership team to be our best selves.  In the days since his passing, each of us has reflected on what Bob has meant in our lives. Unilaterally, we all said “mentor” without hesitation.

Continue reading…

Despite the unprecedented times that we currently live in due to COVID-19, four years swiftly passed since our last election! Americans across the U.S. are making sure they exercise their suffrage rights, and so are our youth here at BCC!

The “Rock the Polls” initiative educated our eligible youth on their state and national candidates and provided bipartisan answers to questions youth arose.

In total, 22 eligible youth residing across Baltimore’s Main Campus, Colesville, Hagerstown, Nicodemus, Denton, West Virginia, and TFC are now registered to vote and ready to rock the polls! This is a milestone for our youth as it is their first time utilizing their voice to positively impact our community! It is the beginning of our youth’s journey into social action; however, it doesn’t stop here! We want to encourage our youth to take an active voice in social issues and future state and national elections to come.

We are the role models for the kids that we serve. Make sure YOU get out there and rock the polls!

September is Hispanic Heritage Month and BCC is celebrating it with members of our Hispanic community!

On Wednesday, September 16^th, the  Caminos program kicked off BCC’s “Celebración del Mes de la Herencia Hispana” with Hispanic Heritage display tables and a carryout cuisine sampling.

Through the sights, sounds, and flavors of Latin America, the Caminos program gave the youth and staff of the Baltimore Campus a glimpse of the diverse traditions of Latinx culture.

Hispanic Heritage Month has been officially recognized in the United States since 1968. The celebration lasts from September 15^th until October 15^th.  September 15^th is significant because it is the anniversary of independence for various Latin American countries including Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. In addition, Mexico and Chile celebrate their independence days on September 16 and September18, respectively.

Thank you to our Caminos program team and everyone who came out to celebrate!

Board of Child Care to receive the United Methodist Association Innovation Award for its dedication to innovation with the Caminos Program.

The United Methodist Association (UMA) has selected the Board of Child Care (BCC) to receive its 2020 Innovation Award for the Caminos Program.  UMA is a membership organization whose mission is to promote, inspire, recognize, and empower excellence in human service ministries. The Board of Child Care has been chosen to receive this prestigious award in celebration of its dedication to programming innovation and best practices in ministry. Board of Child Care, Cunningham Children’s Home, and Florida United Methodist Children’s Home will accept the Innovation Award on Wednesday, April 29, 2020 during the UMA Annual Meeting in Boulder, Colorado.

BCC’s Caminos Program provides safe, secure placement options for children who have recently migrated to the United States and are seeking opportunities for reunification with family.  As part of our commitment to expanding support for this vulnerable population, BCC has been working in collaboration with two (2) other UMA member agencies to share our experience and expertise.  Cunningham Children’s Home (Illinois) and Florida United Methodist Children’s Home staff visited the Board of Child Care to establish a collaborative framework of practice that would assist unaccompanied minors with:

• A safe and secure placement
• Case management support
• Clinical mental health treatment
• Educational support in a trauma-informed manner

With this new sprinkling of thinking, agency awardees imagine that the UMA network will inspire other organizations to consider innovative ways to stretch their faith tradition to serve others in unique ways!

For more information about our Caminos Program, please click here.

To all our friends, family, BCC staff and Community Partners

for making Fall Fun Festival 2018 a huge success!

Caroline County Department of Social Services

Petals for Hope

St. Martin’s Barn

Human Services Council

Caroline County Health Department-Tobacco Cessation

Click below for photos of Denton Fall Fun Festival 2018