Maya Angelou National Institute for the Improvement of Child and Family Education to Take Proactive Approach to Child Development

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WINSTON-SALEM, N.C., Sept. 18, 1998 -- Winston-Salem State University, thanks to the help of renowned poet, author and educator, Dr. Maya Angelou, has created an institute to help families take a proactive approach to helping children become productive citizens.

The implications of the recently established Maya Angelou National Institute for the Improvement of Child and Family Education are that the institute positions the university to become a major force on child development issues and a partner in developing stronger family support systems. By creating an effective child development model -- one that supports the value of education, self-esteem, and family support -- children may be better armed to resist the negative influences that can rob them of their potential which may lead to teen pregnancy, suicide, or alcohol and drug abuse among others. Current research shows that certain behaviors in children that occur from birth through kindergarten may affect a child's life-long achievement.

National statistics provide a clear picture the vital need for an institute like the one at Winston-Salem State. For example, the Carnegie Corporation reports that current employment laws provide parents with only minimal time to be with their newborns. Neither does the United States ensure prenatal and postnatal health care for mothers, nor their infant or children.

The Children's Defense Fund (CDF), in its 1998 report, Poverty Matters, indicates that economic conditions are key factors in an infant's general health and physical development, academic performance, and societal productivity. In fact, economics can also have a negative effect on infant mortality rates. Babies born into poverty conditions are more likely to be at the lower end of the scale in nearly every category. This situation has dire implications for the South where, the CDF reports, one in three poor children in America live. That is 5.5 million children, and the CDF reports more than half of them are living off family incomes that are below the federal poverty line.

While the institute at Winston-Salem State may not be able to address all the economic inequities that these children and their families face, it can address some of the problems associated with child development born out of desperate economic realities.

The institute, a collaboration between Dr. Angelou and WSSU, a university recognized for over 50 years for its teacher education program, is envisioned as a community-based, comprehensive center with three main goals: 1) developing and replicating family support programs; 2) connecting research, theory, and practice in education and outreach activities that are responsive to identified needs; and 3) informing practicing professionals and policymakers about issues related to improving practices and professional preparation in education and human services.

In an effort to raise money for the facility, Dr. Angelou has agreed to celebrate her 70th birthday with a concert to benefit Winston-Salem State University, on Saturday, October 3 at 8 p.m. in Kenneth R. Williams Auditorium. Grammy-winning composer Quincy Jones and the singer/songwriter duo Nickolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson are lending their support to the project by serving as host and musical guests, respectively, for the gala. Ashford & Simpson's latest CD, "Been Found" is a collaboration with Dr. Angelou, who appeared with the duo this summer at the JVC Jazz Festival in New York.

Institute interim director, Dr. Frankie Denise Powell, says the Maya Angelou National Institute for the Improvement of Child and Family Education has several proposed objectives for obtaining its desired goals. Among those proposed objectives are a collaborative needs assessment of low-income families between the institute and local agencies in Winston-Salem and the development of a parent education program for parents of children involved in the Forsyth County Early Childhood Consortium. Another proposal is the development of an in-service training program for early childhood caregivers and educators. In collaboration with other agencies, the institute proposes to operate a model childcare program. The institute would also be involved in the design and implementation of impact studies about government policies on the welfare of children and families in Forsyth County.

"There is no single issue affecting the development of children today but many. That is why the institute is taking a comprehensive approach to the issues affecting a child's development," said Powell. "By comprehensive, we mean that we address the biological, cognitive, and socioemotional processes of development of children and their families."

CONTACT: Aaron Singleton, 336-750-3152, or Rudy Anderson, 336-750-3153