Nurturing Healthy, Happy, and Well-Developed Children: Essential Tips for East African Immigrant Families
Written by: Zahra Mahamud
Raising children in a new cultural environment presents opportunities and challenges, particularly for East African immigrant families striving to balance traditional values with the demands of modern life. At Voices of Tomorrow, we understand these families' unique obstacles and are committed to providing support that helps children thrive. This article offers practical tips on early childhood education, healthy eating, and mental health to help East African parents nurture their children's growth and development.
Early Childhood Education: Laying the Foundation for Success
Early childhood education plays a pivotal role in shaping a child's future. For East African immigrant families, it’s crucial to engage with your child's education while preserving cultural heritage. According to research from the National Institute for Early Education Research
(NIEER), children who attend high-quality early childhood programs are more likely to succeed academically and socially.
Integrate Cultural Learning: Reading to your child daily is a powerful way to support language development. Consider incorporating books in both English and your native language to reinforce bilingual skills and maintain a connection to your cultural roots. Additionally, engage in play-based learning that encourages creativity, problem-solving, and social interaction. Simple games like building blocks, puzzles, and role-playing can significantly contribute to cognitive development.
Balance Tradition and Modern Education: While it's important to embrace the educational practices of your new environment, don’t forget to teach your children about their cultural heritage. This balance will help them develop a strong sense of identity and pride in their background.
Nutritional Tips: Healthy Eating for Growing Children
A well-balanced diet is crucial for your child's physical and cognitive development. Unfortunately, many immigrant families face challenges related to food insecurity, which can impact their children's health. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that healthy eating habits established in childhood can lead to better health outcomes throughout life.
Embrace Traditional Foods: An East African cuisine offers many nutritious options that are both delicious and culturally significant. A well-balanced diet can be achieved by incorporating fresh vegetables and fruits, which are rich in essential nutrients. Including these traditional foods in your child's diet not only supports their health but also helps maintain a strong connection to your cultural heritage.
Prioritize Fresh, Whole Foods: Processed foods, often high in sugar, salt, and unhealthy fats, should be limited. Cooking at home allows you to control ingredients and ensure your family is eating healthily. Encourage your child to eat a variety of foods from all food groups such as fruits, vegetables, grains, protein, and dairy to support their growth and development.
Hydration Matters: Encourage your child to drink water regularly, avoiding sugary drinks that can lead to dental issues and obesity. Herbal teas, especially those traditional to East African culture, can be a healthy and comforting alternative.
Mental Health in Children: Building Resilience from a Young Age
Mental health is a critical component of overall well-being, yet it’s often overlooked, especially in young children. The American Psychological Association (APA) highlights that immigrant children may face unique stressors, including language barriers, cultural adjustment, and the pressure to succeed in a new environment. These stressors can significantly affect a child's mental health if not addressed early.
Create a Supportive Environment: Children thrive when they feel safe, loved, and supported. Encourage open communication within the family, allowing your child to express their feelings and concerns. Show empathy and understanding, particularly when they are navigating the complexities of adapting to a new culture.
Teach Coping Skills: Equip your child with strategies to manage stress, such as deep breathing, mindfulness, and physical activity. These practices can help them develop resilience and emotional regulation.
Monitor for Signs of Stress: Be attentive to changes in your child's behavior, such as withdrawal, irritability, or difficulty sleeping. These could be indicators of stress or anxiety. If necessary, seek professional support to address these issues early.
Foster Social Connections: Encourage your child to build friendships and participate in community activities. Social interactions provide emotional support and help children feel connected to their peers and community.
Raising children as an immigrant parent comes with unique challenges, but it also offers the opportunity to blend cultural richness with new experiences. By integrating traditional values with modern practices, East African immigrant families can ensure their children grow up healthy, happy, and well-adjusted. At Voices of Tomorrow, we are dedicated to supporting your family through every step of this journey, providing the resources and guidance you need to help your children succeed. With your involvement and love, we can build a brighter future for the next generation, fostering resilience, health, and well-being in every child.
RESOURCES
Early Childhood Education:
National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) on the benefits of early childhood education: NIEER
Healthy Eating:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on healthy eating for children: CDC - Healthy Eating
Mental Health:
American Psychological Association (APA) on mental health for immigrant children: APA - Immigration and Mental Health
Promoting Child Health and Wellness: A Close Look at the Child Care Health Consultation Program
In a recent discussion with Morgan Carpenter, the Program Manager of Health Services, and Balqisa Hassan, the Health Coordinator of Family Childcare Provider (HUB), we delved into the intricacies of the newly launched Child Care Health Consultation (CCHC) program. This program, officially introduced this summer, is gaining momentum as it strives to provide essential support to immigrant and refugee family childcare providers, with a particular emphasis on the East African community.
At the heart of the CCHC program lies a commitment to building health equity for East African immigrant and refugee children served by Family Child Care (FCC) providers. Through intensive supports, including one-on-one consultations, trainings, and coaching, the program aims to empower providers with the knowledge and resources necessary to address health, cognitive, and social-emotional concerns among children under their care.
The CCHC program offers a range of services designed to enhance the health and well-being of both providers and children. From in-depth consultations to tailored trainings on early childhood development and professional practices for health and safety, the program equips providers with the skills and awareness needed to promote optimal health outcomes.
One of the key goals of the CCHC program is to increase accessibility to health support by building capacity, systems, and resources. Through "light touch" services, providers have access to a menu of trainings, health consultations, and technical assistance, as well as referrals to resources as requested. This approach ensures that providers can access the support they need, when they need it, to best serve the children in their care.
With a renewed emphasis on health promotion and preventive care, the CCHC program aims to increase the number of children who are immunized, screened, and referred for health concerns. Additionally, the program seeks to enhance providers' knowledge of early childhood development and encourage the adoption of professional practices for health and safety.
Recognizing the diverse cultural backgrounds of East African providers, the CCHC program is committed to delivering culturally and linguistically responsive services. By acknowledging and respecting providers' cultural identities, the program aims to foster trust and collaboration, ultimately enhancing the quality of care provided to children.
While the CCHC program has seen positive outcomes in its initial phase, the team remains dedicated to continuous evaluation and growth. By refining their approach and adapting to the evolving needs of providers and children, the program aims to maximize its impact and promote lasting health and wellness within the East African childcare community.
As an integral component of Voices of Tomorrow's commitment to building a resilient and supportive childcare network, the CCHC program stands as a testament to the organization's dedication to promoting child health and wellness. Through tailored support, ongoing training, and community connections, the program aims to empower East African childcare providers to provide high-quality care that promotes the health and well-being of the children they serve. As it continues to evolve and expand, the CCHC program is poised to play a vital role in fostering a nurturing environment for providers and children alike.
Empowering Families: Voices of Tomorrow's New ECLIPSE Program Paves the Way for Holistic Childhood Development
In a bold move toward fostering the holistic development of children and families, Voices of Tomorrow (VOT) is pleased to introduce the adoption of a new program called ECLIPSE, which stands for Early Childhood Intervention and Prevention Services. It is designed to provide mental health and trauma-informed support for children enrolled in the VOT preschool program and their parents and families. At the heart of ECLIPSE is a commitment to providing tailored support for each child. Hangatu Dawud, the program’s mental health professional emphasizes this approach, stating, “Creating a tailored Individual Care Plan (ICP) for each student allows me to identify their areas of need and growth, with the goal of creating measurable treatment goals to improve each child’s well-being.”
The primary focus of ECLIPSE is to offer therapeutic services for families experiencing hardships or facing at-risk factors that could jeopardize overall family development. With a particular emphasis on children with behavioral issues, ECLIPSE recognizes the importance of overall well-being, encompassing the mental, emotional, and social growth of a child.
To further emphasize the urgent need for support, research findings published by Front Public Health in the National Library of Medicine from 2023 highlight a significant prevalence of mental health conditions within the Somali population. The study reveals alarming rates with anxiety affecting 34.9% of individuals, PTSD at 30%, and depression at 32.1%. These staggering statistics underscore the profound impact of prolonged conflict, displacement, and associated psychological distress, emphasizing the pressing requirement for specialized programs like ECLIPSE.
The impact of ECLIPSE extends beyond the confines of the classroom. The program actively engages with families one-on-one in their homes, providing various modes of communication, including Zoom, phone sessions, and meeting families in alternative safe spaces. This ensures that support is seamlessly woven into the fabric of daily life, accommodating the busy schedules of families.
Alongside one-on-one meetings, the program includes monthly check-ins facilitated by a Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT). This team includes a licensed mental health professional, a program coordinator, a health manager, teachers, and Family Support Specialists (FSS).
“The goal is to have them throughout the school year, and then provide a transition plan for when they exit the VOT preschool program,” Farheen Khalid, the program coordinator, said.
She emphasizes the importance of these additional monthly meetings, saying that this space allows for ongoing communication between professionals and parents, and gives them an opportunity to address parents’ requests and concerns directly. Establishing a foundation of trust and collaboration early on, ECLIPSE aims to empower families to navigate a spectrum of challenges effectively.
ECLIPSE currently offers 30 slots, ensuring a personalized and in-depth approach. The program utilizes regular screenings, such as the DECA (Devereux Early Childhood Assessment), to monitor a child’s social-emotional well-being, behavior, and self-regulation. If further evaluation is needed, the DECA-C (Devereux Early Childhood Assessment, Clinical), is employed, incorporating 40 questions to understand parents’ observations of their child’s behavior.
ECLIPSE does not adopt a one-size-fits-all approach. Instead, the program tailors its support to the unique dynamics of each family. Recognizing and building on existing strengths, ECLIPSE empowers parents to become active participants in their child’s development. To alleviate the stigma associated with therapy, the program adopts a culturally sensitive and informal approach, breaking down barriers and promoting open communication.
To acknowledge and accommodate the diverse backgrounds of the families it serves, the mental health professional leading the ECLIPSE program is fluent in both English and Somali. This offers a dual-language capability to ensure effective interaction and understanding. Families already enrolled in the VOT preschool program can qualify for ECLIPSE by meeting certain indicators outlined in the ECAP (Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program) application.
Voices of Tomorrow’s ECLIPSE program is a beacon of hope for families facing adversity. By combining early childhood intervention with a family-centric approach, ECLIPSE is poised to make a lasting impact on the mental health and well-being of children and parents alike. As the program evolves and expands, it holds the promise of becoming a model for other organizations committed to fostering the healthy development of future generations.
Common Mental Health Disorders in the Somali Community
Voted Best Child Care 2023 by Seattle Times' Best in the PNW
We are pleased to announce that Voices of Tomorrow has been named an award winner in The Seattle Times’ Best in the PNW contest!
Each year, the Best in the PNW contest calls for nominations from all around the Pacific Northwest to determine gold, silver and bronze winners in 282 categories. Voices of Tomorrow was awarded the bronze medal for Best in Childcare.
VOT provides technical assistance and professional development to childcare providers in their native language. In addition to our six preschool classrooms, we work with providers where early learning childcare and education is done in a home setting. We provide back-end support for those who are interested in becoming a licensed childcare provider. We also support existing childcare providers with applying for new grants and prepare them to be successful business owners. Our goal is to help children grow up with a strong sense of who they are and where they come from, while recognizing and embracing their uniqueness as an individual.
We provide wraparound support for the East African community, although we center our services on children with a focus on early learning as well as cultural and linguistic preservation. VOT also started implementing the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) to ensure children being cared for by our network of providers have access to good quality, nutritious meals. In addition, we provide mental and behavioral health resources with a focus on trauma-informed care for the children and their whole families.
It is truly an honor to have been chosen as one of these 722 businesses across the Pacific Northwest. This year, The Seattle Times said it received over 14,000 nominations from over 11,110 businesses. During the voting process, 116,321 individuals cast their ballots, and submitted 227,250 votes. This year, 722 businesses were recognized with at least one award.
Thank you to those who voted for our organization. This recognition is a testament to the individuals, supporters, and families we have touched in some way. We are so lucky to call the Pacific Northwest home, and we look forward to many more years of celebrating the best businesses in our region!
You can find the full list of categories and award winners here.
Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell and the Department of Education and Early Learning visit VOT’s Child and Family Center
Members of the City of Seattle and the Department of Education and Early Learning (DEEL) paid a visit to the Dayaax and Gayleer classrooms at Voices of Tomorrow’s Child and Family Center on Thursday, September 14th. Voices of Tomorrow (VOT) co-founders, Iftin Hagimohamed and Zamzam Mohamed, gave them a firsthand look at what the experience is like for the teachers and students enrolled in VOT’s Seattle Preschool Program (SPP).
Mayor Bruce Harrell was joined by Dr. Dwane Chappelle, the director of DEEL, and Leilani Dela Cruz, the director of DEEL’s Early Learning division. They spoke about their desire to highlight the importance of early childhood education and their hope for more dual-language programs.
“What you see here at Voices of Tomorrow is learning, conflict resolution, love, and bicultural and multicultural training opportunities,” Mayor Harrell said. He praised the hard work and compassion of the teachers and staff inside the classrooms.
DEEL is responsible for leadership, coordination, and policy development for early learning programs in partnership with Seattle Public Schools, community organizations like VOT, and other government agencies.
“I want to encourage all families to take advantage and get your young scholars enrolled in a preschool program,” Dr. Chappelle added. He spoke about the benefits of early learning education and how preschools prepare children for success in K-12 classrooms.
Leilani Dela Cruz is the director DEEL’s Early Learning division, which also oversees the City of Seattle’s Child Care Assistance Program.
“We want to highlight the phenomenal work being done here at Voices of Tomorrow,” Cruz said. “Studies do show that dual language programming impacts a child’s educational training and builds cultural understanding, language proficiency, and cognitive skills.”
Among the guest speakers was also a returning parent, Faraah Hassan. Her son had just finished kindergarten and is starting first grade after going through VOT’s dual-language program. Now, her daughter is also enrolled in the preschool program.
“I’m a testament to so many parents who continue to come to VOT and access their services,” Hassan said. She stressed the importance of VOT’s mission to preserve children’s cultural identities.
“I can proudly say that I still speak Somali, I speak Somali to my kids, and it’s very important for them to also not lose their identities in the education system,” she added.
VOT’s executives, Iftin and Zamzam, expressed the need for more support for teachers as well as more investments in mental and behavioral health services. Mayor Harrell and Dr. Chappelle ended their visit with a promise to continue investing in programs for early learners. VOT was very honored to celebrate our start of the 2023-2024 school year by opening our doors to Seattle’s city leaders, and we welcome the opportunity to have them visit us again!
Fostering Health and Nutrition: Empowering children through Voices of Tomorrow's new Nutrition Program
Voices of Tomorrow (VOT) has started implementing its latest program, the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), to ensure children being cared for by our network of providers have access to good quality, nutritious meals. CACFP is a USDA-funded childhood nutrition program for qualifying daycare homes who meet the requirements set by the state. It plays a vital role in making nutritious food more accessible to low-income children, families, and providers. By providing children with nutritious and well-balanced meals, we hope to nourish their young minds and continue to help them flourish.
Through this program, dedicated caregivers personally invest in providing nourishing meals and snacks to the children under their care. If they are eligible and if the meals align with the prescribed nutritional guidelines, the CACFP steps in to reimburse providers for two meals and one snack per child on a daily basis. The program is targeted toward children under the age of 12 and homeless youth up to the age of 18. It helps improve the quality of daycare homes by making well-balanced meals more affordable, and it allows providers to supply the children in their care with high quality nutritious meals as well as get reimbursed for related expenses.
Najib Hassan, VOT’s CACFP program administrator and monitoring specialist, oversees the verification of eligibility criteria to determine whether daycare homes qualify for program enrollment.
“Our primary focus is ensuring the providers voices are being heard within this program,” he said. “Having someone who understands you is key, so sharing the same culture and background makes it more comfortable for them to voice their concerns.”
Families with limited financial means also benefit from the program, as it equips their children with the essential resources required for healthy growth and the cultivation of positive habits. By focusing on children under 12 and extending support to homeless youth up to 18, the program touches on a critical period of growth and development.
One of VOT’s core values is being culturally responsive, which makes the implementation of this new program not just fitting but essential. CACFP promotes fairness, community involvement, and cultural understanding to ensure that everyone has a positive and meaningful experience. There are other organizations that sponsor this program, but many of VOT’s providers are East Africans and English is not their first language. That’s where VOT steps in to provide language support and make a culturally responsive program. As an organization deeply intertwined with the community, introducing this program is a natural progression, as it is a vital resource to many providers and families, we are already dedicated to assisting.
In embracing the CACFP, Voices of Tomorrow is not only introducing a new initiative but also upholding the commitment to fostering holistic growth within our communities. As CACFP emerges as a promising childhood nutritional program, it offers a glimpse of our organization’s dedication to quality, equity, and cultural responsiveness in action.
Through the thoughtful leadership of Najib Hassan, CACFP embodies VOT’s values of inclusivity and understanding, reaffirming that the pathway to a more promising tomorrow begins with nourishing the voices of today.
Provider Success Stories: Khadra and Saida
Interview with Khadra Hassan
“The technical support team has helped me to the best of their ability, Hafsa Mohamed specifically has helped me with the Renovation grant and multiple other grants but that one was a big project, and it was eventually approved.I cannot even begin to put into words how beneficial it has been and how thankful I am to them for their support. I get informed of new grants and latest updates all the time; they also host information sessions which are helpful. Having a support team who are in the system and consist of people who speak the same language as me and have the same culture creates a sense of confidence to be able to ask them any questions I might have. These services are particularly important to have available to providers like me because they work to bring useful grants and information to my attention.
It makes me comfortable hearing things being explained in my language and it is more important than receiving that same information in English because some of us have a language barrier. Even if we talked all day, I could not effectively communicate how important it is to receive this help from Voices of Tomorrow. I am glad I found them. They are different from other services because of the specific community they focus on, in this country there is systemic racism and staff that have the same background are more likely to help you more sincerely while other people could be biased towards you based on your skin color or name. There are stereotypes on people speaking a different language they automatically might assume you don't have the ability to understand, which is not true it's just that there is a language barrier and most of us have learned and become successful in our homeland but how do you get that across to someone who doesn't speak the same language? Language does not equal knowledge because most of us have wisdom and have been through hardships like civil war, but we are still resilient.
So having someone from the same background supporting you is not something to take lightly. It creates comfortability to ask any question you might feel you need to know and guide you in the right direction even if something goes wrong while you might restrict yourself with another person based on the possibility that it might be taken out of context.”
Interview with Saida Alim
VOT: “Tell me about your experience with the support team in your own words?”
Saida Alim: “I attended several information sessions about grants. It helped me understand the grant better and decided if it was a good fit for me beforehand. Each session breaks down deadlines and what to prioritize, so overall it has been extremely helpful. The first grant I worked with Voices of Tomorrow on was the Child Care Stabilization grant, they focused on receipt collection, penalties, what is allowed and what is not, and most of all it helped me prepare in case there was an audit. They gave us diverse ways to not only keep track of our receipts but to prevent them from getting deleted or going missing. The session helped me be more mindful of how I currently keep track of my receipts. These sessions are an effective way to give providers the confidence to apply for funding and use it for what it is meant for.”
VOT: “Why is it important to have services like this available to childcare providers?”
Saida Alim: “The better question is why would it not be important? It is people from your own community teaching you step by step on how to successfully comply with WAC requirements, rules, and policies, how to troubleshoot your handbook in case there is a grant coming up and you do not have the correct wording to apply. VOT (Voices of Tomorrow) speaks on behalf of providers when it comes to DCYF (Department of Children, Youth, and Families) with things like daycare providers being shut down for minor things that could have been prevented. VOT is a backbone for providers because they have someone that is a representative of them that speaks their language and has the same background, so I believe VOT is a valuable tool for providers.
VOT: “Would you recommend the service to others?”
Saida Alim: “In a heartbeat. Just knowing that they are there for me gives me ease, if I have a question that they are there to answer it. Just by their existence, I know I have support even if I do not use some of their other services. If more providers knew the benefits of some of the programs I have participated in, they would be singing songs about you all.”
2023 Auction and Gala Fundraiser raises over $100,000 for East African early learning facility.
The Voices of Tomorrow Auction Gala on Friday, June 9th, 2023 at the Golf Club at Newcastle was a glamorous and fun-filled evening that left a lasting impact on the donors, distinguished guests, and the future legacy of VOT. Set against a gorgeous backdrop with panoramic views of Seattle and Bellevue, guests arrived with excitement, dressed to the nines, ready to support our cause and make a difference. Thanks to the success of this event, Voices of Tomorrow raised about $100,000 to go toward building the first East African Early Learning Center in the region. It will enable us to serve even more families and children through behavioral health programs and additional early learning classrooms.
The live auction took center stage at the gala, offering up exclusive items and experiences for bidding. The items up for auction included beautiful works of art, hand carved African artifacts, a cabin stay near Mt. Rainier and a week-long resort stay in the Bahamas. The attendees inspiring’ enthusiasm and generosity played a big role in creating a successful night to remember. The funds raised will undoubtedly empower Voices of Tomorrow to continue our invaluable work, supporting and guiding the East African community through trauma counseling, healing, and mental health programs. Our donors and sponsors played a crucial role in making all this possible, showing incredible support and generosity. To all who attended, your belief in the mission of Voices of Tomorrow and your willingness to contribute will always be remembered.
We extend our deepest gratitude to each and every one of you for your unwavering commitment to nurturing the voices of the future. We also express our sincere appreciation to the dedicated team of volunteers, event organizers, and staff members who worked tirelessly behind the scenes, ensuring flawless execution with their meticulous planning, attention to detail, and passion for the cause. We look forward to the fruits of our labor, and continuing our valuable work to ensure each child grows up to be successful and proud of their heritage!
Join us at our Voices of Tomorrow Job Fair!
It is important to invest in cultivating a healthy world for tomorrow’s children. One of the best ways to create such a world is to serve these children at the root of their development. We are hiring Early Learning roles to help support Voices of Tomorrow’s preschool! There are many other roles within the agency such as Policy and Advocacy, Health Services, and Operations roles that are also open!
We would like to formally invite you to our VOT’s Job Fair that will be held on April 15th from 2-6pm at Highline College.
Voices of Tomorrow’s Job fair is for all ambitious people who want to advance in their careers, are looking for new job opportunities in Early learning, and many more!
Don’t miss this chance to hear some advice that could change your professional life and take your career to the next level!
Details below:
Career Fair hosted by Voices of Tomorrow
Saturday, April 15th, 2023
2pm – 6pm
Location: Highline Community College
[Building 8 on the bottom floor in room Mt. Constance and Mt. Olympus]
(2400 S. 240th street, Des Moines WA 98198)
For more information, contact:
Nimco Abdirahman
HR Manager
Direct: 206-905-6638 Office: 206-466-1229
Email: [email protected]
Adult Education - A Village To Raise A Child And Their Guardians
It takes a village to raise a child, is an ancient proverb.
At Voices of Tomorrow, we also realize it takes a village to empower parents.
Anyone who’s raised children will certainly agree that there is no “manual” or “handbook” for raising children, as every child is different.
And all circumstances in which a child is born, vary from family to family; making parenting an activity where skills are needed, but where do parents go to get prepared?.
Voices of Tomorrow works to empower and prepare King County families to elevate their voices and to forge new ways to engage in what they want and need to support children in their families.
VoT has built a program to help the most vulnerable families in the Greater Seattle region - East African migrants and refugees from Somalia, Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia, or Kenya.
Metro Seattle is home to more than 40,000 people who were originally born in a country in East Africa but have now made Washington State their new home.
Thus VoT has advisors fluent in Somali, Amharic, or Oromo - common languages spoken in East African homes and communities.
As VOT strives to give children roots of community connection and shared language — we firmly believe that providing supports to families and caregivers is critical to turning this idea into action.
VOT views its early learning services as an anchor to the community and while our early learning programs provide valuable support to children, we know that there must be a seamless connection between school and home.
To learn more about our Adult Education services, that include financial literacy training, basic needs support, and other tools to help your family raise strong and happy children, visit our services page here or contact [email protected].