Here & Now

1800 Days' Tackles Minority Achievement Gap From Young Age

NOW TO RACE AND EARLY CHILDHOOD LEARNING. WISCONSIN HAS THE UNENVIABLE DISTINCTION OF HAVING THE LARGEST ACHIEVEMENT GAP BETWEEN WHITE AND BLACK STUDENTS IN THE NATION. TO NARROW AND END THAT GAP A MADISON AREA RELIGIOUS LEADER HAS LAUNCHED A NEW INITIATIVE. IT’S CALLED 1800 DAYS. THAT EQUALS JUST SHY OF FIVE YEARS. BUT BISHOP HAROLD RAYFORD OF THE FAITH PLACE CHURCH OF SUN PRAIRIE WANTED TO MEASURE HIS EFFORTS IN DAYS, NOT YEARS. ENLISTING THE COMMUNITY IN GETTING KIDS READY TO SUCCEED IN SCHOOL BEFORE THEY HIT KINDERGARTEN. BISHOP RAYFORD JOINS US NOW. AND THANKS FOR BEING HERE.

HAROLD RAYFORD:

THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

TELL US WHY YOU WANTED TO MEASURE THIS INITIATIVE IN DAYS AND NOT YEARS?

HAROLD RAYFORD:

WHEN YOU THINK IN TERMS OF YEARS, FIVE YEARS SEEMS LIKE A LONG TIME. YOU CAN TAKE A YEAR OFF AND CATCH UP LATER. BUT WHEN YOU PUT IT IN TERMS OF DAYS, YOU REALIZE EVERY DAY IS PRECIOUS AND EVERY MONTH IS PRECIOUS. AND I WANTED TO BRING TO LIGHT THE FACT THAT EVERY DAY THAT PASSES IN THE LIFE OF A CHILD IS A DAY THAT WE COULD TEACH THEM SOMETHING AND EXPAND THEIR MIND.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

WHAT SPECIFICALLY PROMPTED YOU TO LAUNCH THIS INITIATIVE?

HAROLD RAYFORD:

FIRST OF ALL, I WAS FRUSTRATED, AS MANY PEOPLE HERE IN WISCONSIN, BY THE FACT THAT WE CONSTANTLY RATE SO POORLY AS IT RELATES TO THIS DISPARITY. AND I WORKED IN THE SCHOOL FOR A WHILE AND REALIZED THAT THE CHILDREN AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS ACHIEVEMENT GAP ARE MY CHILDREN. THESE ARE KIDS OF OUR COMMUNITY. AND I REALIZED THAT IT IS NOT A SCHOOL DISTRICT PROBLEM. WHILE THEY ARE ENGAGED IN IT. THERE IS NO ONE DISTRICT THAT CAN SOLVE IT. THERE’S NO ONE GROUP THAT CAN SOLVE IT. IT’S GOING TO REQUIRE A COLLABORATION OF EVERYBODY. IT IS A REGIONAL ISSUE.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

HOW DOES THE 1800 DAYS INITIAVITE WORK WITH COMMUNITY TOWARD GETTING KIDS READY FOR SCHOOL?

HAROLD RAYFORD:

FIRST OF ALL WE’RE LAUNCHING AN AWARENESS CAMPAIGN MAKING SURE EVERYONE IS AWARE WHAT THE ACHIEVEMENT GAP IS. AND HOW WE CAN PARTICIPATE IN ELIMINATING IT BY DEVELOPING AN APPRECIATION FOR EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT AND MAKING SURE THAT EVERY PARENT OR CAREGIVER OR FAMILY MEMBER OR NEIGHBOR ACROSS THE STREET IS AWARE OF THE VALUE OF A CHILD’S ACADEMIC DEVELOPMENT. EVEN AT THREE MONTHS OLD OR SIX MONTHS OLD THERE ARE THINGS THAT A CHILD SHOULD BE ABLE TO DO. THERE ARE MILESTONES OR BENCHMARKS WE SHOULD LOOK FOR TO MAKE SURE THAT THE CHILD IS ON TRACK.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

I WAS GOING TO ASK WHY START SO YOUNG?

HAROLD RAYFORD:

YOU KNOW, A CHILD’S BRAIN STARTS DEVELOPING DAY ONE. AND FOR ME PERSONALLY I WAS UNDER THE IMPRESSION THAT THE ACHIEVEMENT GAP STARTED IN KINDERGARTEN AND GOT WORSE OVER TIME. I DIDN’T REALIZE UNTIL I STARTED TO RESEARCH THIS ISSUE, THAT WE CAN DO THINGS AT THE VERY BEGINNING. AND IF WE DO THAT, WE ERASE THE CONCEPT OF THE GAP FROM THE MIND OF A CHILD BECAUSE THEY AREN’T BORN WITH A GAP. THEY’RE BORN WITH THIS CLEAN SLATE. AND WE WANT TO CONVINCE THE CHILDREN FIRST AND THE PARENTS AND THE COMMUNITY THAT IT SHOULDN’T EXIST.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

WHAT ARE SOME EXAMPLES OF THE KINDS OF ACTIVITIES THAT CAREGIVERS OR PARENTS COULD START ON EVEN IN THE VERY EARLY MONTHS?

HAROLD RAYFORD:

ONE OF THE THINGS WE’VE DONE IS PUT TOGETHER A BROCHURE AND MORE INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE ON OUR WEBSITE THAT WE’RE PUTTING IN THE HANDS OF AS MANY PARENTS AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS AS POSSIBLE THAT LIST A FEW MILESTONES. FOR EXAMPLE, A CHILD AT SIX MONTHS OLD SHOULD KNOW HIS OR HER NAME. THEY SHOULD HAVE A CUTE LAUGH. AND IF YOU THINK ABOUT LAUGHTER, THAT’S SOMETHING THAT SEEMS LIKE EVERYBODY LAUGHS. BUT IF YOU’RE NOT` ENGAGED WITH THE CHILD, IF YOU’RE NOT TICKLING THE CHILD, IF YOU’RE NOT NOTICING THEY DO LAUGH, THEN THAT COULD BE AN INDICATOR OF A PROBLEM. AND SO AS WE START TO LOOK AND ENGAGE WITH OUR CHILDREN AND PLAY WITH THEM AND A LOT OF WHAT CHILDREN LEARN IS THROUGH PLAY. BUT WE LIVE IN THIS TECHNOLOGICALLY ADVANCED SOCIETY WHERE WE CAN GIVE A CHILD AN IPAD OR CELL PHONE AND IT CAPTURES THEIR ATTENTION BUT IT DOESN’T CHALLENGE THEIR IMAGINATION.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

IT SEEMS THAT IT HAS LONG BEEN RECOGNIZEED THE 0 TO 5 YEARS ARE IMPORTANT TOWARD ACHIEVEMENT. WHY HASN’T WISCONSIN DONE MORE IN THIS REGARD LEAVING IT NOW TO NON-PROFITS LIKE YOURS TO STEP?

HAROLD RAYFORD:

I REALLY DON’T KNOW. I THINK THAT’S AN AREA THAT WISCONSIN REALLY NEEDS TO IMPROVE IN AS A STATE. WISCONSIN NEEDS TO CREATE PROGRAMS BEYOND HEAD START THAT WILL FACILITATE THIS DEVELOPMENT AND THAT’S WHAT WE WANT TO DO AT 1800 DAYS. WE WANT TO CREATE AN AWARENESS IN THE MINDS OF EVERYBODY. NOT JUST THE BLACK AND BROWN AND YELLOW AND ALL THE OTHER COLORS OF THE RAINBOW. WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERYBODY KNOWS THAT EACH CHILD NEEDS THIS PRECIOUS TIME AND THIS PRECIOUS ATTENTION.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

WHAT HAS BEEN THE REACTION, VERY BRIEFLY, TO YOUR INITIATIVE?

HAROLD RAYFORD:

OVERWHELMING FROM THE SCHOOL DISTRICTS TO THE SERVICES THAT ARE OUT THERE. EVERYONE IS EXCITED ABOUT WHAT WE’RE TRYING TO DO BY ELIMINATING, NOT JUST REDUCING BUT COMPLETELY ELIMINATING THE ACHIEVEMENT GAP.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

HAROLD RAYFORD, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

HAROLD RAYFORD:

THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.