By Bob Allen
The National Baptist Convention, USA, and Easter Seals are teaming up in April to raise awareness about children under 5 at risk of autism, developmental delays and disabilities.
National Baptists, the nation’s oldest and largest historically African-American denomination with an estimated membership of 7.5 million, have declared April 2012 as Easter Seals Awareness Month. The convention, with offices located in Nashville, Tenn., is specifically promoting “Make the First Five Count Sunday” on April 1.
The emphasis is part of National Baptists’ Health Outreach and Prevention Education (H.O.P.E.) program launched last year to improve health and well-being for African-Americans, who suffer disproportionately from preventable diseases.
It is led by Pastor Michael Minor, who became known as the “Southern pastor who banned fried chicken in his church” after the New York Times in 2011 profiled his efforts to promote healthier living from the pulpit of Oak Hill Baptist Church in Hernando, Miss.
National Baptist congregations are being asked to download the Make The First Five Count Sunday Worship Guide Insert for use on Sunday, April 1, 2012, and to distribute fact sheets about “Make the First Five Count,” a program launched last year by Easter Seals to encourage Congress to increase funding for Part C, the portion of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) that serves infants and toddlers up to age 2.
An Easter Seals study last year reported that fewer than 3 percent of children under age 3 are enrolled in the program for children with developmental delays or physical or mental conditions likely to result in delays. The study cites statistics indicating that nearly 13 percent of children under 3 should be served using current criteria and nearly 20 percent of all children could benefit from early identification and intervention services.
The “Make the First Five Count” motto emphasizes the importance of the first five years in the life of a child for learning and shaping their future. Every year unidentified disabilities and developmental delays cause millions of children to postpone entering school, Easter Seals says, putting them behind their peers and limiting their ability to meet their full potential.
The campaign urges Congress to increase Part C funding by $100 million, to $539 million, in the years to come.
Through the partnership, National Baptists will have free online access to the Ages & Stages Questionnaires®, a developmental screening tool from Brookes Publishing, and join Easter Seals’ advocacy efforts to Congress by signing the online petition to safeguard and enhance the program.
“As the largest provider of autism and early intervention services, Easter Seals knows what’s possible when kids get the support they need during the first few years of life – and also what happens when they don’t,” Easter Seals President and CEO James Williams said. “We are appreciative of the National Baptist Convention, churches and thousands of individual pastors and congregations that are helping to spread our message and engage their local communities.”
National Baptists H.O.P.E. program, launched at the 106th National Baptist Congress of Christian Education June 20-24 in Indianapolis, is aimed at providing health education, screening, program information and other resources to member congregations.