The National Black Child Development Institute (NBCDI) introduces an exciting new curriculum for parent education. The Spirit of Excellence Parent Empowerment Project (PEP) is a unique program that seeks to educate, motivate and inspire parents to excellence as their child’s first teacher. Under the auspices of NBCDI, PEP was designed by and for lower income African Americans, but has demonstrated effectiveness with a broad spectrum of parents.  

Parents participating in PEP are enhanced by the experience. 

They begin to:

• Express and demonstrate knowledge of child development and parenting skills
  
• Stimulate their child’s growth and development appropriately
  
• Increase their knowledge of community resources and how    to access them
  
• Develop confidence and positive self esteem

Since 1970, NBCDI has worked to improve and protect the well-being of African American children through a variety of innovative programs, educational publications and dynamic training conferences. Our nationwide affiliate network allows NBCDI to provide our constituents with direct services, public education programs, leadership training and research.  PEP is one example of our commitment to excellence for African American children and represents a fresh approach to parent education. 

The distinctive aspects of this curriculum are:

• Affirmations - Inspiring and thought provoking affirmations, many of which are African proverbs, highlight the values of the lessons and stimulate discussion on the subject. 
  
• Parent Driven - The parents determine what topics they will study. With the support of a facilitator, they are able to choose from a buffet of topics, empowering them to tailor the curriculum to meet their needs.
  
• Active Participation - This fully interactive approach enables parents to retain more of the new information through role-playing, art, music, brainstorming and other forms of active participation.
  
• Weaving the Story - The curriculum consists of three major units:

1) Successful Parenting focuses on child development, discipline and child rearing strategies.

2) African American Culture is a cultural component tied to history, values and achievement.

3) My Vision for the Future promotes self-sufficiency, to help parents balance home and work.

The facilitator helps to “weave” the African American Culture topics into Successful Parenting and My Vision for the Future at appropriate junctures, in order to reinforce the lessons learned and provide cultural foundations and education.