The BCC Compass – September 2023

Nelson Mandela once said that “education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”

Education—be it a college degree, vocational school, or learning a trade—can drastically change a person’s position and situation. Education can open doors and windows to opportunities that otherwise might not be available to an individual.

Unfortunately, a higher education can be costly, and many come from a place where it might not be feasible to attend pay for it. Those driven try to find ways to pay for it. Some are able to secure scholarships to fill in financial gaps. Others join the military and take advantage of the education benefits they get from their service. A majority end up in debt through loans.

At BCC, we see the need to make education more accessible for others. Not everyone has the ability to secure scholarships, join the military, or have had parents set aside money for a college fund.

As such, it has been part of our ethos to develop our talent and promote growth, both professionally and personally. We are able to do that through our college tuition assistance program where we provide members of our staff with $5,000 a year to help pay for a degree or certification. Though not everyone uses the benefit, those who do are able to attain something that they otherwise might not be able.

Let’s face it: there are careers that require degrees and training. On-the-job and life experiences are invaluable, but industry standards also dictate the requirements needed for various career fields. BCC hopes to bridge the gap between our staff’s talents and their opportunities for growth. That is equity.

As we move toward the future, we plan on highlighting the benefits we provide to our talents in order for them to be successful. The tuition reimbursement program is one of the best practices currently in place to retain, train, and invest in our people. We hope to highlight our talents who have used it and celebrate their achievements. Graduation party anyone?

Rev. Amor Del Rosario
Director of Spiritual Life, BCC Baltimore

The BCC Compass – August 2023

August doesn’t signify the start of a new calendar year, but it has always felt like a time of new beginnings for me.

For some, August means returning to reality after a summer vacation. For students and teachers, it means kicking off a new school year. For all, the promise of crisp, cooler temperatures is in the air as we prepare to wel come autumn.

We are moving towards a time of change, which can often be both exciting and nerve-wracking.

This past June at our Strawbridge School commencement ceremony, I talked about the idea of “Imua” in Hawaiian culture, my personal heritage. Imua means “to move forward” or “to move ahead” towards a goal. I am sharing this message with our wider community as we all collectively dive into a new season of life, whatever that may look like for each of us. This may be a time of challenges, celebrations, adventures, or peace — no matter what, I encourage you to take this idea of Imua with you. Move forward through the change, working towards the goals you have in place for yourself.

So what does Imua mean?  The term was made famous by King Kamehemaha I, the ali’i (king) who unified the Hawaiian islands. Before battle, Kamehameha would rally and call out to his warriors. He would say, “Imua e nā poki‘i a inu i ka wai ‘awa‘awa, ‘a‘ohe hope e ho‘i mai ai.” This translates to: “Forward my young brothers and drink of the bitter waters, there is no turning back.”

When I think of Imua and how to take steps forward in times of change, I am often reminded of this quote from U.S. Navy Admiral William McRaven.

“If you make your bed every morning, you will have accomplished the first task of the day. It will give you a small sense of pride, and it will encourage you to do another task and another and another. By the end of the day, that one task completed will have turned into many tasks completed. Making your bed will also reinforce the fact that little things in life matter… And, if by chance you have a miserable day, you will come home to a bed that is made—that you made—and a made bed gives you encouragement that tomorrow will be better.”

The little things in life can make the biggest difference and the most impact. Keep doing those little things that bring joy and purpose, even if it’s just making your bed. It will give you the confidence you need to go forward through life as change and new beginnings come your way.

I wish you Imua and a wonderful start to this new season.

Rev. Amor Del Rosario
Director of Spiritual Life, BCC Baltimore

The BCC Compass – July 2023

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over again and expecting different results. A practice we have here at BCC is to learn from what we have done in the past and adapt it to our current practices, realizing that there is not just one way to complete a task.

In June we had celebrated Juneteenth across the majority of our organization and it was deemed a “great success.” We learned and integrated best practices from the event last year.

Here is an excerpt from the Compass blog written by our CEO, LA Spangnola wrote last year:

“At BCC, we set a goal to improve our celebration and understanding of Juneteenth. In 2021, just days before the federal government approved Juneteenth as a federal holiday, BCC put together its first Juneteenth celebration. Staff members who worked that day received double pay, and we organized meals at several BCC campuses. But we quickly realized we didn’t include enough staff in the planning for the day. This year, we reached out to more staff members and received more feedback on how to celebrate Juneteenth in a way that was truly meaningful. We also added more educational opportunities about the holiday so staff throughout BCC could gain a deeper understanding of the day’s meaning.”

Here are the ways that we implemented the lessons learned from last year:

1. Each campus (PA, WV, and MD) had a planning team that consulted other staff and each other in planning

2. Menu was planned accordingly to cultural celebration and appropriate decoration were used

3. Appropriated funding and support was allocated by the EDI committee

4. Educational materials, such as bulletin boards and handouts about Junteenth were given away at the celebrations

Even with the “great success” we still have an opportunity to learn and grow as we plan for next year. The big realization is the need to be intentionally inclusive of all our campuses and also include them in the planning and execution of our celebration. With this in mind, we endeavor to:

• Assign an EDI outreach person to each campus to ensure that all BCC locations are included in the celebration conversation.
• Create and print out more educational materials to be distributed to the campuses.

With every EDI led initiative and celebration, there is room to learn, engage, and improve. That is the great thing about this work: we are always learning and growing together!

Moving forward, especially as we prepare for our agency-wide Hispanic Heritage Celebration, we will keep in mind the lessons learned from our past events to help us share with the world the richness of the people at the Board of Child Care.

The BCC Compass – June 2023

We hold a significant responsibility to ensure the well-being of all our youth, and this includes those who identify as members of the –queer community. Queer describes sexual and gender identities other than straight and cisgender. Queer is sometimes used to express that sexuality and gender can be complicated, change over time, and might not fit neatly into either/or identities, like male or female, gay or straight. Creating a supportive and inclusive environment for queer youth extends beyond direct care – it includes fostering a workplace culture that supports and empowers queer employees and creating positive relationships and role models for marginalized youth.

To effectively serve marginalized communities, BCC strives to understand the intricacies and complexities of marginalization. To do this important work, we rely heavily on the efforts of our Equity, Diversity, and Inclusivity (EDI) Committee. Our EDI Committee is an organization-wide committee of employees that work together to advocate for marginalized groups in our workforce. Through the work of the EDI Committee, we encourage employees to share their experiences, concerns, and ideas related to marginalized inclusion.

Creating a safe environment of open dialogue and communication is essential in supporting queer employees.

By actively listening to and addressing this feedback, BCC can ensure that the voices of queer employees are heard, and necessary improvements are made. Through this feedback, we have launched many initiatives that benefit the queer community, such as the expansion of employee benefits to include unmarried life partners. These modifications will help our employees with the stressors outside of work, and in turn create a more positive milieu for our employees.

Encouraging the visibility of queer employees is also integral to the support of queer youth. For any marginalized community, visibility challenges narrow societal expectations and demonstrates the richness and diversity within the group, dismantling harmful assumptions and misconceptions while promoting a more accurate understanding of their experiences, struggles, and contributions. This is especially critical to the youth we serve, many of whom come from environments barren of acceptance and understanding. In addition to the emotional benefits for the employee, visibility of our queer employees helps to show our queer youth that both support and success are attainable; it allows youth to see a bit of themselves in employees and serves to strengthen their positive relationships and, ultimately, their own personal identity.

To cultivate a workplace of understanding and visibility, BCC strives to foster an inclusive culture that embraces diversity, aims for cultural competency, and respects the identities of all employees, including but not limited to:

• Comprehensive non-discrimination policies that explicitly include sexual orientation and gender identity.
• Inclusivity and diversity training for new employees.
• Conversation-style educational seminars for current employees and teams.
• Equal opportunity for career advancement and professional development.
• Gender-affirming healthcare coverage.
• Inclusive parental leave policies for same-sex couples.

As we grow in the regions we serve and as our employees become more and more diverse, BCC is always mindful of setting LGBTQ+-inclusive policies and benefits to support the well-being of queer employees. By addressing these specific needs, we honor our commitment to supporting queer employees, creating an inclusive workplace, and acknowledge that these offerings are integral for employee safety.

Cole Welsh (they/them)
EDI Committee Vice-Chair

The BCC Compass – April 2023

A few years ago, I was fortunate enough to go on safari in South Africa. I was in awe of the beauty of the sub-Saharan terrain and the wonders of all the pack animals wandering the plains.  I was also able to see most of the big five game animals: lions, hippos, elephants, etc. But what I found the most fascinating was the watering hole. There I was able to see all kinds of animals—both predator and prey—gather to quench their thirst.  Zebras, hippos, antelopes, warthog, and other species of animals were gathered to have a drink.

What can we learn from this? We see different species of animals gathered for a drink at the same spot and yet as humans it can be difficult to say “hello” or get to know someone who might not look like us.

In the United States, desegregation was less than a century ago—yet we are the same species!

Since 2004, April has been a month designated to celebrate and honor the diversity in the world around us.

It is a time where we can intentionally appreciate our similarities and differences. It is a time to understand and recognize our differences and honor the essence of humanity. This month we aim to foster a deeper understanding of others, regardless of who they are or how they live. We encourage a deeper understanding of others through conversation and sharing.

Diversity is crucial.

Diversity helps us become better people because it increases our understanding of human nature, and it keeps us open to the fact that the world does not revolve around just one set of beliefs.

At BCC, we embrace diversity, and it is important for us to include different perspectives and ideas when making decisions and during everyday operations. Leadership understands that doing this will not only help us overall but can help nurture employees to develop strong interpersonal skills. Engaging with facets of other cultures, perspectives, and lifestyles can help us understand how the world works.

The Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) committee helps ensure that we look through a diverse lens so that we are able to open up our horizons. The EDI committee intentionally highlights our diverse workforce by helping our campuses celebrate different cultures, and they also bring a new lens when it comes to our policies and procedures to ensure that they encompass the diverse needs of our staff.

Diversity makes us stronger.

It is natural for humans to fear what we don’t know. I believe that if we continue to learn more about each other and appreciate each other, we can solve a lot of problems. Let us continue to celebrate our diversity and strive to build a world that builds longer tables to share a drink, not higher walls to keep the unfamiliar out.

Rev. Amor Del Rosario
Director of Spiritual Life, BCC Baltimore

The BCC Compass – March 2023

A few years ago, I had the opportunity to be with a group of youth for a retreat. One of the leaders thought it would be a good idea to do some push-ups to wake the kids up a little from their 9 AM wake-up call. Being in the Army, I had the personal experience to concur that push-ups can be better than coffee…sometimes.

As the group moved to the front-leaning rest position, the youth leader called out, “Hey, it’s okay if you need to drop to your knees and do ‘girl’ push-ups. There is no shame in that…” In about half a second, I jumped to my feet and corrected the leader. “They are called ‘modified’ push-ups, as I’m sure push-ups are not gender specific.” He smirked and said, “well, they are called ‘girl’ push-ups here.”

As I looked at the group of boys and girls, I moved up to where the leader was, dropped to the floor, and knocked out five one-handed push-ups. As I completed the last one, I looked him in the eyes and told him, “Those are girl push-ups.” I was feeling all kinds of emotions: disappointment, anger, sadness—and a little shoulder pain from the push-ups. But as a society, we need to continue to speak power into our young people and help them realize that gender is not a limitation to what we can or cannot do.

Women’s History Month serves to lift up all the amazing things that women have contributed to society and highlights the struggles women continue to encounter.

We celebrate the countless women who have fought tirelessly and courageously for equality, justice, and opportunity. It is hard to believe that it was only in 1974 that women won the legal right to open a checking account or take out a line of credit without her husband’s signature. Slowly, the great trailblazers continue to dismantle the walls of inequality and the mantle is passed to us today.

The late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said,

“Whatever you choose to do, leave tracks. That means don’t do it just for yourself. You will want to leave the world a little better for your having lived.”

I am grateful for the women who have paved the way for the women of today.

Our CEO, Laurie Anne (LA) Spagnola is our first female CEO in the agency’s nearly 150-year history. From our Board of Directors (54% female) to our executive and senior leaders (76% women in leadership) to our administrative team, clinicians, support staff, teachers, and direct care staff, every corner and every campus have the impact of women enriching communities, one family at a time.

Rev. Amor Del Rosario
Director of Spiritual Life, BCC Baltimore

The BCC Compass – February 2023

As we are in the cusp of Black History Month, I am once again in awe of the amazing attributes that the Black community has given to our society and my heart aches for the walls and injustices that were put in the way. It reminds me that we must continue to make choices that aid in breaking down those walls and to continue to listen and tell the stories of the past and support members of the community.

Some of you might have watched movies depicting stories you might not have heard of before. A few years ago, I watched “Hidden Figures” and was amazed about the impact that African-American women had on the NASA space program. And at the same time, I was disheartened that I did not learn about these stories in school nor was it common knowledge.

Lt. Gen. Frank Petersen, first African American Marine Corps aviator, Vietnam War Vet, and first African American Marine General Officer once shared his story with me about returning back to the Naval Air Base in Pensacola Florida from fighting in Vietnam, only to be told he had to sit in the back of the bus.

During a trip to South Africa, I had met Themba, who was imprisoned on Robben Island with Nelson Mandela because of his fight against the apartheid government. Yet, so many years later he spoke of forgiveness and reconciliation as a tool to heal what was done wrong to him.

So many of these stories resonate with the thread of perseverance and the desire to achieve, despite the circumstances that surrounded them.

We continue to hear stories of those who rise above their circumstances, and we should remember and embrace these lived experiences. They are to be celebrated.

Our challenge is not to settle.

Our challenge is to continue to be disturbed by the current strifes and circumstances facing the Black community or any community that has been marginalized. Continue to support the community with our presence, gifts, and voice. Be prepared to have an open heart and mind to listen and accept.