COVID-19 has sent many of us on a winding road of change and unprecedented challenges. As we now have three vaccines for the virus and the number of cases is starting to go down, many communities are starting to open up and return to a more “Pre-COVID-19” life. For many families, this means children returning to child care after having been away from the setting for a year or even longer.

Each February, we set aside each time to celebrate Black History Month (BHM). The observance of BHM is a sort of antidote to the lack of Black history being embedded in general American history the rest of the year. We must understand that when we leave Black American or any other culture’s contributions out of our history, we miss a chance to learn about the inventions, films, music, freedom fighters and the legacy of strength and inspiration that this county was built upon. We hope that one day we will have strong, robust history lessons that celebrate the diversity of our country, but until we do observances such as BHM are critical.