Kashama Leo-Henry serves as a wife, full-time
mom, Early Childhood Educator, an advocate, and author. She is originally from
the beautiful Caribbean island Saint Lucia. Kashama has just over 21 years of
experience, working with children birth to 8 years old and families. She has
served as a Preschool teacher, Resource teacher, Infant Toddler Specialist,
Site Director, and most recently serving as a Quality Enhancement Specialist.
For the past 8 years Kashama has been providing technical assistance to
childcare center staff, ensuring that early childhood teachers provide high
quality care to the children and families they serve. This work includes
providing consultation, support, technical assistance, coaching, mentoring, and
training to assist staff in developing practices that provide equitable
learning opportunities for all children. She also serves as a North Carolina
Community College instructor, teaching early childhood courses at two college campuses.
What inspired you to
write Daddies and Uncles and More, Oh My!? (book)
My mom was a single
parent. She paved the way and for this I’m forever thankful for her!
At a very young age,
she instilled in me a passion for reading! She constantly provided me with
books. I had access to early literacy which was a tremendous blessing at that
time. Nevertheless, I was not blind [to the fact] that everyone in my
surroundings did not have the same experiences.
As I grew older, these
early experiences had me seeking other educational opportunities that my mom
could not afford. At the age of 16, I worked 2 jobs, bought an airline ticket
[from Saint Lucia], and came to America to chase the “American Dream.”
This journey has not been easy, but it has been worth it!
In 2016, while
attending graduate school my thesis was titled “An Examination of Father’s
Involvement with Their Children” to look at the extent to which fathers are
involved in the lives of their children, who is serving in the role of father,
and if the involvement varied by socioeconomic and demographic variables. The
study explored the impact of the parental involvement perceived by the fathers.
I challenged myself to use its findings to produce a piece as an extension of
my research.
Fast forward to 2019,
I was dealing with something personal where I felt isolated. During this time,
I experienced a range of exhausting feelings. As an island girl, we are taught
that we’re born overcomers, so I knew I couldn’t remain in that overwhelming
space for much longer. Simultaneously, so much was happening in the world that
was heart-wrenching, specifically, black men experiencing many
challenges–implicit bias, racism, police brutality, unwarranted killings, and
the many negative stereotypes. I got inspired to change the narrative and
redirect my energy into something wonderful: to write a children’s book that
portrays positive interactions of Black fathers and role models as they play a
major role in contributing to healthy child development. I really wanted to
make a difference.
There are lots of
misconceptions and incorrect assumptions about Black fathers, and these can
lead to unaffirmed treatment and discrimination. My book "Daddies
and Uncles and More, Oh My!" honors and celebrates the male presence
in a child's life and showcases how the positive influence of a male figure can
greatly impact the child's life for the better. The book exposes young children
to a message that fathers-specifically Black fathers and male role models are
loving, caring, engaged, involved, competent, and can make a difference in
reducing negative biases.
In the early years,
when children witness strong and positive affirmations about their uncles,
grandfathers, and fathers, they feel a sense of belonging. They feel safe, and
they develop confidence about their heritage and themselves.
How can we promote literacy and
the love of reading to young children?
To promote the love of
reading for young children, we need to take a comprehensive approach. We should
focus on the four interrelated areas in Language Arts: speaking, listening,
writing, and reading. Since children discover the sound of language before they
observe the printed words, we should first engage children in rich verbal
communication, then read aloud meaningful and exciting stories at-least once a
day. These experiences will help children develop speaking and listening
skills as well as making connections to printed words. Also, exposing children
to a variety of books, labeling objects, and reading the same book multiple
times help promote literacy. When we take time to read with children
regularly, they realize that reading is fundamental. Children will then
develop a natural liking for reading. I enjoy volunteering at schools,
where I promote the love of reading and the excitement of books- ensuring that
children of color see themselves reflected in the material.
Kashama Leo-Henry: You have set the educational bar high for students enrolled in Early Childhood Education to gain a deeper enlightenment of their roles/profession being culturally responsive educators to children and their family members. I am engrossed by your knowledge and experiences that are shared both during staff meetings and personal correspondences to uplift for GREATNESS. Continue to follow the path outlined for you to broaden knowledge through your children’s books (author friend) and other mediums. Thanks for allowing me to have your story in the series of Black Women Educators.
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