Born with 100 billion neurons - as many stars as are there are in the Milky Way - babies have enormous, natural potential. They're curious, attentive, and inquisitive. Their healthy development depends upon warm, responsive relationships with the adults in their lives, a supportive, secure environment, and healthy nutrition. When all are in place, children thrive.

The relationships and interactions with parents, teachers, and caregivers are critical to cultivating every child's unique potential. Language begins with the very first cry; newborns actually cry with an accent! Three-month-olds understand gravity, and 9-month-olds have a sense of numbers. Toddlers learn 10 new words every day. Children ages 1 to 4 ask, on average, 76 questions per hour.

At the same time, babies are learning about race and equity. It may seem a bit of a stretch, but research shows that 3-month-old babies can visually categorize faces by race. If we are not attentive, they also begin to absorb and mimic our own biases. At 9 months, they can no longer make distinctions among facial features of races other than their own. By the time they are toddlers, they start to connect race with a person's behavior. Preschoolers of all races associate more positive traits to the dominant race. And as kindergarteners, children begin to ascribe negative behavioral traits to non-dominant races.

But we know that children are sponges and are capable of amazing feats of learning. If frequently shown images of racially diverse people, 9-month-olds learn to identify different racial features. Toddlers are responsive to positive messages about their own and others' race. Preschoolers can identify and act out against racial injustice on their own. Children who feel positive about their heritage, as well as that of others, can become change agents. It's our job as adults to help grow them to be ones.

First, we need to work on our own biases, assumptions, and prejudices about race. At Mile High Early Learning, 140 plus staff members are engaged in challenging, sobering, and rewarding work focusing on race and equity. From teachers to cooks, administrative staff to family and community advocates, and education coaches to content specialists, we are on a journey together. Our first steps included exploring our own identify and its many facets. We asked all staff members to participate, and we provided many ways for them to engage. Some staff members have volunteered to be Race & Equity Leaders, facilitating Communities of Learning for the entire staff. Others joined the Steering Committee to help provide direction for the organization. Senior management read and discussed Courageous Conversations About Race. For some, the work has been troubling-"Why do we have to talk about race?" For others, it has been freeing-"Finally, we're talking about race." Staff were asked, "Do you believe that the facets of your identity are a source of pride and self-worth?" and 86% agreed. However, when asked if they believed that their co-workers valued those same facets of their personality, 55% agreed, and 32% were unsure.

Three years after this work started, more than 75% of staff members believe they have strategies needed to confront biased speech or actions against a child, family, or colleague. Two-thirds of staff feel comfortable bringing up program-wide practices or policies that they believe marginalize groups to program leadership.

However, when asked if they thought coworkers confronted biased speech or actions by directly questioning or challenging those behaviors, only 26% agreed, while 41% were unsure, and 32% disagreed. Although 38% of staff believed that coworkers would address biased behavior by indirectly sharing it with a supervisor or coworker, more than half were unsure.

So, we know that we have more work to do. As we begin to understand ourselves better, address our own behaviors, and support our coworkers in their journey, we can also provide better guidance for our children. Our next step is strengthening our partnerships with parents so that all children grow  up proud of who they are and celebrate their culture, heritage, history, and most importantly, themselves.

Thank you for honoring me with 2019 GlobalMindED Inclusive Leader Award in Early Childhood Education; it's an honor that I share with all my staff.

Resources: School Readiness Consulting; Equity in Early Learning Initiative; University of Pittsburgh School of Education Race and Early Childhood Collaborative

Each session is based on how things get done, key stakeholders, measurements and ability to bring about change at scale. Participants do not spend time talking about their background; time should be devoted to unique, innovative work and what it has achieved. Sessions will be selected based on the following criteria: 

Colorado Smart Cities Symposium

August 20, 2019 -   Denver, CO

This event brings together civic-minded leaders from enterprise, government, academia, research, impact investors, startups and nonprofits to dive deep into what it takes to create a state full of connected communities. It includes a full day of sessions and workshops designed to enhance collaboration and move innovation forward. The event also features a tech showcase of cutting-edge smart city solutions. Together, we will create the ultimate citizen experience, one partnership at a time. Learn more and register  here. 

  2019 Excellence in Global Health Award

The purpose of this award is to recognize and publicly honor those individuals, institutions or organizations based in the state of Colorado that have made a significant and exemplary contribution to the sustained improvement of the health of multiple populations over an extended period of time in a global health setting. 

Do you know someone who you would like to nominate? Learn more  here.

DEADLINE: September 6, 2019 (midnight)