My bags aren't packed quite yet, but it is almost time to head to Portland, OR for our annual meeting. Lots of work has been put into the planning since the Parent-Child Preschools Organization (PCPO) originally prepared to host the meeting in 2020, was forced to cancel all reservations due to the pandemic, then replanned and rebooked for 2022. Many thanks are due to Kathy Ems and Linda Henegar for the groundwork they have done to make it all happen.

If you'll be at the meeting, I look forward to meeting you. If you can't make it, we'll fill you in on all of the happenings some time in May.

Cooperatively yours,

Dianne Rose, M.Ed.

Editor, Cooperatively Speaking

pcpinews@preschools.coop

The Annual General Meeting of Parent Cooperative Preschools International will be held April 30, 2022 at 7 pm Pacific time at the Grand Hotel at Bridgeport in Tigard, Oregon. All members are welcome to attend.

This year's Becky Allen Parent Education grant was awarded to Parkview Cooperative Preschool in Indianapolis, IN. Funds will be used to start a library, including a rolling bookshelf, several parenting books, and a multitude of children's books focused on diversity.

Parkview’s dedication to diversity led the board to develop a new position: Community Inclusion Chair. This board member will coordinate parent education opportunities that center on diversity, inclusion, equity, or social-emotional topics and engage in establishing practices that promote inclusion in classroom learning, publicity, and recruitment.

The library project will support this new position and the strategic goals based on promoting socialization among parents and students, recruiting families with diverse backgrounds, and encouraging inclusion. The design of the project ensures that students will benefit directly through literature purchased for home and classroom use. This project also provides opportunities for parent/guardian participation through book clubs and in-home read alouds. Finally, this proposal is uniquely powerful because of its ability to use the magic of reading to promote legacies within the co-op and at home.

Now is the time to start thinking about a project funding proposal for your school. Applications will be accepted starting in October 2022.

One of the many things to look forward to at the Annual Meeting is visiting a few Portland area preschools. There is nothing more inspiring than peeking inside a school and learning from what they do and how they work.

This year's tour line-up includes:

A PCPI Members Google Group has been created to give us another avenue to share ideas and information. This has replaced the Yahoo Group which is no longer active.