What is 'The Work' & Why Do We Need Each Other to Do It? |
|
We may wish to meditate every day, we may wish to exercise every day, but we have to do the work. It’s the same with changing implicit biases. You have to want to do it, and you have to put in the work.
Prospective and current parents alike are asking: how is diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) approached within our cooperative preschool programs? Is Co-op putting in “the work”?
And if anyone should be asking this question, we should. Research shows that early childhood is the critical period for developing implicit bias. Babies are primed from birth to recognize race, showing preference for the race of their primary caregiver. We know that two year olds use race to reason, that by age three children show both in-group and pro-white biases, and that these biases begin to become implicit- subconscious- around age 8. Few parents and educators consciously instill these biases. Rather, children are astutely observing and making sense of the hierarchy they see around them. When adults are silent, implicit biases form in children. But when adults help them see the unfairness in the hierarchy, we disrupt the formation of these biases.
So, there will never be a better time than now to help our children develop healthy racial identities, and there will never be anyone better to do it than us. Families of Color Seattle compares “the work” to brushing our teeth. You can’t do it once and be done. Are we in Co-op integrating anti-bias practices into our daily ritual as a community? Are we normalizing anti-bias parenting practices? To answer this question, let’s start with the formal work being done at the Co-op wide level:
|
|
-
Parent Advisory Council (PAC) Equity Subcommittee: Projects include building up diverse books in our classrooms, refining and expanding online parent resources, such as the Co-Op Diverse Book List, on the SSCCP website, creation of virtual reading rooms: Disability Awareness; Black History Month/Black Lives Matter at School; Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month.
-
Windows and Mirrors: Parent Educator Jen Schill offers this workshop annually, and the philosophy has become woven into classroom practices
-
FOCS: We partner with Families of Color Seattle on an annual workshop. This year’s workshop “Recognizing, Interrupting and Resolving Microaggressions” was offered on 1/31 and was once again our most popular of the year, with over 70 folx attending. Above, the Jamboard that concluded the workshop.
-
Other Seminars: Our workshops pertaining to anti-racist parenting have grown over time. For example, on February 17, we offered “Watch Party: How Children Learn About Race”, a film created by Embrace Race.”
-
Staff Professional Development: We invest in anti-bias PD for the teachers and instructors through self-funded and OPEP workshops.
-
Offering scholarships to ensure all families have access to co-op: The Mary E Phillips Scholarship fund ensures that income will never prevent a child from joining co-op. Your fundraising efforts make this so. Thank you.
This list has grown in recent years, and I think we can all agree that we must keep this growth going. But what matters most is the informal work we as parents and educators do on the daily. What can we add to this list? What is your class doing? Your board? Your family? You directly with your child?
|
|
2022 Registration Updates |
|
|
|
With the arrival of March, Ongoing Registration is in full swing. Several classes are already at capacity, however we do have some availability in all age groups, especially Infant, Movers, and Toddler classes! If you are unsure of your plans for fall, how to juggle co-op and multiple children, of just want to talk about your options and see what is available, contact Jen Schill anytime!
|
|
News from the Parent Advisory Council |
|
Your Parent Advisory Council (PAC) has been hard at work to replace the funds usually raised for scholarships at our annual Caspar Babypants event (we'll miss you, Caspar!). There are two awesome opportunities to support our tuition asistance program coming up this spring! |
|
Feeding the Whole Family
Join us for Cynthia Lair's engaging and fun lecture: Feeding the Whole Family! What should you feed those you love? And how can you get them to eat what’s best for them? In this uplifting and practical class learn to set sturdy yet flexible boundaries that can help make mealtimes successful
for everyone. Based on her book, Feeding the Whole Family, Cynthia will cover topics such as which foods are worth eating, how to make vegetables enticing, just how much sugar is okay, and the value of sharing home-cooked meals. Submit your questions ahead of time so Cynthia can tailor the talk to our families! Tickets go on sale on 3/14, keep an eye on our Eventbrite page!
|
|
All School Meeting + Ice Cream?
This year's All School Business Meetings are virtual once again, but we've added an element of (optional) fun - we're making them Ice Cream (anti) Socials! From now until 4/2, place your order for an ice cream sandwich making kit from Full Tilt Ice Cream. Kit includes 8 large cookies and two pints of ice cream (choose your flavors when you pick up). Pick up your kit the day of your ASBM (4/4-4/7) and enjoy a treat with your fellow co-op members. 50% of the proceeds support scholarships. Spread the word, friends and family can join the fun, too, even if they don't have an ASBM to attend!
Note: cookies are vegan, vegan ice cream is available, too!
|
|
 |
White Center Co-op Preschool is inviting everyone to share in an opportunity to support a local independent book store, along with supporting the preschool's budget and most importantly to continue to expand our children's curiosity, creativity, and imagination through books.
The White Center Preschool has connected with Page 2 Books, an independent bookstore in downtown Burien. Page 2 Books will donate 15% of all purchases back to the White Center Co-op Preschool that are either made through their custom ordering website (listed below) OR in the store when you mention White Center Co-op Preschool at checkout.
The custom ordering site can be found here:
Page 2 carries books, puzzles, games, art supplies, and much, much more. Orders ship anywhere, so please share White Center Co-op Preschool's custom site with your friends and family. Questions? Email Page 2’s program at partnerwithpage2@gmail.com
If you prefer to shop in the store, be sure to mention White Center Co-op Preschool when you check out so that 15% of the sale is credited back to WCCP!
This fundraiser is ongoing and runs throughout the year.
|
|
|
|
One barrier to co-op participation families occasionally struggle with is what to do with a younger (or older!) sibling on the grownup work day in class. Alki Co-op offers options!
Babywearing: If you have a very young sibling, Alki has a policy in place to allow baby to be worn in class until they are 6 months old.
Multi-age Drop Off: For siblings 6 months - 5 years, Alki offers their MADO class. MADO is located onsite at preschool and has a dedicated teacher and working parent during each session. Siblings enjoy a relaxed playtime with other children while their grownup works in their sibling's class downstairs!
Multi-age: Sometimes families have busy weeks with children in various classes and activities, making traditional co-op participation impossible. Multi-age to the rescue! Meeting on Fridays midday, this class allows for a taste of co-op for busy families!
"My one year old ended up in the Multi-age class when the other toddler classes were full and we were placed on a wait-list. The Friday schedule turned out to work great for us and we really enjoyed the age diversity in class - there were similar aged kiddos and older kids that served a great example. When a spot opened up in the toddler class we stayed with Multi-age because we bonded with the families and Teacher Linda is wonderful. Three years later I still have really fond memories of where we started in coop."
Lisa - mom to an Alki 4s kiddo
|
|
|
|
|
The Lincoln Park Pre-K Class celebrated Valentine’s Day with a special visit from Eric, our community mail carrier. We began the month talking about hearts, the shape of love not the ones inside our bodies (that came later) which led to kindness and how it makes the world a happier place. All month long the children and parents have been filling our big cardboard heart with ‘Acts of Kindness’, acknowledgment notes describing when they noticed a friend doing something kind for another friend, like letting someone go first or giving up a favorite colored scarf to a friend. Then on Valentine’s Day, there came a knock at our classroom door, we all said, “Come in”, and in walked Eric, donned in full uniform complete with mailbag. He had a special delivery, a card for each child addressed to them personally from their caregiver. But before making his delivery, Eric gave a brief talk about what he does each day. The children were so engaged, wide-eyed with curiosity and interest, it was their first guest visitor of the year! They then had time to ask questions, give comments or compliments, these ranged from, “How do you know where the mail is supposed to go?”, to “I wear socks too”. After saying good-bye to Eric, the children became “mail carriers” as they took turns delivering their valentine cards to their friends, mailboxes. |
|
|
|
Outdoor preschool days during the winter and spring in the Pacific Northwest tend to be dominated by one thing: mud. Teacher Sara’s Pre-K class has been having a blast exploring puddles and discussing the merits and disadvantages of mud. Here are a few of their thoughts:
What Don’t You Like About Mud?
E: It gets me all messy
G: I don’t like having to take a shower afterward
E: It sometimes gets stuck
L: I don’t like getting it in my eyes
M: the mud is slippery
T: When the mud is sticky
L: Sometimes it smells worse
J and M: I don’t like mud in my shoes
L: When people splash it gets on your clothes
N: I don’t like it in my face
What Do You Like About Mud?
S: It’s slippery (I like it)
B: On hot summer days the mud cools you down
M: It’s smushy
T: I like playing in the mud
L: You get to splash in it
M: The mud’s gooey
J: I like going in the mud
M: The squishiness of mud
N: It’s splashy
|
|
|
|
|
Even though our parenting education seminars will take place remotely, they are still an amazing way to build your own skills during this busy and anxious time. You can find upcoming seminar listings on our website calendar.
|
|
|
|
So much information is available on our websites!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
