LPLC Quarterly eNewsletter (Spring 2023)

Executive Director's Update

Dear LPLC Community Members--

Robert Frost wrote, “Nature’s first green is gold.” This season, we heartily welcome in spring’s first green. It has been a year full of change – ushering in great loss coupled with new hope. In the fall, we lost LPLC's Co-Founder Wendy Pesky, a woman of great strength, dignity, and compassion. Each day since, everyone at LPLC has honored Wendy’s legacy, striving to empower young learners with a sense of agency and accomplishment, along with academic skills and strategies.

It certainly has been a year of change. Fall gave way to winter, and everyone at LPLC found warmth in the individuals, families, schools, and communities we serve. We also commemorated new life in the birth of LPLC Evaluator Dr. Masser’s first child. She and her husband, Brendon, welcomed in “baby Kate” and we cheerfully welcomed this new addition to our LPLC family.

With spring comes the green and the gold of youth, and our teacher training programs are serving a broader and more diverse audience of young learners. We are providing formal training or coaching to over 500 early childhood educators, and K-3 teachers across 13 school districts. We also welcomed a second newborn when Advancement Assistant Holly Ruiz and her wife, Erin, ushered in “baby Mateo.”

We look forward to welcoming in the summer knowing that, with your support and your concern for the well-being of young learners everywhere, LPLC will continue to educate, create, and inspire. Unlike Robert Frost’s poem, we believe that something gold can stay.

In partnership,

Lindy Crawford

Lindy Crawford, PhD

Executive Director

lcrawford@lplearningcenter.org

LPLC 2022-2023 Board of Directors

Greg Pesky, Chair

Gregory Byron, Secretary

Buck Harris, Treasurer

Jim Foudy

Lisa Gabel

Mark Hamachek

Dana Herrman

Will Hughes

Rebecca Hupp

Nate Katsuki

Barbara Morgan

Alan Pesky, Co-founder

Wendy Pesky, Co-founder (In Memoriam)

Decker Rolph

Robert Sanchez

Jerry Sturgill

Matthew Weatherley-White

William Young

Click the button below to learn more about LPLC's board members.

Meet LPLC's Board of Directors

Recommended Reads

This spring, we invite you to peruse recommended reads focused on creating meaningful connection:

Brene Brown's book, The Gifts of Imperfection, invites you to join a grassroots movement. The movement begins with each of us saying, "My story matters because I matter."

In Kristin Neff's book, Self-Compassion, you will learn that people who are more self-compassionate lead healthier, more productive lives.

Understanding and Supporting Students with Dyslexia: Hybrid Course

On June 23rd and 24th, LPLC is offering a two-day hybrid course on Understanding and Supporting Students with Dyslexia. The course may be attended in person at the College of Western Idaho or online. This course meets the requirements for the Idaho Literacy Achievement and Accountability Act and teacher recertification. Additionally, this course is worth one credit through BSU, NNU, CSI, and ISU. Learn more and sign up by clicking the button below.

Tier 1 Spotlight:

Training Specialist Courtney Painton

LPLC Training Specialist Courtney Painton is celebrating her 1-year anniversary with Lee Pesky Learning Center! Courtney is a member of our Early Childhood Education team, and she is responsible for delivering professional development and coaching to early childhood providers, as well as facilitating kindergarten readiness parent workshops. She has had the opportunity to make an impact on hundreds of teachers, children, and parents over the last year.

One of the big projects that the Tier 1 team has facilitated over the last year is the Every Child Ready to Learn project. Through this project, which is generously funded by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, Courtney and her team have provided training and coaching to over 200 educators in the areas of early literacy, mathematics, and building inclusive learning environments. This project has worked with three separate groups of 72 early childhood educators across Idaho over the course of 4-6 months each.

Courtney has had the opportunity to work with 20 of the same participants from her group for the entire three cycles. This has helped to form strong relationships with those educators and witness immense growth over the course of a year’s time. In Courtney’s words,“I feel so incredibly fortunate to have created such close relationships with the providers I have worked with for the entire year. They show such devotion and commitment to the children and families they serve. My favorite part is sharing in their successes and mastery moments. Seeing them realize the difference they are making in the lives of children brings me so much joy and pride.”

Your Support Makes

a Difference!

One out of every five individuals will experience a learning obstacle.

Lee Pesky Learning Center has been providing support for 25+ years to ensure that these individuals have the resources they need to become connected, self-determined, resilient, self-aware, and strategic. You can support the next child's (or educator's) journey by ensuring that cost is not a barrier to receiving services.

Make a Gift Today!

Curious to know how you have helped create a pathway to learning?

Read Lee Pesky Learning Center's

2022 Impact Report to learn more about how our community is helping to turn obstacles into opportunities.

Education is everything and your partnership makes an incredible difference in the lives of children and educators.

Counselor's Corner: Parenting with Self-Compassion

“Social expectations teach us that being imperfect is synonymous with being inadequate. We are to hide our struggles, protect ourselves from shame, judgement, criticism and blame by seeking safety in pretending and perfection.” -Brene Brown

We cannot be put together all the time. As adults we seem to maintain this concept that we aren’t doing enough or we need to do better. What if instead of saying, “I’m not good enough” or “I’m failing," we recognize that we are doing what we can. Sometimes we forget to switch the laundry to the dryer or take the pizza out of the oven before it burns. That’s okay. Those are the moments where self-compassion is so important. When we continuously focus on this belief that mistakes equal failure, we break ourselves down and lead ourselves to burnout. What would happen, if instead of immediately jumping to, “there I go again; I’m a terrible parent," we took a breath and thought, “this is hard and I’m trying.” Click HERE to read more.

On May 20, 2023, 140+ members of the Lee Pesky Learning Center community gathered at JUMP in Boise, Idaho to celebrate the mission of LPLC.

Keynote speaker Emily Pilloton-Lam of Girls Garage spoke to the importance of educating our children and empowering them with the tools for success. Alumni Speaker and Founder of Bluebird Express Carwash John Michael Fery shared his touching personal experiences.

If you were unable to attend LPLC's spring event, you can view the showcase video (below) or peruse the photos captured by professional photographer Chad Case HERE. Please note, to access the gallery, you may be prompted to enter the password Pesky.

Alumni Spotlight: Share Your Highlights or Updates

We Love Hearing From our Alumni and Alumni Families!

Click the button below or email advancement@lplearningcenter.org to submit quotes, stories, updates, and pictures. We look forward to hearing about the adventures you have embarked on and challenges you have tackled since your time at LPLC!

Share Updates Here

Lee Pesky Learning Center works together with individuals, families, schools, and communities to understand and overcome obstacles to learning.

www.lplearningcenter.org