For those of you who are going to the NAEYC national conference next week, the Diversity and Equity interest forum would like to extend a warm welcome to the conference and invite you to participate in our interest forum events. We hope to see you at many of them!
- Conference sessions sponsored by the interest forum:
- "Let's Talk About Whiteness, Ijumaa Jordan & Kate Engle, 8:15 -11:15 Music City Center, Room 104 E, Conversations about race, racism, and power in early childhood often focus on critical issues involving the marginalization of children, families, and educators of color. In addition, effective racial justice work requires that we understand the ways that whiteness operates. We invite you to join us at this session in order to make that whiteness visible. Through storytelling and small group activities, we will consider the professional responsibilities of white early childhood educators and early childhood educators of color to explore how racism and white privilege shape our lives and work. By the end of the session, participants will be invited to make a commitment to implement one concrete strategy to disrupt racism in their work as early childhood professionals
- "Welcome to anti-bias curriculum: Supporting educators to foster this key component of social-emotional development" Sarah Felstiner, Meg Thomas and Kevin McGowan, 8:15-11:15 Music City Center room 101 A/B, As educators, we all want to support children's healthy social-emotional development and help them to become competent citizens in our diverse world. By promoting Anti-Bias Education in our classrooms and schools, we foster social learning for children, and bring focus to our own awareness of equity issues. But many educators wonder where to begin, and how to grow our own confidence in facilitating anti-bias education. This workshop offers a constructive space to share concerns and ideas and begin planning steps you can take in your own classroom or school. We'll examine the goals of Anti-Bias Education, discuss contexts that foster social learning, and offer strategies to enhance cultural competence for children, families, and educators.
- Our annual Diversity and Equity Interest Forum Business Meeting: Thursday from 9:45-11:15 a.m. at the Omni Nashville, Acoustic. Join us to talk about interest forum work for the coming year, hear about diversity and equity work in the Midwest and think about helping with the work of the interest forum. If you are not going to the conference, but would like to help with upcoming interest forum work such as book clubs, webinars and discussions on HELLO, please let us know.
- The Celebration of Equity and Diversity Reception on Thursday, November 21 from 8:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. at the Omni Room Legends D. NAEYC sponsors this for all of the interest forums. It will be an evening of desserts and conversations highlighting the work that Interest Forums have done in the sphere of equity and diversity. Forums will have posters featuring their work. There will be a cash bar at this event..
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[Meg] [Thomas]
[Early childhood consultant
Co-facilitator for Diversity and Equity Interest Forum
[St Paul ] [MN]
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