Priscilla wrote:
As a director I had resistance when I brought in trainers on diversity subjects. No one explicitly said no, but I felt resistance. How do we as directors of small centers break that barrier?
That's such a good question, and I'm sure a common reaction among many staff. One approach is using scenarios and looking at the scenario at a staff meeting and figuring out the stressors and perspectives of the child, teacher, parent, and administrator. It avoids looking directly at each staff person's biases--something they may react against and then be unable to listen further--but gets to the heart of them and can help frame the child's perspective in a more compassionate way. That can lead to a discussion of what adult biases may be at work in the scenario, how teachers and administrators might create a more welcoming environment for children, families, and staff who might be different than the usual center population, and might lead to some changes.
If there are specific diversity topics that your staff seems to be reacting against let us know and we might come up with some sample scenarios. I'm all for confronting biases directly and working directly to helping people recognize them and make changes but it's very easy for people to shut down and feel defensive. The softer approach might needed as a leading-in.
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Aren Stone
Child Development Specialist
The Early Years Project
Cambridge, MA
she/her
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Original Message:
Sent: 04-19-2019 02:03 PM
From: Priscilla Williams
Subject: Post your questions for "From Survive to Thrive: A Director's Guide for Leading an Early Childhood Program"
Those are helpful suggestions Robert and James your question about elevator pitch was a good one. Interested in seeing how the authors answer it.
As a director I had resistance when I brought in trainers on diversity subjects. No one explicitly said no, but I felt resistance. How do we as directors of small centers break that barrier?
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Sally Williams
Director/Education Specialist
Tempe, Arizona
Las Vegas, Nevada
Original Message:
Sent: 04-15-2019 01:48 PM
From: Priscilla Williams
Subject: Post your questions for "From Survive to Thrive: A Director's Guide for Leading an Early Childhood Program"
Hello folks,
I am excited to launch this new discussion on the challenges that directors face in early childhood programs. We'll be using Debbie LeeKeenan and Iris Chin Ponte's book From Survive to Thrive: A Director's Guide for Leading an Early Childhood Program as a guide, but all questions and comments related to the topic are welcome on this thread.
These questions will also be the basis of the interview of Debbie and Iris that will be moderated by NAEYC.
I am going to start off with the first question:
What have you found to be the most successful way to keep a healthy budget?
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Sally Williams
Director/Education Specialist
Tempe, Arizona
Las Vegas, Nevada
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