AAUW Preschool – Diversity Statement (Rev. 7/1/2020)

Here at AAUW Preschool, our school philosophy states in part: “The teachers create an atmosphere of comfort and
security where children’s needs are met with warm acceptance, understanding, and encouragement…Children’s first
experiences influence the way children feel about themselves, other people and the world around them.”

Building on that philosophy, we strive to develop a strong sense of individual worth in each child that we serve. And we
recognize that – unfortunately – this continues to be especially difficult for our Black friends in our greater society, who
still face racial injustice, unfairness, discrimination, and unjustified hatred. We are saddened by this tragic reality, and
therefore, we denounce racism, stand strong with our Black community, and say emphatically along with them, that
“Black Lives Matter”!

AAUW Preschool is accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), an organization
that holds us to a high standard of educational quality and professional excellence. NAEYC’s core values uphold the
dignity and worth of each individual, and their aim is for each child to “express comfort and joy with human diversity; to
increasingly recognize injustice; and to have the will and the skills to act against prejudice.” We aim to embed these
ideals in our day to day interactions with the young children in our care, in hopes to influence this generation to justice
for all, far outside the confines of our early childhood classrooms. And in light of recent events, we are taking a hard
look at ourselves and our teaching practices regarding race, asking what else we can do to assure we are intentionally
engaging in conversations about race, and teaching the young children in our care to be accepting and comfortable with
people of all races.

Our school administration and Board of Directors are considering hosting a Town Hall, where we ask the question,
“What more could and should we be doing to assure our organization is standing against racism on every level, and that
we are doing all we can to teach our children that people of all races have equal value?” We will be inviting families to
share their perspectives, as well, as we continue to do all we can to build and provide a further inclusive, early learning
environment. Update: This event was held June 29, 2020. We remain committed to continued dialogue between our
administration, staff, and families.

Going beyond race, into the realm of family culture, AAUW staff and administration are committed to continued
professional development in the area of Implicit Bias training, to help identify ways that we can work better to strongly
incorporate culturally responsive practices, that use “the cultural knowledge, prior experiences, frames of reference,
and performance styles of ethnically diverse students to make learning more relevant to and effective for them.”

We are proud to serve a diverse population of children and families here at AAUW Preschool. Family photos hang in
each classroom so children can see and celebrate the similarities and embrace the differences in the families from which
they come. We are a parent co-operative preschool, where parents and caregivers are actively involved in classroom
activities, school-wide functions, and day-to-day tasks that benefit the children of our program. Through this practice
we aim to communicate that all families are welcome here.

Be assured that at AAUW Preschool we will work hard and strive with unrelenting effort, to always respect, accept, and
celebrate each child in our care, and assure that he or she knows without a doubt, that children of all races and
ethnicities belong here.

Resources

  • A Message From NAEYC: We Stand Together – https://www.naeyc.org/resources/blog/message-fromnaeyc?fbclid=IwAR1MzrjQ9dHqVHZFYH1F0EDjochRLeU08PUKj75KYtsdsI1fScV3jMnpd40
  • The Pyramid Model Consortium