AAUW Preschool: Diversity Statement (Revised July, 1, 2020)
AAUW P’s school philosophy states in part: “Our 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 we serve. 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, 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 daily interactions with young children in our care, in hopes to influence this generation to justice for all, far outside the confines of our early childhood classrooms. 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 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 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 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.