Dear Nursery Families,
It was wonderful to have so many of you join us for our Parent Groups this week and especially fun to see your children back online this morning for our first Summer Shabbat Sing!
As we continue to think about the role of race and equity in our communities and especially in our conversations with children, this week I am "sharing the mic" with my brilliant friend and colleague, Roxana Reid, by turning over my Friday note to her. Roxana is deeply insightful about the role of education in children's lives. She holds degrees in Social Work and in Law, and she is the founder of the extremely successful educational consulting company Smart City Kids. She has been a professional guidepost to me, and I know you will be inspired by her as well.
I also encourage you to spend time listening to some of the other amazing conversations that have taken place this week as a result of shared platforms. As a start, I found this conversation between Dr. Yaba Blay and Tarana Burke particularly thought provoking, engaging, and complex (stay until the end to hear their honest exchange about children and education).
And now, it is a privilege to turn my mic over to Roxana.
A Note from Roxana Reid
"Education is for improving the lives of others and for leaving your community and world better than you found it."
~Marian Wright Edelman
Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness – the signature phrase that became a beacon of hope for my family when we lived in what was then a Military Dictatorship in Panama. The words resonated so deeply, compelling us to seek those promised freedoms in this country with the unwavering belief that in The United States of America, the most primal human needs would be within our reach.
I have not been to my home country in many years, but the events of the last few months have been steeped in eerie familiarity. Anxiety, uncertainty, isolation, lack of equity and the inevitable need for humans to break free of oppressive systems that threaten their ability to live with liberty and in pursuit of happiness.
Education is an engine for hope – or the potential for hope. It is the reason why I am optimistic about our future, no matter how bleak these times may seem. Education is the space where everyone can dream of the limitless possibilities to find joy and pursue passions with the freedom that brings life to everything that we do.
As Founder of Smart City Kids, and mother to two beautiful African American boys, daughter, sister, cousin, friend and woman of Afro Caribbean roots, the events of the last few weeks have been painful. From lack of access to COVID-19 care, the isolation of social distancing, the economic uncertainty impacting the vast majority of Americans and finally, the collective call to action we are witnessing on a global scale reveals a great need to shift the trajectory of our experiences in hopes of a better tomorrow.
Friends to whom I have never spoken to about my private pain and fears as a mother, now ask me about that pain, seeking to be educated. It is a sobering reminder that education, listening to one another’s experiences and stories leads to a fuller understanding of the world around us. This learning is foundational to many and is as important as the bricks and mortar that we leverage to educate students in classrooms. Education is access. Education paves the way to equity. Education, ultimately, is power. This is the power that fuels the pursuit of happiness and with as few barriers and restrictions as possible with as little harm to others as humanly possible.
At Smart City Kids our mission is to direct students to find their place in the world. We take great care to clarify best educational fit so that students will ultimately self-actualize in whatever way joy and happiness manifests itself in their future. We are committed to helping the broadest range of students pursue educational options that are ideally suited to their learning styles and we commit to increasing our number of pro-bono services and offering workshops and guidance to even more communities on the margins of this hope and promise for a better future.
Our newsletter is a tool we designed to offer up information, access and resources. This month, we look at resources for students and families of all ages, from Early Childhood to College that encompass, academic, social, physical and mental wellness tools that may be useful to your family as we stand here, witnesses to history. We stand as parents, educators, siblings, children and allies to those seeking a more perfect union. We start, where all stories of hope begin, with planting the seeds of change.
EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES FOR FAMILIES IN COMPLEX TIMES
As families grapple with not just the pandemic but with how to discuss the complex topics of systemic racism and social justice with their children, we have culled some of our favorite resources to share with you:TEACHING TOLERANCE is a site geared to educators featuringlesson plans and classroom activities.
NYPL offers up a wealth of information that is readily accessible and has a robust set of tools not just tied to literacy but also age specific learning.
The Child Mind Institute remains a go to resource for the emotional well being of children and their families. Their expansive articles and topics give clear and actionable guidance on how to support children who are coping with trauma.
Sesame Street/CNN hosted a family Town Hall Coming Together: Standing up to Racism on June 6th addressing racism and how we talk about it as a community, the program is remains available for viewing.
Haymarket Books is hosting an online teach-in on June 18th entitled Raising AntiRacist Kids: Ibram X. Kendi with Derecka Purnell
Thank you for listening.
Shabbat shalom,
Alicia