True belonging requires us to be who we are.
EarlystART has long been rooted in the belief that every child has the ability to succeed in school and in life. Ending injustice, racism, and bias is fundamental to delivering on this promise.
We’re committed to building a community that embraces equality, respects differences, and fosters a sense of belonging.
We’re passionate about doing our part to create and nurture a culture that encourages, supports, and celebrates our diverse voices.
Putting the “kind” in Kindergarten
Common sense is not common.
That statement was a powerful revelation for Miss Barbara Hill, a preschool teacher at EarlystART’s St. Mark Center.
“I was in a professional development workshop several years ago and the trainer stated, ‘There no such thing as common sense.’ That took me by surprise, but it is true: we all come from different backgrounds and experiences. What is common to one person may be completely foreign to someone else.’”
It was a concept that transformed Miss Barbara’s approach to helping little learners develop strong characters – traits to support their success in school and in life.
“Some of our students have experienced trauma or simply have not been taught what it means to be kind or to be respectful,” she says. “It takes energy and mindfulness to be kind,” she says. “It’s easy to get into mischief. When we do right by others, it may go unnoticed. Being intentional with kindness, however, brings greater awareness of ourselves and the world around us.”
In the Yellow Room where Miss Barbara teaches 3-5 year olds, the tables are lined with kindness jars – vessels in which the students place a cotton ball for every good deed they share that day.
“The students now go out of their way to demonstrate kindness,” says Miss Barbara. “They are learning that their words are powerful – that we don’t need to talk about what we are not but, rather, what we are: kind, respectful, caring.”
