We know that in order to provide full and meaningful education to our students, and to advance our organizational values, it is critical that we are examining and interrupting our own biases and internalized racial oppression. We (educators, administration and Board) have initiated this work in all parts of our organization.
We are re-imagining our enrollment and retention systems to be more accessible and culturally responsive. This includes examining and adjusting how we conduct outreach, registration and communication with families. Several examples of these initiatives are included below.
Provide additional financial assistance (for summer camp and school year programs) and/or other resources (such as clothing and gear, Orca cards for transportation, interpretation and other language support, etc.) to families who identify barriers to enrolling and continuing at Tiny Trees. Please visit our Financial Assistance page to learn more about Bridge Funding.
We are excited to launch opportunities to develop family engagement and caregiver leadership based on families’ identified interests and needs. This will include creating new opportunities to connect with other families, increase family-staff communications and support, foster community connections, and pilot a family cohort.
Deepen our understanding of oppression, and provide ongoing support and resources to work towards becoming an anti-racist, multicultural organization. Once our anti-racism team is formed (in late March 2020), it will also guide this work across the organization.