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Advancing Equity Early in Oak Park and River Forest An Invitation

Systemic inequities that perpetuate negative
From the Executive Director letter in response to The global pandemic has been hard for everyone. But it has been life outcomes for Black children and families
George Floyd’s death: harder for the more vulnerable members of our communities. exist in our early childhood systems. For
With early childhood centers closed, Oak Park and River Forest this reason, George Floyd’s murder is an
The well-documented epidemic of shifted their focus to mitigating the impact of this time on our early childhood issue. The Collaboration
the disproportionately high preschool children. has opened up a space for us all to address
racism within our own community, and to
suspension rates for Black boys is part of • Held a virtual town hall for providers to hear about what facilitate opportunities for us to look within

this problem. It begins as early as two or they need to reopen safely. Participants received a goody ourselves.
box full of supplies including masks, disinfectant, and hand
three years of age, when studies show that sanitizer. We hold an open invitation for:
Black boys are sent home at a rate much • To meet the changing needs of parents, we launched the • Parents to share

higher than any other children. It is when pilot, Ready4K, a family engagement curriculum delivered
they are first told that they don’t fit, or that to parents via text messages, as well as the Ready, Set, experiences with the
Kindergarten! A 4-week program offering a remote set
their presences, their contributions, their of learning activities to support families in preparing their Collaboration of when
lives don’t matter. Gone unchecked, this preschoolers for kindergarten their children have
lack of belonging finds children engaged • Collaborated with Erikson Institute to offer individual and been “deprived of
group telehealth counseling to address the mental health
in juvenile justice and law enforcement.
and emotional support needs of children and adults. opportunities because
Two or three decades of this exhausting • Equity training for EC teachers? of their race”
and discouraging dynamic can convince

any Black mother, any Black family, any
Black child, any Black man to lose hope. • Program staff to let Welcome to Fatherhood
It’s not a surprise, then, that so many Leading Conversations: Last fall, The Collaboration the Collaboration know
presented a series of movie screenings for the documentary No
people feel that in the absence of hope, Small Matter. Through poignant stories and surprising humor, the how they can help them
they can’t breathe. film lays out the overwhelming evidence for the importance of the learn more about racial Quisque dictum semper libero congue facilisis.
first five years of a child’s life. Our screenings were promoted to Phasellus fermentum vestibulum lacinia. Sed eros
teachers, health care professionals, child care providers and the equity in the context massa, lacinia in aliquet id, rhoncus id dolor. Donec
community at large to move this important discussion forward. fermentum quam ut massa ultricies tempor. Praesent
of early childhood rutrum egestas nunc, commodo lacinia risus mollis a.

education Praesent leo risus, tristique id imperdiet eget, portti-
tor nec tortor. Etiam imperdiet, turpis quis consequat
suscipit, odio massa vulputate sem, eu aliquam odio
massa vel magna. Donec tempus metus quis est iaculis
• Program directors to fermentum. Sed ullamcorper mattis nibh a egestas.
request training for Donec tellus dui, placerat nec ornare posuere, mattis
eu libero. Nulla enim metus, faucibus eget volutpat
their staff to help them sed, fermentum sit amet sapien. Nulla pretium egestas

examine classroom massa sit amet rhoncus.
Phasellus at arcu sit amet massa aliquam facilisis et
practices and give non ipsum. Maecenas non risus mauris, eu rhoncus
them strategies to lacus. Nulla rhoncus gravida sagittis. Curabitur tinci-
dunt, odio et volutpat imperdiet, eros elit blandit ante,
help Brown and Black sit amet adipiscing leo dui sed lacus. tincidunt, purus
children thrive consequat hendrerit.

equity@collab4kids.org