With the vision of advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion, this workshop is meant to support all central offices, schools, families, children, and communities in creating a Culturally Responsive Preschool using the components within NYC DOE Culturally Responsive-Sustaining Education (CR-SE) framework. 

Endorsing the theme of FREEDOM DREAMING, we are centering on engaging culturally diverse families, with the mission of “providing an environment that affirms racial and cultural identities and fosters positive academic outcomes, develops students’ abilities to connect across cultures, empowers students as agents of social change, contributes to an individual’s engagement, learning, growth, and achievement through the cultivation of critical thinking” (NYSED, 2018). 

In tandem with the research-based text Building Bridges with Bilingual Books & Multicultural Resources (Forzani et al., 2019), facilitators will present the Culturally Responsive Preschool Toolkit. This toolkit builds awareness of the role of culturally responsive pedagogy in fostering relationships with families and notes areas where educators can use multicultural resources to build bridges that embrace and celebrate diversity. This toolkit addresses two critical dimensions of family engagement 1) building relationships and connecting to student learning, 2) specially designed to engage diverse families. By fostering trusting, authentic relationships through diversity, equity, and inclusion, families feel empowered and valued as partners in creating a safe space to share their stories and experiences. 

Overall, the workshop will promote the positive effects of using a tool to support an environment that encourages FREEDOM in all aspects of education by fostering inclusivity within current systems. During this workshop, facilitators will introduce key concepts of Cultural Competency, Cultural Humility, and Implicit Bias. Facilitators will support educators in proactively developing tools and strategies to engage culturally diverse families in conversations about using play, whether with toys, through art, with music, or with other activities, to teach young learners about diversity and inclusion.