Optional Diversity Community Meetings

Please read the blog and add to our list of children's books on diversity. Please also share with us children's books that you read to your children and why. We want to hear from you!

We also want you at the upcoming optional diversity meeting on January 31st:

For the upcoming meeting our two diversity chairs Rikki and Mollie have selected two readings that will be discussed at the meeting from these two resources: The First short reading is entitled, "The Complexity of Identity: Who Am I?" by, Beverly Daniel Tatum. The second is an excerpt from Anti-Bias Education for Young Children and Ourselves by, Louise Derman-Sparks and Julie Olsen Edwards.
We hope community members will respond to their e-mail and join us for a continued discussion on diversity.

At our last meeting discussed in more detail below we had about 11 of us who attended the meeting, 3 of which were teachers and four board members. We hope to have more participation in the upcoming meeting. Be corageous! Make it a priority! Join us for more dialogue on January 31st.


We had an optional diversity meeting back in November 8th, 2010. For this first meeting, we were asked by our diversity chairs Mollie and Rikki to bring a favorite preschool age appropriate book that we felt communicated an important message about diversity for young children. We critically examined the messages the books communicated to children and brainstormed follow up questions/conversation starters we could utilize as parents to engage our children in their own learning about these topics.

We asked attendees to share with us the books they chose and why. Here are a few comments:

Kathy Chew (Teacher):
Dim Sum by Grace Lin
"Diversity is an important part of my CCC experience and I try to attend each meeting. This year's meetings have been awesome; attended by a number of CCC members and discussions on a variety of topics. I chose to share Dim Sum by Grace Lin. This is a book I purchased many years ago to share with our children. We enjoyed reading about a young Chinese girl's experience of going to a restaurant with her family to eat dim sum, a variety of Chinese dumplings and desserts. As our kids (and now grandsons) grow, reading is always an imporatant part of our family time. As a parent and teacher, I search for books that show pictures and tell stories of many family structures. When I find a book with Chinese culture, I am even more excited. This book also shares a common idea that everyone can relate to: food!"

Rikki Moreno (Diversity Chair):
Pablo's Tree by Pat Mora
"I chose this book because it wove together the magic of a boy's tradition of celebrating his birthday year after year with his grandfather. The book touched on the topics of adoption, cultural traditions and family relationships in a way that was age appropriate for our children. Lastly, the illustrations were sweet, simple and interesting."

Elizabeth Stark (Front Yard Rep):
Grace for President by Kelly DiPucchio and illustrated by LeUyen Pham
"I love this book because it's about a little girl of color running for president of her school when she finds out there's never been a woman president of the United States. It's a book about gender exclusion, but to my mind, it makes good points about race, too, and about voters picking "the best person for the job," not the person who looks like them or seems to share an identity with them. And how that might change the world . . . It's a little sophisticated for our 3 & 4 crowd, but my kids enjoy it, and it's not too early for them to see images of an African-American woman (and possibly also Latina) President. I'm preparing them for the future!"

Mollie Crittenden (Diversity Chair):
My People, by Langston Hughes, Photos by Charles R. Smith
"I like this book because it does several things. It teaches children an important and beautiful poem written by an important African American writer. It affirms blackness and black people as being beautiful inside (souls) and out. It has great photographs of people, and lends itself easily to conversations about how to be black is beautiful and bright (which contradicts most messages in our society about Black and dark skinned people), and what a soul is/how important it is to be beautiful on the inside."

Mollie put together a list of some children's books that focus on different aspects of diversity:

Diverse Families:
Families are Different by, Nina Pellegrini
Daddy, Papa and Me by, Leslea Newman
Mommy, Mama and Me by, Leslea Newman
And Tango Makes Three by, Justin Richardson
Heather Has Two Mommies by, Leslea Newman
Who's In A Family by, Robert Skutch
Buddy G. My Two Moms and Me by, Mary Warren Folk
The Family Book by, Todd Parr

(Anti) Gender Stereotypes:
The Sissy Duckling by, Harvey Fierstein
The Paper Bag Princess by,
Oliver Button Is A Sissy by, Tomie de Paola
Amazing Grace by, Mary Hoffman
Princess Grace by, Mary Hoffman

African-American:
Shades of Black by, Sandra L. Pinkney
My People (Langston Hughes) photos by, Charles R. Smith
Amazing Grace by, Mary Hoffman
Princess Grace by, Mary Hoffman
I Love My Hair, by Natasha Tarpley
Be Boy Buzz by, Bell Hooks
Happy to Be Nappy by, Bell Hooks
Yo! Yes? by, Chris Raschke
My First Kwanzaa by, Karen Katz
Before John Was A Jazz Giant by, Carole Weatherford
Grace for President by, Kelly Dipucchio

Latino:
Gathering the Sun: An Alphabet in Spanish and English by, Alma Flor Ada
Margaret and Margarita by, Lynn Reiser
My Way/A Mi Manera by, Lynn Reiser
My Abuelita by, Tony Johnston
Abuela by, Arthur Dorros
Pablo's Tree by, Pat Mora

Asian American (we need more titles):
Dim Sum by, Grace Lin

Bi-racial Kids/Families:
Black, White, Just Right by, Marguerite W. Davol
Black is Brown is Tan by, Arnold Adoff
My Tw Grannies by, Floella Benjamin
Mixed: Portraits of Multiracial Kids by, Kip Fulbeck

Affirming Diversity in General:
I Like Being Me! by, Todd Parr
It's OK to Be Different by, Todd Parr
The Colors of Us by, Karen Katz
26 Big Things Small Hands Do by, Coleen Paratore
Everybody Cooks Rice by, Nora Dooley

Diversity: "The work is not the workshop"

As we start the new year we have an opportunity to expect more of ourselves and to strive for progress in our lives. We would like to publisize all the great efforts of CCC in this direction. On November 30th we had Tarah Fleming from Start Dialog (www.startdialog.com) come and talk to our community. She said things like "the work is not the workshop" meaning our work to continue anti-bias education is in our everyday lives. Especially at those inopportune moments when your child springs a question on you that you may not know how to answer. She also said intention and impact are two different things.

Tarah shared with us what she believes is the key to peace. She shared Sue Miller Hurst's five disciplines of dialogue:
1.) Listen
2.) Suspend Certainty - for a minute believe and practice "I don't know"
3.) Hold the Space for Difference - Can you stay at the table with someone you consider culturally and ethically rude? How you interact with this person is a skill.
4.) Slow down the Inquiry - allow for silence, pauses, suspend interogation, summarizing, and clarifying. Allow people to share and tell more without interruptions.
5.) Speak from Awareness - Bring forth your experience. Do you speak from a place that you always speak from? Speak from who you are right now.

You can download these principles in more detail: mfinley.com/kraken/sue_miller_hurst.pdf

As we move forward let us continue to do the work in our community!

Our diversity chair Mollie could not have said it better: "Our next challenge, from my perspective, is to figure out how we are going to utilize and practice the information Tarah exposed us to in our work together."

Mollie and Rikki have sent out extensive e-mails with resources and information for us to continue to gain heightened awareness and consiousness building.

Please share with us your comments and what you think the next challenge is for our community in relation to diversity.

The Last Hurrah

Last Friday, Back Yarders celebrated their “Last Hurrah” with a camp-in at CCC. After a potluck dinner and a screening of the movie Kiki’s Delivery Service, kids and their grown-ups, and a healthy showing of siblings, settled into their tents and said good-night (with exceptions: Rumors that certain young parties attended an 11pm mint tea party have been confirmed).

In the morning, there were pancakes, lots of running around and hide-and-seek in the tents. Lara led a final circle with songs accompanied by Gabriel on guitar. Even after Lara declared the last song, “I’ve Been Working on the Railroad,” kids kept shouting out more requests, and more songs were sung—it seemed that no one wanted the circle to end.

For me and Pearl, after being away from school for the summer, the camp-in was a reminder of how much we enjoy the CCC community, and of the great friendships we have both made there. A neighbor of ours, whose kids attended CCC 20 years ago, told me that they still have many friends from those days. I can see why. These past two years have been so incredibly rich for our entire family. I never cease to be amazed by the creativity, commitment, kindness and love that abound at CCC.

So I won’t say good-bye, but so long, see you all soonish (as Rachel said in a recent email). I truly look forward to keeping in touch. And for those who continue on at CCC, enjoy these precious times. I know you will.

A Greener CCC

This year, Elise (Hazel Rose, BY) created and filled a new parent administrative position at CCC. As the school’s first “Green Guru,” Elise set out to help the community implement eco-friendly procedures, such as using greener products and cutting down on waste throughout the school.

I asked Elise to share some highlights from the past year.

Cleaning alternatives. One accomplishment was the adoption of Benefact, a nontoxic cleaner used in place of bleach products for cleaning surfaces. (Bleach has several known adverse effects on health and the environment.) But, Elise notes that some bleach must still be used for sanitizing dishes, due to licensing requirements for preschools. Purchasing a dishwasher (perhaps a project for the future?) would eliminate the need for bleach, she adds.

Cutting down on waste. Elise had a longtime leaky sink repaired; got the classrooms to start composting soiled paper products through the municipal compost program; and worked to improve the school’s compost system for food scraps. She also worked to cut down on paper towels and dish sponges by collecting old towels and rags to make washable cleaning cloths.

Future Green Projects. Elise has begun investigating solar panels (Do they work? Need to be cleaned? How to maintain?). She has also introduced ideas for greening supplies that teachers usually buy, and she has looked into a green school certification—a project for one to two years down the road.

“There is a lot yet to do, mainly in educating people so participation in all of it is more smooth, and implementing new systems,” says Elise.

The next Green Guru? As administrative positions for next year are being filled, Elise adds her two cents on the future of the Green Guru position: “I feel that if the school wants to commit to sustainability, the Green Guru position should be permanent. I think that is the only way for any more than one year's worth of slow progress to be made in this arena.”

A big thanks to Elise for helping our community to think and act more greenly!

Snack Week: Easy Pizza

Kids everywhere love pizza. Front Yarders have recently enjoyed two different takes on the perennial favorite.

English Muffin Pizzas
- Sara (Ethan, FY)

Sara notes these were surprisingly easy, and the kids loved them!

Whole wheat English muffins (Sara bought 32 muffins and almost ran out)
One large bag of shredded mozzarella (optional: shredded Tofurella for those with dairy allergies)
One jar of Trader Joe's pizza sauce

Cut the muffins in half and then again (so they're half-moons). Spread with pizza sauce, and top with shredded cheese. Bake in the convection oven until cheese is bubbling.

Pizza Faces
- Annie (Alex, FY)

A slightly more ambitious effort, Annie offers this recipe from Molly Katzen's Pretend Soup cookbook. The recipe calls for making the pizza dough, and I've included a link to help you in that effort, but no one will judge you if you opt to buy fresh dough at the Cheeseboard or Trader Joe's.

1. Make the pizza dough.

2. Preheat the oven to 400°. Lightly oil a baking tray.

3. Flour a wooden board. For each individual pizza, take a quarter of the dough and roll it out until it is about a 1/4 inch thick. (Note: This is very flexible! It doesn't really matter how thick—or even in what shape—the pizza ends up. Children love it regardless). Place on the baking tray.

4. Spread 1 tablespoon tomato sauce over the dough. Add slices of zucchini and mushrooms to create faces. Sprinkle with Parmesan and a small handful of mozzarella.

5. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until brown on the bottom and bubbly on top.

6. Allow to cool for about 5 minutes, then eat!

Snack Week: Sushi and Spring Rolls

Yelena (Sasha, BY) shares two fun recipes that got kids eating seaweed and vegetables. Way to go Yelena!

Vegan Sushi

Spread hummus on a sheet of nori (Yelena bought hers at Berkeley Bowl) and top it with a thin layer (approx. 3 to 4 tablespoons) of brown rice or sushi rice. Roll up and serve with soy sauce.

Veggie Spring Rolls

Soak rice paper (also from Berkeley Bowl) in warm water to soften. Assemble a variety of fillings and let children choose:
Seasonal veggies
Julienned carrots
Lettuce
Green onions (although these weren't popular with the children)
Sprouts
Flower petals (a "hot item")
Cucumbers, etc.

Place fillings in paper and make into rolls. Serve with a dipping sauce. Yelena mixed soy sauce, lemon juice, sesame oil and maple syrup. Delicious!

Snack Week: Sticks and Dips

It's easy to turn snack time into a fun activity for kids. Todd (Piper, BY) served up this successful combo a little while back.

Fruit Kabobs

1. Cut up assorted fruits (melon, pineapple, bananas, oranges, pears, berries, kiwis, etc).
2. Put the fruit on wooden skewers (or tooth picks, wood or plastic drink stirs) to make kabobs. This is something the kids can do themselves if you put the fruit out in bowls for them to choose from.
3. Serve kabobs with small bowls of yogurt (plain or vanilla) for dipping.

Bread Sticks and Dips

Simple: Just buy some bread sticks and serve with dips. Todd used whipped cream cheese. You could also try hummus or bean dip. Kids love dipping, and there's no need for utensils. Hooray for easy clean-up!