November 9, 2018, 1:30-3:30pm, Professional Development Staff Workshop, Wallingford Children’s Center, Seattle, WA. Integrating an Antibias Education into our Thinking and Practice.
Presenter: Debbie LeeKeenan
This interactive workshop will explore steps in creating a more inclusive and welcoming program. Participants will learn about the core values and goals of an anti-bias education approach and how these address children’s development of identity and understanding of human diversity and bias. This workshop will offer practical and integrated approaches to anti-bias education in classrooms for children and support teachers in their own anti-bias adult journey. Participants will learn how to respond to children’s questions about differences using short-term and long-term strategies and make decisions about responsive environments and curriculum experiences.
November 13, 2018, South Seattle College Cooperative Preschools Parent Education Program, Seattle, WA. Professional Development Day on Anti-bias Education.
Presenter: Debbie LeeKeenan
November 14-17, 2018, NAEYC Annual Conference, Washington, D.C.
Session 1:
“Church” and State: Integrating Cultural Funds of Knowledge and Religious and Spiritual Literacy into Early Childhood Education and Family Engagement.
Presenters: Mona Abo-Zena, Debbie LeeKeenan and John Nimmo
This session provides a conceptual grounding on the importance of religious literacy within early education with attention to particular developmental and educational goals across content. It also addresses a range of developmental domains including personal development as children raise questions such as, “What happens when we die?” and social development and empathy as children become aware of the beliefs of their classmates and others around them. The second part of the session provides a range of strategies that educators can incorporate with children and in working with families including those with no religious affiliation, religious minorities, and highly devout ones. From an intersectional perspective, this session attends to how religious identity intersects with other social identities. The session ends with an opportunity to discuss issues that participants have encountered in their own work.
Session 2:
Facilitated Leadership and Family Engagement: Learning From and With Families.
Presenters: Debbie LeeKeenan and Iris Chin-Ponte
The program leader is responsible for fostering family belonging, trust, and engagement, as well as promoting strong teacher–family relationships. Topics to be discussed include a framework for working with families using a funds of knowledge approach, strategies for family dialogues, and managing and negotiating conflict and disequilibrium. The format for the session will include discussion of specific strategies, case study scenarios, and application to your own setting.
December 4, 2018, 3-4pm EST, Free Webinar: Facilitated Leadership and Family Engagement: Learning with and from Families.
Presenters: Debbie LeeKeenan and Iris Chin-Ponte
Debbie and Iris will discuss a critical topic from their recent publication: From Survive to Thrive: A Director’s Guide for Leading an Early Childhood Program. Being an early childhood program leader is more challenging than it’s ever been. Among the many responsibilities center directors have on their plate is forging robust home–school partnerships. Debbie and Iris will explore why engaging families in their children’s education through facilitated leadership is critical to the success of each child and the program as well as practical tips for how to welcome and involve all families.
December 5, 2018, 6-8pm, Professional Development workshop for Early Learning Coalition Vashon Island. Integrating Anti-Bias Education into our Thinking and Practice
Presenter: Debbie LeeKeenan
This interactive workshop will explore steps in creating a more inclusive and welcoming program. Participants will learn about the core values and goals of an anti-bias education approach and how these address children’s development of identity and understanding of human diversity and bias. This workshop will offer practical and integrated approaches to anti-bias education in classrooms for children and support teachers in their own anti-bias adult journey to respond thoughtfully to children’s questions and make decisions about responsive environments and curriculum experiences.
January 26, 2019, Keynote Talk for the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) Leadership Meeting, Seattle, WA. Anti-bias Education and Children’s Literature: Provoking Courageous Conversations.
Presenter: Debbie LeeKeenan
June 29-July 4, 2019, Mercatello sul Metauro, Italy. A week long workshop on “Leadership for Change: Identity, Social Justice and the Right to be Visible”. Registration will be available in Fall, 2018
Presenters: John Nimmo and Debbie LeeKeenan