Join us for a Dialogue about “Divisive” Concepts, Vocabulary, and their Politicization
Recently, certain terms and concepts have become a battleground—phrases like Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Social/Emotional Health and Learning, and Developmentally Appropriate Practice. Such terms have been vilified and weaponized. In some prominent cases, they’ve been excised from policies, practices, and dialogue in the early childhood community.
As members of that community, we at GEEARS: Georgia Early Education for Ready Students and Black Child Development Institute-Atlanta hope to introduce a new dialogue, one that acknowledges that these terms are not simply buzzwords or catchphrases. They represent this worldview: All young children and their families deserve high-quality education, health and well-being, and family and community supports. Those furthest from opportunity, however, often face systemic barriers to those essential rights and these barriers must be addressed.
Scrubbing certain terms and phrases from discourse will not eliminate the need for their essence in our advocacy, policymaking, educational curriculum, and community-building.
We invite you to join us for a half-day of dialogue amongst our organizations, our partners in the early childhood advocacy arena, and a neutral, professional facilitator. We will dive deeply into the complexity of these terms, their true meanings, and the cultural progress that catalyzed them. We will also discuss a path forward for both our approach to critical practices and our vocabulary for them as we continue to work toward an equitable future for Georgia’s children and families.
Please note that this invitation is specific for members of the Georgia Infant-Toddler Coalition (i.e., please do not forward this to others). Additionally, although we strongly value their insights and expertise, this conversation will not include consulting members (e.g., state employees) of the Coalition. We ask that each organization identifies at most two participants to attend, preferably the individual most engaged in the Coalition work and someone in a leadership role (e.g., Executive Director).
The convening will take place at Quality Care for Children’s headquarters, located at 3 Corporate Blvd NE Suite 230, Atlanta, GA 30329, from 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday, September 20th. Lunch will be provided.
Complete the form below to RSVP.