Sharing Stories: Elevating the Image of the Child in our Communities Come and hear 3 stories told by educators at Washington Hebrew Early Childhood Center that highlight children’s competencies and the importance of listening.
Please join DCREA for a night of sharing stories. Educators from our host school will share three stories from their context that elevate the image of the child within their community. Light refreshments will be provided.
Please read the following excerpt from Seen & Heard prior to the meeting:
When: Wednesday, April 24, 2024 Where: Washington Hebrew Early Childhood Center Julia Bindeman Suburban Center Campus 11810 Falls Road Potomac, MD 20854 Time: 6:30-8:00pm (6:30-7 tour of school) Other: Not Metro-accessible
We will also continue work on our community quilt!
WELCOME TO OUR 2023-2024 SEASON
Intention Letter and Planning We are working in difficult times. I believe that the challenge facing children today is...to think how to interconnect…a word we need to deeply understand and in all its forms. We need to do so keeping in mind that we live in a world made not of separate islands but of networks…in the metaphor is contained both the construction of children’s thoughts and our own thought constructions…which belongs to a wide archipelago where interference, interaction and interdependence are constantly present even when we don’t see them. Loris Malaguzzi, 1993
The DC Reggio Emilia Alliance (DCREA) launches its 13th year this month. Coming out of the pandemic, and after multiple years of meeting virtually and less active participation by members, we think this is our opportunity to reflect, re-imagine and rebuild DCREA. We invite you to be part of our dialogues and events this year as we revisit DCREA’s mission and goals.
How can DCREA better work to serve children, educators and parents within a wider EC community which is made up of diverse perspectives on the rights of children and parents, limited funding resources, different operating requirements and quality standards?
What actions do DCREA members want to take that connects us to other educators to advocate for quality programs for young children and teachers?
What do you need from DCREA to reconnect and be an active participant in rebuilding DCREA?
A survey has gone out to members to provide the Steering Committee with feedback on what you would like DCREA to look like moving forward. Please complete by Friday, 29 September and we will share your feedback at our kickoff meeting at Adas Israel on Wednesday, 25 October.
To start the reconnection process, the Steering Committee has planned 6 meetings, 4 in-person and 2 online, between October 2023 and April 2024. We are still confirming dates and speakers but want to share where we currently are in our planning.
Wednesday, 4 October: We hope you will be able to join us for a collaborative event with colleagues from DC Project Zero Early Childhood (DCPZEC) from 5:30 - 7:30PM in the outdoor classroom at Briya’s Fort Totten location (100 Gallatin Street NE, WDC). Weaving New Connections: Setting Collective Intentions for a New School Year We will meet with friends, old and new, to reflect on the first weeks of school, set intentions for the weeks to come, and grow our communities. __________________________________________________________________________
Wednesday, 25 October In Person 6:30pm DCREA’s kickoff meeting at Adas Israel Gan Hayeled Nursery (2850 Quebec St NW, WDC). Join us to begin a DCREA revisioning dialogue on building community within our schools, programs, neighborhoods and across ECE communities. This evening we will share the survey feedback and begin a dialogue as we reconstruct, through slow stitching, an abandoned quilt as a metaphor for community building. Our intention is to donate the reconstructed quilt to an organization, charity or shelter. __________________________________________________________________________
Sunday, 3 December: In Person Time: TBD Meet at the Renwick Gallery to tour the “Sharing Honors and Burdens'' exhibit. The exhibit focuses on works by six contemporary Native American and Alaska Native artists who express the honors and burdens that connect people to one another. To be followed by a dialogue about the exhibit and connections to our work being in dialogue in different ways with your community. __________________________________________________________________________
January 23, 2024: Online dialogue February 6, 2024: Online meeting with guest speaker Kathy Pomer March 20, 2024: An evening with Naama Zoran (hosted by the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington) April 24, 2024: In person meeting