What does it mean to put humanity first? We, Nichole and Judy, are striving to practice this day by day. In our most recent podcast episode, Nichole describes her daughter, Gracie’s, experience at school. To help students understand how they each contribute to the classroom climate, Gracie’s teacher asked them…

What does commitment mean to you? In a recent conversation with colleagues, someone said, “Nurturing relationships with people who are different from you is hard work, personally and professionally.” Another replied, “True. It requires intentional decision-making.” And a third added: “You have to commit.” Indeed! Commitments are like a north…

Hello Readers: This month’s blog is a feature written by Serene Stevens, a member of our LFC team, about LFC’s Mutual Learning approach. Enjoy — Judy and Nichole Knowing the answer in learning settings has always felt important for me. As an early learning coach and facilitator, I had the…

What is the best of humanity you’d like to instill in children? Would you agree that it’s the relationships we build and the kindness, respect, and empathy we show one another? How, then, does a child learn kindness, empathy, and respect? Children learn what they live and grow to live…

We’re always surrounded by stories — those we readily tell about ourselves and those we keep below the surface. There are the stories we hear from others and the stories we tell ourselves about others. Stories are complex, multifaceted, nonlinear, and diverse, and they’re at the core of our common…

We know that children thrive in communities that thrive. Life in community is central to our shared humanity. It’s how we listen to each other, reflect on our strengths, support others, and learn and grow in partnerships. Sometimes, though, connection, support, and belonging feels distant. When we lose it, how…

Across the islands of Hawaii, the Tūtū and Me Traveling Preschool (a program of the Partners in Development Foundation) supports both young children and their caregivers to meet children’s educational and emotional needs. The Tūtū and Me approach reflects how children thrive in communities of adults who model what it…

Building Adults’ Self-Empowerment in Early Learning This blog was co-authored by Nichole Parks, LFC’s Director of Programs. At Leading for Children, we’re deepening our understanding of self-empowerment among adults in the child’s ecosystem. We see self-empowerment as synonymous with individual agency: a person’s belief that they can be a decision-maker and that their decisions can have…

This month at Leading for Children, we’ve been exploring the LFC Facilitation Method. Our method promotes equity through two key principles: 1. The wisdom and experience of the group’s members is the basis for all learning. 2. We create safe spaces that allow every voice to be included and belong…