jide commitTee
Mission
The Justice, Inclusivity, Diversity, and Equity Committee (JIDE) is a parent-led group that supports the families of Prime Foundation Montessori, as well as the faculty and staff. JIDE’s mission is to help work to ensure that the Prime community lives up to and fully embodies the words of Prime’s Statement on Diversity and Equity.
JIDE recognizes that the differences that exist among us are what make us unique. We honor and value diversity. We strive to include, value, and embrace the many differences of race, ethnic, cultural, and socioeconomic background, as well as differences in gender and family structures. We believe that the diversity of our community plays a vital role in enriching Prime’s learning environment. We believe, as a collective, that we must continually evaluate our environment to make sure it provides a safe space, intellectually, emotionally, and physically, for our children. We believe that an environment that is free from bias is essential in bridging gaps and creating genuine human connections that honor one another. We stand against all forms of discrimination and harm.
We are committed to embracing and celebrating our differences—including those of culture, race, ethnicity, religion, age, family structure, sex, gender, socioeconomics, learning style, and worldview, among others—to help form and inform a rich environment that is crucial to educating our children on their path to maturity and global citizenship. We are committed to a collaborative relationship and dialogue with the school in an effort to provide an inclusive and supportive environment that will represent, include, and uplift all of our children.
The JIDE Committee supports and fosters healthy dialogue among Prime families, faculty, and staff. We invite Prime’s families, faculty, and staff to share their unique perspectives to further enrich our community. Our goal is to work together with the school to support a culture of inclusion and empowerment of all within our community.
Get Involved
To join the JIDE Committee and volunteer for a JIDE event or a school event, please complete the Parent Volunteer Interest Form for this 2024–2025 school year below. To learn more about how to get involved, don't hesitate to get in touch with us at info@pfmschool.org. or call 240-744-0400 to reach our Diversity Coordinator, Tiffany Green.
Parent Volunteer Interest Form for 2024-2025
As the new school year begins, we are excited about this year's events and volunteer opportunities. Help us connect with the Prime community by identifying any volunteer opportunities of interest to you and your family for this 2024–2025 year.
RESOURCES
-
https://www.alsc.ala.org/blog/2018/05/talking-with-young-children-0-5-about-race/
https://www.embracerace.org/resources/childrens-books - has book lists for different ages that parents can use to introduce or teach antiracism.
Ibram X. Kendi's books can be good parent resources. He has a new journal or workbook, Be Antiracist, and a recent book he wrote with Jason Reynolds, Stamped, for kids ages 12 and up, could be helpful to parents for ideas on how to explain structural racism to kids.
How to Talk So Kids Can Learn about Anti-Racism and Social Justice by Nicola Davies.
-
In this video link below, we learn that according to a national survey, 40% of Americans do not know Indigenous people are still alive. The speakers in this symposium explain the research data on just how potently problematic misinformation on American Indians actually is.
The National Council of Social Studies still perpetuates the manifest destiny narrative that is based on a racist perception that devalues indigenous peoples. K-12 US history curriculum standards and their representation of indigenous people indicate there is a predominantly misinformed and limited inclusion of American Indians both in a pre-1900s context and after that. When we have politicians refusing to recognize sovereign nations we can see that the intention to erase an entire group of people is still a strong racist agenda all across the Americas.
If you are looking for way to familiarize yourself with American Indian history and learn about the direct effects misinformation has on present day communities, please check out this video! You can quite literally skip and play any section and learn something profound and life-changing. A big thank you to the Smithsonian’s American Indian Museum and all of the speakers who put this symposium together!
https://www.ustream.tv/channel/1265792
For parents and teachers looking to gather resources with the mission of learning about factual Indigenous History, check out: https://www.reclaimingnativetruth.com/
Additional Resources
-
Provides a great breakdown of how to approach potentially dicey topics with your children in order to establish a feeling of confidence and knowledge surrounding those topics. Includes tips based on age group as well!
https://www.commonsensemedia.org/articles/how-to-talk-to-kids-about-difficult-subjects
-
A nice mini glossary covering various topics relating to diversity and inclusion work. Definitely worth scrolling through and seeing which words may be completely new to you!
-
This is a comprehensive guide on what it means to be an "ally," what it looks like in practice, and what we can all do through our words and actions to support individuals that hold identities different from our own.
-
Britt Hawthrone is an antiracist educator and author of the book Raising Antiracist Children: A Practical Parenting Guide. Take the time to explore their website and find out why they're such a notable name in the DEI field!