Our Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) Statement:
Children's Institute envisions communities where children, youth and families thrive as they live, learn, and play. Recognizing the diversity of the communities we serve, we are committed to identifying and addressing racism and other inequities to ensure every person’s identity is honored and respected. Our commitment has begun in our workplace with self-reflection, listening and learning. We are integrating that learning into our work and how we engage with the families and systems we serve to ensure our effectiveness.
Racial Justice Lunch and Learn Meetings
Children’s Institute offers our staff voluntary Racial Justice Lunch and Learn Meetings. We all have something to share and we are all learners in this space, and join together to work on our personal and collective Cultural Humility goals. With funding from the Greater Rochester Health Foundation, we are making the content and format of these learning sessions accessible to the community. Read more and access meetings for your organization
A Crosswalk Between NYSED’s SEL Benchmarks, NYSED’s Culturally Responsive-Sustaining Education Framework, and Learning for Justice’s Social Justice Standards
Developed in partnership with Penfield Central School District, this document crosswalks the new state SEL Benchmarks with NYSED’s Culturally Responsive Sustaining Education Framework and Learning for Justice’s Social Justice Standards. This resource highlights where the three frameworks align and overlap. Our hope is that this document will help educators to see how teaching SEL can contribute to creating environments where all students and staff understand and value their own and others' identities, experiences, and perspectives.
Read the blog: Inclusion vs. Belonging: What’s the Difference and How can SEL Help?
Implementing NYSED’s Culturally Responsive-Sustaining Education Framework
Resources for PreK-2nd Grade Teachers
This user-friendly resource integrates social and emotional learning and equity practices and demonstrates how they can, together, be woven throughout the schedules and routines of the early childhood school day. Designed to support the use of, and adherence to the New York State Department of Education’s Culturally Responsive-Sustaining Education Framework (CRSEF), this resource is a collaboration by educators from Children’s Institute, Greece Central School District, and Webster School District, and was underwritten by the Greater Rochester Health Foundation.
Through curated teaching tools, children’s books, articles, videos, and podcasts, this resource supports PreK-2nd grade staff in the successful integration of the CRSEF’s grounding principles and practices during: SEL Throughout the Day, Mornings and Transitions, Reading and ELA, Science, Math, and Special Areas.