Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Accessibility
The Parents as Teachers Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) Council is integral to the implementation of the organization’s Strategic Framework and its overall business strategy. It assures that the practices, structures, and culture are strengthened and aligned with the values of the organization to fulfill its mission, vision, goals, and operating principles.
DEIA Council members serve as ambassadors and bridge builders. They address all aspects of the Parents as Teachers community while achieving the Council’s vision to lead, create and sustain organizational change.
DEIA Council Highlights:
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During town hall meetings, the Council amplified the voices and personal journeys of the National Center staff and the broader Parents as Teachers network.
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A DEIA sub-committee comprised of Parents as Teachers board members monitors and ensures that diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility is infused and informs all levels of the organization.
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Parents as Teachers received a Top 10 Diversity Impact Award for setting benchmarks for diversity impact within organizations, and highlighting how our leadership, impact areas, and families contribute to equity not only within Parents as Teachers, but in communities.
Language Access
Spanish Language Training is Making an Impact
Parent educators and supervisors from across the United States are sharing their excitement about participating in Parents as Teachers core training in their home language. Here’s what some of them said:
Parents as Teachers is building capacity to scale these training opportunities by equipping seven Spanish-speaking National Trainers to facilitate Spanish language trainings and by hiring two mentors to support them.
One of the mentors, Roschel Servantes, stated, “I’m proud to be part of an organization that has the desire to bridge the language access divide for professionals and families. The professionals that participated in the Spanish Virtual Foundational Model Implementation training have served as translators to Parents as Teachers families navigating life between two languages.
This training has allowed parent educators to receive and learn in their native language and this experience has recognized their skills and talents as qualified professionals. Language access is powerful.”
Parents as Teachers continues to seek solutions towards making its parenting information accessible to families of many cultures and languages. Its programs strive to hire parent educators who come from the communities that they serve. The National Center is working with local agencies to facilitate translation of information and localization (cultural and locale-specific).
Partnerships in Action
A partnership with Parents as Teachers state leader in Maine and the Maine Children’s Trust fueled translation of more than 100 Parents as Teachers curriculum materials into six languages, including four previously untranslated languages — Lingala, Kinyarwanda, Portuguese and Haitian Creole.
Parent educators who are native speakers of these languages are supporting the development
of culturally responsive glossaries which include terms used by the impacted families.
