Dear Joyce families,
After last week’s election, many people in the Joyce community are feeling insecure, betrayed, and worried. As a center of education and community building, we felt compelled to reiterate our values as a reminder to ourselves and to everyone with whom we interact. The Joyce Preschool community welcomes and affirms all families. More than that, we can’t exist without the diversity of our families. Joyce’s model of bilingual and multicultural education needs families that are different from each other to thrive. Each family contributes to our collective success.
Our mission, to prepare students and families for success in school and lifelong learning, comes alive through the participation of our families — families of many languages, many racial and ethnic backgrounds, many religions. Our families share their stories and cultural traditions so that we can all learn from each other. We build community so that our children can move through the world with open hearts and minds, and so that we have a strong and supportive Joyce family to anchor us in difficult times.
Speakers at last Friday’s Barristers’ Breakfast included Joyce’s former board chair, Lisa Lodin Peralta, Senator Amy Klobuchar, Diversity in Practice’s Executive Director Val Jensen, and Joyce Parent Gabriela Hernandez. The four women shared stories with a common theme: strong families building lives in Minnesota through education and community involvement.
Each family at Joyce makes our school community stronger. Each person who comes and shares their story is part of the learning that we do.
It should go without saying, but we will say it anyway: Joyce Preschool does not tolerate intolerance. Discrimination, hate speech, and bigotry have no place here. We strive to ensure that all our students and families are safe, welcomed, and respected here. All are deeply valued as part of our Joyce community.
Going forward, Joyce will be taking more steps to strengthen our community. This week, we are holding space for families to come together at Park Avenue to support, process and/or organize after the election. Ask in the office or follow the signs posted to the room we have reserved. Bring your thoughts, worries, ideas, or resources to share with others. We will work to connect families with legal resources, particularly around immigration, and are starting to organize community conversations about race and healing. More information will be coming soon, and if you have ideas or suggestions, please don’t hesitate to share them with staff.
Thank you for being a part of our Joyce Family. Our differences make us stronger while we all learn together.
Laura Tompkins
Executive Director
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