This blog post is an update on the Pre-K Parent Quality Standards; a Peoples’ Research Council pilot project. For more information, click here.

Across the United States, and right here in Forsyth County, Black and Brown children often begin their educational journeys in Pre-K classrooms that are not reflective of their cultural backgrounds. These classrooms, staffed predominantly by white educators, present challenges in addition to the challenges of everyday learning. For Black and Brown children, adapting to an unfamiliar cultural environment while striving to achieve educational goals adds another layer of complexity to their early learning experiences.

A Blueprint for Change

In 2021, Forsyth Family Power (FFP) launched a project to amplify the voices of Black and Brown parents, families, and children in shaping a more equitable Pre-K system for Forsyth County. This initiative began with the training of four Black parents in Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR). 

These parent researchers gathered and analyzed data from Black and Latino families, leading to a comprehensive report and the following recommendations on the high-quality standards they envisioned for local Pre-K programs.

• • • • • 1. Pre-K providers should require their teachers to know and understand every child’s interests to help each child stay engaged while learning. This can be done through pre-enrollment screening with the teacher and student and/or asking parents what their children are interested in on the Pre-K application
          2. Pre-K providers should create a culture within their program that motivates Black and Brown Pre-K children and instills confidence in their learning ability. 
          3. Pre-K providers should develop curriculums and create learning environments where Black and Brown children are affirmed and can see themselves represented positively. This should include but not be limited to: books read to children, posters/pictures around the provider’s building, instructional materials used during instruction time, and Black and Brown leaders/staff members that are teaching the Black and Brown children in the program.
          4. Pre-K providers should require educators to complete multicultural education training to close the gap between communities and cultures embraced by the Pre-K children that may not align with what is practiced in the Pre-K providers program.
          5. Pre-K providers should develop a deep understanding of what it takes to build trusting relationships with their children that provide nurturing spaces. Educators have to understand the whole child and what is needed for that child to excel in the Pre-K program. Training should include but is not limited to: Social Emotional Learning; Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs);  and Whole School, Whole Community, and Whole Child.
          6. With so much happening in the world tied to social injustices, Pre-K providers should incorporate lessons about social justice so that children can begin to understand the world in which they live.
          7. Pre-K providers should eliminate barriers preventing any 4-year-old in Forsyth County from accessing Pre-K services. This includes but is not limited to: the difficulties that some parents face when attempting to enroll their children in Pre-K; paperwork/documentation needed from parents for their children’s enrollment in Pre-K programs; hours of operation that limit the availability of services for parents who cannot pick their children up. 
          8. Pre-K providers should create an educational and organizational culture and environment that produces caring educators who are passionate about their work with Pre-K children. 

Read the first full report and learn more about the background of this project here.   

Pathways to Implementation

The Pre-K Parent Quality Standards Project is now in its implementation phase, operating within the People’s Research Council (PRC) as one of its first pilot projects.

At the heart of this phase of the work is the Project Board, a dedicated group of Black and Brown parents of Pre-K aged children who play a crucial role in guiding the body of work, ensuring the recommendations are not only heard but acted upon. Board member bring valuable, firsthand experience as parents, and advocate for equitable and universal Pre-K education. Project Board members:

• Gwendolyn Farrow-Hughes
• Christian Rubio Perez
• Victoria Hernandez
• Mark Smith

The work of the Project Board is deeply connected to two major local Pre-K initiatives: the Pre-K Priority and the ARPA Pre-K Initiative’s Equity Action Plan. 

The Pre-K Priority is a coalition dedicated to expanding affordable, high-quality Pre-K programs for all four-year-olds in Forsyth County. Project Board members serve as community representatives on each of the Pre-K Priority work groups: Classroom/Student, Funding Advocacy, and Family/Equity.

Additionally, the Project Board collaborates closely with the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Pre-K Initiative’s Equity Action Plan. This initiative, backed by a grant awarded to Smart Start of Forsyth County in 2022, supports approximately 30 Pre-K classrooms and educators, benefiting around 518 children across the county. 

By aligning the Pre-K Parent Quality Standards Project with both the Pre-K Priority and ARPA initiatives, the board ensures that the recommendations from Black and Brown parents are integrated into local educational practices, fostering greater equity and inclusivity in early childhood education.