In Canada, ensuring protections and recourse for discrimination around sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression is a matter of fundamental human rights. In the profession, the ECE Act, the Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice, and How Does Learning Happen set out requirements for inclusive leadership by RECEs whose practice values equity, diversity, inclusion and social justice.
For Council Chair Kristine Parsons, creating a workplace environment where all staff feel a sense of welcome, safety and belonging has been an important focus at RisingOaks Early Learning Ontario. As Director of Operations at RisingOaks, Kristine and her team are demonstrating leadership in the Waterloo region for the integration of diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging into the fabric of their organization.
As we mark Pride Month in June, Kristine shares how RisingOaks supports inclusion for all.
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB): From planning to action
After three years of consultation and work with an expert advisor, RisingOaks now has a DEIB Action Plan that identifies four priorities:
- Weave DEIB into the fabric of RisingOaks Early Learning.
- Enhance the sense of belonging so that the many identities (and their intersections) of each RisingOaks community member can be seen and valued.
- Strengthen, and develop clear communication channels, both internal and external, regarding RisingOaks’ DEIB activities and achievements throughout the RisingOaks community and within the early learning and child care sector.
- Enhance organizational learning related to DEIB.
The plan, which supports RisingOaks in making their commitment to DEIB visible in their workplace, is now being implemented with support and oversight from a newly formed DEIB Committee. The committee includes an educator from each location, two family representatives, senior leadership, a board liaison, an external consultant as an advisor and admin/communications support.
One tactic or activity to help weave DEIB into the fabric of RisingOaks is the creation of “DEIB in Action” spaces in their child care centres. While DEIB is present within and across the child care centre, these will be dedicated, physical spaces to “foster inclusivity, open communication and shared contributions among families, staff and educators,” says Kristine. It’s a place to share information, highlight key actions, share progress and celebrate successes. It’s also a place to invite parents to contribute and have their say on the action plan. “Some of our centres have had a space like this for several years now and others are working on making it more purposeful.”
RisingOaks recently held a professional learning day that brought together 175 employees, where the DEIB Committee co-chairs invited staff to contemplate and discuss what the spaces should look and feel like, and how the spaces could be made welcoming by reflecting a wide range of identities, cultures and lived experience of children, families and team members. The day also included a workshop on neurodiversity in the workplace, as a key learning opportunity for all. This session was well received by staff and connected into their work with children.
While RisingOaks had support from a consultant to develop their DEIB Action Plan, Kristine encourages organizations that may not have this option to reach out to another centre that is further along in their DEIB journey, to share and gain knowledge, insights and experiences.
Practising inclusion every day
Workplace policies in combination with intentional practices support Kristine and team in making DEIB a way of being. “We have a statement on workplace harassment and discrimination that we post within all our child care centres so parents can see and understand our position and policies,” she says. “We also have a Communications Toolkit for Pride Month with a Frequently Asked Questions sheet for our employees, to support them in engaging in conversations with families to explain RisingOaks’ policies.”
RisingOaks also makes sure that books and materials that represent a wide range of identities and experiences, including gender identity, family structure and other aspects of intersectionality are out on out on bookshelves all the time, not just in June. Parents receive communications from centre supervisors in the lead-up to Pride Month so they’re aware of how the centres will celebrate it, but are also reminded that respecting and affirming all identities is an all-the-time approach.
However, Kristine acknowledges the challenges in trying to promote allyship. “It hasn’t always been easy,” Kristine says. “We have had some negative feedback on social media, but we don’t take those negative comments down. We respond calmly using our communications tools, and we work really hard to create a place of belonging for everyone.”
Embracing pronouns, embracing identities
As an inclusive employer, Kristine and the RisingOaks team also commit to actively using the names and pronouns of a staff member’s choice – an important acknowledgement and affirmation of their identity. RisingOaks also reviewed its policies to neutralize gender-based pronouns “she/her” and “he/him” to “they/them”. They also have gender-neutral, accessible washrooms at their centres.
As the person who oversees RisingOaks’ benefit program, Kristine also supports employee access to benefits and facilitates communication with providers. When working with providers, she asks them to communicate with staff members using their chosen name and gender, in cases where these differ from the legal name and gender indicated on benefits-related forms.
Respect, kindness and belonging
“I think the leadership really sets the tone for the environment within the child care setting,” says Kristine, noting that respect and kindness are at the root of all relationships.
Kristine recalls a courageous conversation among staffers where there was a diversity of thought in trying to understand different communities and identities. The conversation concluded by finding common ground – the shared desire to treat each other with respect, and their shared goal of the protection and well-being of children and families. “At the end of the day, as human beings, we all just want to belong.”
Learn more about RisingOaks Early Learning Ontario.
Read more about Pride:
- Celebrating Pride Month with Cora Payne RECE
- Resources for RECEs to learn more about Pride and the 2SLGBTQIA+ community
- A conversation with Two-Spirit leader and social justice advocate Teddy Syrette: Fostering inclusion through education and allyship
Related College resources:
- Practice Guideline: Diversity and Culture
- Practice Guideline: Child Development (in particular, sections 2, 4 and 5)
- Practice Note: Beliefs and Bias