"Paddington Station Preschool fosters a culture where all differences and identities among race, gender, ability, religion, ethnicity, family structure, and economic background are valued, celebrated, and recognized as an essential component of our School.
We aspire to create a sense of belonging and trust where we uphold equity as we cultivate, collaborate, and inspire members of our community. We believe that celebrating each individual and the unique experiences they bring will exponentially enhance our learning environment."
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Meredith Smith, Director of Communications & Inclusion, will build on the foundation created in previous years, namely by Melani Dawson-Lear. Meredith will continue to work with the Paddington Family Association Family Education Committee to provide families with meaningful speakers and evening events. In addition, Meredith will work with Jan Jacobs the DEI Committee Chair of the Board of Trustees to further the DEI Strategic Plan initiatives. During the 2021-22 school year goals include implementing an Anti-Bias Curriculum, providing faculty professional development from a variety of diverse voices, continuing the Family Bookclub and ensuring that all faucets of the school are focused on inclusion. For more on our journey in 2021-22 please see our roadmap. For more information, questions, or to provide feedback, please contact Meredith.
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Jan Jacobs, starting with the 2021-22 school year, will serve as the Chair of the DEI Committee on the Board of Trustees. Jan Jacobs has served on the Board of Trustees since 2019. She will work closely with Meredith and the Paddington Family Association Family Education Committee and especially looks forward to bringing an Indigenious Voices event to families in the Spring of 2022. Over the years she has served in numerous roles, always with the focus of providing insight, understanding and education regarding the American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) communities. Jan currently serves as the Chair of the Denver Art Museum's Indigenous Community Advisory Council. She was also the Master Teacher and Associate Adjunct Curator for Native Arts Department at the Denver Art Museum. After leaving the Museum, she worked for Department of Commerce, US Census Bureau in the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs in Washington, DC. In that role, she served as the liaison between the Census Bureau and the 574 federally recognized tribes, numerous state recognized American Indian tribes and many national and regional AIAN organizations. She assisted the Census Bureau in understanding the data needs of tribes and helping tribes access data pertinent to their governmental and funding needs.
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Melani Dawson-Lear a Paddington Station teacher, was the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Ambassador for the 2020-2021 school year. She spearheaded the DEI efforts of Paddington Station by implementing education for both teachers and parents around Anti-Bias Education, created a DEI faculty and staff book club, worked directly with the Paddington Family Association Family Education Committee to moderate a DEI event for parents, and brought in speakers who focus on building a more diverse and inclusive community in for faculty and staff development.
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