Diversity = #4 of our 20 Common Core Values

Diversity = #4 of our 20 Common Core Values

Making Stew with the Spice of Life

You can learn a lot from people who view the world differently than you do. —Anthony J. D’Angelo

People are diverse in more measures than we can count; in some of these measures, we want diversity. – Mike Ashcraft

There never were in the world two opinions alike, no more than two hairs or two grains; the most universal quality is diversity. —Michel de Montaigne

What we know:

·      We know a diverse workforce can more readily relate to and serve a diverse client base, and therefore help the organization to be more successful.

·      We know that developing and celebrating diversity in our organization leads to higher morale, increased productivity, enhanced creativity, and higher organizational loyalty.

·      We know white guys are diverse too… in many ways, but often in discussions about diversity, they are the one group left out. At CC, when we speak about diversity, we are not leaving ANYONE out.

What we value and believe:

·      We value having a variety of people on our team.

·      We value having a variety of ethnicities, skin tones, genders, ages, talents, personalities, intelligences, learning styles, and personality styles.

·      We believe in unity through diversity, so we want the people on our team to share our values and our goals, but that is the only category where we want complete unity.

·      We do not want a melting pot of people who dissolve into a homogeneous solution; rather, we want a variety stew—each ingredient retaining its identity, texture, color, and flavor—different chunks of people who are unique from each other and all of whom contribute to the unity of the stew!

·      We do not believe that you should treat all people the same! People are different—that is the point of diversity. Why would anyone spend so much time intentionally creating and developing a diverse team, only to succeed and then treat everyone the same? It would defeat the purpose.

·      We believe that we should talk about the differences people have, and not be afraid of it.

What we do to show it:

·      You will almost never hear us use the word tolerance. We don’t tolerate diversity; we value it, encourage it, embrace it, and celebrate it.

·      We are an equal opportunity employer because we celebrate diversity.

·      We hire and promote individuals based on our organizational culture, expectations, and values.

·      Discrimination based on race, ethnicity, religion, gender, national origin, culture, disability or sexual preference is just not how we do things around here.

·      We ask people how they like to receive feedback.

·      We ask them about their beliefs, styles, and preferences.

·      We ask them how they handle conflict.

·      We spend time and energy to really get to know them, and discover how THEY want to be treated, and then treat them uniquely how they want to be treated.

Double Trouble Dice Game

Double Trouble Dice Game - You need a pair if dice, a pen, a sheet of paper, and preferably a table that everyone can fit around fairly snuggly. Players stand in a circle around the table (or sit in a circle on the floor).  The pen and paper begin in the center and the dice are passed around the circle rolled one time by each person.  Once someone rolls doubles (i.e. two fives, etc.) than the frenzy begins.  That person takes the pen and paper and begins to right out numbers in order from 1 to 100.  That’s it.  The dice continue around the table (skipping the person writing) until someone else rolls doubles. 

the Trinity of Whole Child Development: #3 of our Common Core Values

#3 = the Trinity of Whole Child Development

We value the child, the whole child. Many good afterschool programs focus primarily on one aspect of child development.

Some afterschool programs label themselves as child care and basically extend classic early-childhood education programs with learning centers and a lot of child-directed activities for children to self select into afterschool. These program focus primarily on play-based learning of social and life skills.

Some programs focus primarily on academics. These “academics-only” programs put emphasis on tutoring and homework. Their primary goals include higher academic achievement and test scores. They provide more school... after school.

Some afterschool programs label themselves “for recreation purposes only.” These “rec” programs aim to provide a safe place for children to play and are intentionally and purposefully designed to provide a break from academics after school.

Other programs focus on a singular skill like drama, science, karate, chorus, chess, soccer, fine arts, etc. 

Children’s Choice sees value in each of these models. We see the need for many types of programs to meet the diverse needs of different communities. We help train and develop staff working in many different types of programs and strive to help them improve their practices.

Within our own programs, Children’s Choice takes a whole-child-development approach. We weave together play-based learning, academic enrichment, life skill development, team building, recreation, relationship building, and specific skill building through enrichment classes and novel, challenging activities.

We value what we call the “TRINITY” of positive youth development. We weave together practices that facilitate the development of P.I.E.S.

1.     Physical Skills

2.     Intellectual Skills

3.     Emotional/Social Skills

Or if you prefer, the “TRINITY” of Mind-Spirit-Body. The whole child. 

Value as a Value - #2 of our Common Core Values

#2 = Value is a Value

We value VALUE. It is important to us that our programs be worthwhile and useful to those we serve. We believe our service to the community must be worth what it costs to provide that service. We value providing the highest possible quality at the lowest possible price and being good financial stewards of our resources.

We value VALUE because value improves access. We believe all children should have access to high-quality afterschool programs. 

• We know that if families cannot access programs for financial reasons, then their children will never experience the many benefits of quality.

• We know that children who have no access to high-quality afterschool programs experience a gap in their potential development and education compared to children who have access.

• We know that children who do not have access to quality summer enrichment program experience additional summer learning loss.

• We know that the achievement gap between children with access to quality afterschool and summer enrichment programs and children with no access widens each year.

20 Core Values

#1 = QUALITY

We have 20 Core Values at Children's Choice. The first is quality.

We know that high QUALITY afterschool programs have strong positive effects on the academic, social and emotional development of children. We know that what children do during their out-of-school-time hours has as much influence on their success as what they do during the school day. We know that participation in high-quality afterschool programs is associated with better academic achievement, better work habits, stronger task persistence, better school attendance, better attitudes toward school, more self-confidence, stronger self-esteem, and better social skill development. We know that these benefits continue to grow even after students leave elementary school. 

Math Thumbball

You’ll need to modify a beach ball(s) for this game.  

Using a permanent marker, divide the beach ball into more sections by drawing additional lines – as many as you need depending on the size of the ball. Label each section with a different number (1-10 OR 1-12). 

Check out the video!

Windbag Wigwams

Each week in our new Fun Funky Fungineering class we give our Fungineers an engineering challenge. This week the challenge is to build a free-standing structure using "Windbags."

Here is the script for the mission and a video! Enjoy and replicate!

Greetings Fungineers!

I am Agent B.

My true identity must remain secret for reasons of national security.

We need your help.

In 1962 the world’s first successful interplanetary mission happened when the United States sent the space probe Mariner 2 to Venus.