Director's message
High-quality early childhood education can have profound positive impacts on children’s life trajectories. However, not all children have this opportunity. Educators often lack support when it comes to partnering with families and supporting children’s social-emotional well being, though these areas are absolutely critical to a high-quality early education experience. This has been backed by research and I know it from my years of on-the-ground experience.
One powerful mission drives ParentCorps: to transform the pre-K experience by helping schools partner with families to build a future where all children thrive. We work to build a different education experience — one that centers race and culture, engages parents as partners, and supports children’s social-emotional well-being — to help unlock the full promise of early childhood education. Such a big job, and yet, through our powerful partnerships growing nationally, we know we can do it!
We invite you to discover our impact during the 2022-23 school year and thank you for supporting our work. We are excited to continue expanding our reach in the upcoming school year and sharing milestones along the way.
With love and in solidarity,
Kai-ama Hamer, Director of ParentCorps
“Working with children and families is like this beautiful garden… Each seed is different. They are all beautiful. They all have their own way to grow and their own way to contribute to the garden. You're able to see all of that growth and all of that beautiful garden variety. I am grateful to have that experience with those families and I appreciate how they invite me to be part of that garden with them.” - Ying Duan, Early Childhood Mental Health Clinician at University Settlement and ParentCorps Facilitator
This year by the numbers
“What I love about our in person Parenting Programs is when the caregivers bring our next generation of students, the baby brothers and sisters, along with them. Something about seeing how our community grows and learns together is very inspiring.” - Staff Member at a ParentCorps School
In case you missed it: Our most viewed blog posts this year
“We hear again and again how working with us is unlike any other program. I believe this is because we put building relationships first. We see children, caregivers, teachers, and leaders as whole people with rich, unique lived experiences and we aren't here to tell people what to do. We share our values and mission, we work toward collective goals to serve families by being a real partner with the school communities.” - Erin Lashua-Shriftman, ParentCorps Manager of Data
Welcoming Kai-ama Hamer as Director of ParentCorps - A Q&A
Kai-ama Hamer is an experienced teacher and school leader, and now we are proud to call Kai-ama Director of ParentCorps. In conversation with Katherine Rosenblatt, Kai-ama’s first ParentCorps coach, learn about how her first experience with ParentCorps Professional Development in 2015 set her on a path to leading the organization and now growing ParentCorps’ reach to children and families — who face inequities rooted in poverty and structural racism — nationwide. Get to know Kai-ama better here.
"Most mothers have the same pressure and difficulties in raising children as myself. Coupled with new immigrant families, we, as mothers, suffer more physical and psychological criticism or grievances, but there is no place to talk... However, in the parenting group, I can find such a sense of identity and the pleasure of relaxing and talking... I really hope that such courses can continue as an alternative way to relax as an immigrant mother." - NYC Caregiver
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“[ParentCorps] has really helped me improve my parenting and deal with challenges I come across as a first time parent. The impact it has on me is inexplicable." - NYC Caregiver