6
QUEENS WEEKLY, JULY 12, 2020
Astoria preschool director makes changes
to curriculum amid pivotal racial climate
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
As society wrestles
with renewed questions
of systemic racism, an
Astoria preschool teacher
is making significant
changes to her school’s
curriculum to address
the issue beginning this
coming school year.
Melissa Chin is the
owner and education director
of Kid Krazy, one
of Astoria’s most reputable
preschools, located at
25-19 27th St. in Astoria.
Kid Krazy values social,
emotional, language,
cognitive and physical
development. The school
will be adopting a newly
explicit approach to the
subject of race rather
than subtly celebrating
“diversity.”
Since the police-involved
death of George
Floyd in Minneapolis and
the national protests that
have followed, children
have been exposed to the
nation’s sadness and anger,
according to Chin.
“I know as parents,
we want to protect and
shield our children from
the ugliness of the world,
but unfortunately, we
can’t,” Chin said. “How
do you explain centuries
old racism and injustice
to a 5-year-old? You can’t.
You can, however, listen
to them. Ask them what
they think about, what
they see and hear? If they
ask, ‘What is racism?’
ask what they think it
means.’”
Chin, who has 20
years of experience as
the education director
of Kid Krazy Preschool,
said she believes a “tide
of change is here and we
all need to ride it.”
“I believe we must
broaden our teaching
not to be afraid to explicitly
talk about something
that is uncomfortable
and raise our children
with ‘color blinders on,’”
said Chin, who is also the
vice chair of Our World
Neighborhood Charter
School and chair of the
Education Committee of
OWNCS. “Parents and
teachers alike must make
the commitment to listen
to their children, address
the changes, the injustices
and to answer the
tough questions from our
children.”
According to Chin,
she believed that they
promoted diversity and
acceptance by having
children and staff from
diverse backgrounds at
Kid Krazy Preschool.
“We value each child
and love and hug them all
the same. We told each
of them how wonderful
and special they were,”
Chin said. “Wasn’t that
teaching ‘diversity and
acceptance’? In an implicit
way, yes. But is that
enough? A big no!’”
The preschool will be
removing the “blinder”
of racism and bias which
were lifted in the research
by Phyllis Katz,
a professor at the University
of Colorado, who
studied over a six-year
span of 100 Black and 100
white children beginning
at 6 months.
Katz’s research
showed many parents
believed they were raising
“color blind” children,
it was evident from
the testing results, their
children not only noticed
color but would determine
that somehow white
was better.
As well as Brigitte
Vittrup, a professor of
Early Childhood Development
and Education at
Texas Woman’s University,
whose study showed
the impact of explicit
language used by adults
and its effect on the attitude
of the children on
racism.
Kid Krazy’s curriculum
has always embraced
diversity, however, its
newly revised curriculum
will engage students
in the explicit language
of race and racism.
Through their curriculum,
students will
be given permission to
say and inquire about
the identity of race, racism,
bias, fairness and
unfairness. They will
direct their own learning
with the guidance of
their teachers. Additionally,
teacher training
and parent workshops
will be part of Kid Krazy’s
investment in their
students.
For Chin, it’s about
teaching children to see
color, and having a discussion
about color and
what it means to be of
a race.
“As an example, during
our ‘all about me’
unit, children learn how
to talk about themselves.
They talk about their eye
color, hair color. If their
hair is straight or curly.
What their favorite food
is. How many letters are
in their name? What we
never asked them in the
past was, ‘What color is
your skin?’ That explicit
question is powerful and
will lead to further inquiry
by the children,’”
Chin said.
It’s important for everyone
to engage and be
active participants in
changing the future for
children, according to
Chin, by reimagining and
learning how to break the
cycle of systemic racism.
“We know we are in a
pivotal time in our history.
Racial divide and injustice
have been part of
our society for too long. I
believed I have been doing
my part in advancing
a more just society,” Chin
said. “I believe I have not
done enough. I believe
I can do better. I will do
better. I will do better for
our school community,
and most importantly for
our children.”
Reach reporter
Carlotta Mohamed by
e-mail at cmohamed@
schnepsmedia.com or by
phone at (718) 260–4526.
Photo courtesy of Kid Krazy Preschool
MELISSA CHIN
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