Culture, Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity (CDIE): Spotlight on Human Resource Systems

Culture, Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity (CDIE): Spotlight on Human Resource Systems Webinar

John Williams: And we are happy to welcome you to the second installment of the Advancing Racial and Ethnic Equity Webinar Series. This is a journey co-hosted by the Office of Head Start and the National Centers. Today's session will focus on Culture, Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity: A Spotlight on Human Resource Systems. We're very excited on behalf of the National Center on Program Management and Fiscal Operations to be co-hosting this session with OHS today. And before we get underway, we wanna make sure for all of the people that are signing on, and we understand we have quite a few registrants today – we're very excited about that – that we hear from Glenna Davis, who's going to advise all of you as you're signing on how you can have an optimal participation experience. Glenna, please.

Glenna Davis: Thank you so much, John. Good afternoon, everyone. To participate in the discussion or to ask questions, please use the area to the left of the presentation slides that is entitled, "Ask a Question." Below the "Ask a Question" banner, there's a section where you're able to submit your questions or comments. Below the "Ask a Question" area, you will see a section named Event Resources. In the Event Resources section, you'll be able to find items that are available for you to download. Please note: certificates of attendance will be automatically emailed to you at the email address you use to register at the conclusion of this webcast. Please remain on the webcast until it is closed by our web host, and you will receive that email from donotreply@webcasts.com. Again, remain logged onto the webcast or the OnDemand recording until the very end in order to receive the certificate of attendance. Please note, the certificate of attendance is not connected to the post-event survey. Completion of the post- event survey will not generate the certificate of attendance. You must remain on the webcast until it is closed by our web host. If you do not receive the email with a link to your certificate of attendance, please send an email to webcast@hficc.org. Thank you. John, back to you.

John: Thank you so much, Glenna. We're now happy to get underway with the second installment of Advancing Racial and Ethnic Equity in Head Start. And you see some of the key characteristics that we're looking at: culture, diversity, inclusiveness, and anti-bias in terms of the overall series. Today's session will focus on Culture, Diversity, Inclusion and Equity: A Spotlight on Human Resources. The National Center for Program Management and Fiscal Operations, more commonly known as PMFO, is honored to be co-hosting this with the Office of Head Start this afternoon. And we really invite all of you to have a conversation with us over the next 90 minutes on this important topic. Before I get further into the topic, I just wanted to do a quick review of the two questions that we started off with, and I'm gonna fan out and do an early introduction, and we'll say more about ourselves a little later on. To my co-facilitators Michelle Brown and Jacquie Davis, and just to ask them ... Michelle and Jacquie, I had a chance to look at the Q&A really quickly, and it seemed that people were very excited to be part of this. So, what are you hearing on the Q&A front as we take a look at those first two questions?

Michelle.

Michelle Brown: Jacquie, why don't you go ... OK, I'll go first. What's up and hello, Head Start family. Happy Thursday. And so, John, what I am seeing is that people are absolutely excited to be here and to be a part of this very important conversation.

John: Great.

Michelle: That's what I'm seeing.

Jacquie Davis: I agree. Hi, everyone. This is Jacquie, and I agree. And I'm also seeing a mix of yes and no. It's balancing out based on the people that responded. So, thank you.

John: Thanks, Jacquie and Michelle. Obviously, this is a busy time for so many people, so we thank you for being able to carve out some time today. Before I go further with introductions, I want to leave you with this question. I'm introducing it here, but we're actually gonna have a more full-bodied discussion around it later on, but I wanted to just leave it for you to think about as we're going through the journey over the next few minutes. What can program leadership do to support an organizational culture that systematically advances diversity, inclusion, and equity in the workplace? So, please consider that question. Again, we'll be coming back to it later on this afternoon, but thank you very much in advance for keeping that at your side. With that, I'm going to introduce the guest and our cohost for this afternoon. So, as we mentioned, this is a joint presentation of the Office of Head Start and the National Centers. So, it is my pleasure at this time to introduce Jennifer Amaya, and she will introduce David Jones. Jennifer.

Jennifer Amaya: Hi. Good afternoon, everyone. Thank you, John. I'm excited to be with all of you today. As of yesterday, we have I believe over 3,000 participants registered for this webinar. I'm the content lead for culture and language in the Office of Head Start at the Administration of Children and Families. I am thrilled to work every day with highly committed colleagues from multiple federal program offices and divisions, the Early Childhood National Centers for Training and Technical Assistance, and other key partners to ensure that all children and families receive comprehensive and high-quality services that are responsive to each child's individual needs, promote school readiness, and highlight the strengths of the diverse communities in which they live. I want to specially acknowledge the Office of Head Start National Center for Program Management and Fiscal Operations, PMFO, the Head Start Information and Communication Center, and my colleagues from OHS's central office, who collaborated in putting together today's webinar. I also wanted to thank all of our National Center partners and representatives from the Equity, Inclusion, and Culturally and Linguistically Responsive Practices Workgroup, and many others who have been involved in the planning and the designing of OHS Advancing Racial and Ethnic Equity Webinar Series. We are grateful for the time and the commitment shown by all of our partners.

Now more than ever, the Head Start performance standards reaffirms and celebrate our ongoing commitment to staying the course and confirming each child's racial and ethnic heritage. We know that programs are effective when their systems and services reflect well- developed understanding of the cultures of the children, their families, and their communities.

Since Head Start's inception for over 50 years, equity and inclusion have been the foundational building blocks of services and systems. Head Start Services at its core are responsive to the unique and diverse background of families in their programs and their communities. Many of you joined us on August 6th webinar, and many of you are new as we explore and engage in conversations about racial and ethnic equity and the important elements of race and ethnic diversity reflected in Head Start communities across the nation. We all understand that creating respectful, inclusive environments that invite and honor the diversity perspective from staff and families is critical in effective family and community engagement.

Today's session is rooted in the Head Start's multicultural principles that demonstrate the integration of these principles into systems, program goals, objectives, policies, and procedures. We will hear from our colleagues to spotlight, as John had mentioned earlier, on human resources with the lens of culture, diversity, inclusion, and equity. Now, I hope you are ready and excited to join and participate in the OHS Advancing Racial and Ethnic Equity Webinar Series. I encourage you to identify specific insights and action steps to help you apply an equity lens to your role in your own practice. I also invite you to allow yourself to examine how these principles can serve you as a moral compass to continue to cultivate a culture of respect and collaboration across your program. You can feel the power of change as you work with your colleagues and apply systematic approaches that address and advance ethnic and racial equity. Before I end my remarks, I also wanna thank all of you who are participating in today's webinar for your ongoing efforts, your daily commitment, your passion to provide high- quality services to all children. Once again, thank you, John, for this opportunity, and I will transition to my colleague and friend, David Jones, for additional words. David?

David Jones: Thank you, Jennifer, and thank you, John, as well. Good afternoon, everyone. Welcome. I also would like to applaud the Office of Head Start for taking on this topic because it is such an important topic. When you think about it, our lives are in many respects governed by an ordinal approach, which is another way of saying: We depend upon systems to help us navigate everything that we do. I say that because if we are not thinking about the organizational implications of culture, diversity, inclusion, and equity, we would be remiss. And I doubt that we would like to see what we need to see at the program level, because it probably would never happen. And what I'm referring to is open and honest dialogue about differences and similarities that people take for granted. We must embrace our similarities and celebrate our differences. And in thinking about organization human resource decision, who you hire, how you invest in staff contributes to creating a foundation for advancing equity. Verna Myers says, "Biases are the stories we make up about people before we actually know who they are." I'm going to repeat that. "Biases of the stories we make up about people before we actually know who they are." We cannot openly and honestly talk about diversity and inclusion without talking about unconscious bias. It's also going to mean that people have to get comfortable walking into discomfort, to look at and confront their own biases. Look folks, the Office of Head Start is investing a lot of time and energy, providing you with resources to begin these important conversations. We're hoping for systemic organizational change, and I understand that every environment may not be ready or feel like it is a safe place to engage in these conversations with leadership because leadership has to be the one to chart the course. But I say it is incumbent upon each of you to talk to your peers who are willing and begin to learn more about each other and about what is important. If the work environment is not a safe place, seek out organizations within the community, but please find a way to begin the conversation. I too would like to thank the National Centers, all of the National Centers for embarking upon this journey together. And I truly hope that you enjoy the webinar today. Thank you. John?

John: Thanks so much, David and Michelle and Jennifer for your inspirational words. We'll certainly hold them close to our hearts over the next few minutes. So, you heard a little bit from my co-facilitators today, but I would like to have them introduce themselves again formally. Michelle, you first.

Michelle: Hello, everyone. I'm so happy to be with you this afternoon. My name is Michelle Brown, and I'm a content development specialist for PMFO and just excited to be having this conversation. Jacquie?

Jacquie: Yes. Hello, everyone. I am Jacquie Davis, and you see there, I'm the professional development manager, and I echo Michelle and David and Jennifer and John. I'm happy to be here today. This is a great conversation, so let's get going!

John: And one very quick technical update: We are working on the three up slides. We understand there might be some technical difficulties in loading those, so we will be working on that as we're having our conversation. Not to worry. Thank you all.

Jacquie: So, we're gonna start off with the cornerstone concept, and it offers ... The cornerstone concept is offered here as the 10,000-foot view, if you will. It's the why behind the message we bring to you today. So, to begin, I just wanna throw this out to my co-facilitators and just ask them: What comes to mind when they read this quote? "To get workplace diversity, inclusion, and equity right, you need to build a culture where everyone feels valued and heard." So, I'll punt it to Michelle first, Michelle.

Michelle: Well, Jacquie, thank you for passing to me first. And what came to mind for me at this very moment is the ideal of shared meaning. So, I think sometimes we take for granted when we say to leaders that they need to be inclusive, that they know and understand what that really means. And if this cornerstone concept is going to live and live well in programs, everybody has to be on the same page, especially program leaders. That's all I have to say.

Jacquie: Great, thank you, Michelle. Jacquie: Cool. John?

Michelle: My pleasure. Jacquie: John?

John: Michelle and Jacquie, Michelle and Jacquie, I'm going to go a little bit back in history for my reference. I'm reading a history on Head Start in Mississippi, and Michelle, your words were a reminder. If we have a workplace that everybody feels valued and equitable practices are taking place, they can be summed up in this quote from an early teacher's aide in a Head Start in Mississippi. And the quote reads as follows: "They call me an aid and pay me, but I'll tell you I'd do it for nothing, the way I feel." So, that's what stuck out to me, Jacquie.

Jacquie: Oh, cool.

Michelle: I know that's right. Jacquie]: Yeah. I just wanna add on to that is that so as you know, I was reflecting on some current statistics – July 2020, from the Society for Human Resource and Management – and they report that 33% of Black Americans in the workplace do not feel respected and valued. And so, for Head Start and the Early Childhood community that translates to about one in three programs, and this lifts up the why for this conversation about advancing racial and ethnic equity today. So, Michelle and John, it reminds me of what Albert Einstein said: "We cannot solve problems with the same level of thinking that created them." So, we've got to shake it up, so let's get started.

Michelle: Absolutely.

Jacquie: So, we're gonna look at our learning objectives, and during our conversation, we're gonna look to unpack, explore culture, diversity, inclusion, and equity within the context of systems and organizations. We're gonna offer you, the listening audience, some strategies to consider within the context of culture, diversity, inclusion, and equity on how to create welcoming workplaces. Another concept in response to research, we lift up strategies that prepare you for facilitated and impartial dialogue related to culture, diversity, inclusion, and equity. During the 2020 Society for Human Resource Management Conference, Eric Ellis, the CEO of Integrity Development Corporation of Cincinnati, was speaking on diversity, equity, and inclusion. And he said, if we don't prepare our people to have this conversation, we're leaving ourselves open to micro explosions. So, this is gonna be really important. And of course, we will highlight resources that keeps us on the path forward as we move together to advance racial and ethnic equity, such as the Foundation for Excellence and the HR Systems Audit. As we continue thinking about this Office of Head Start's Advancing Racial and Ethnic Equity Webinar Series, we just mentioned that on August 6th, we heard from the National Center on Parent, Family, and Community Engagement. Today, you get to hear from us. On September 10th, you will be able to hear from the National Center on Early Childhood Development Teaching and Learning. And we're gonna around this thing off on September 17th with the National Center on Health and Wellness. And as we move forward, Michelle is going to make some connections from the August 6th webinar to today's webinar. Michelle, what do you have for us?

Michelle: Thank you, Jacquie, for that introductory information and a big hello again to our Head Start family. So, Head Start family, let's turn our attention to what we see on the screen. It's the BUILD's racial equity and early childhood systems four level of change framework. So, on August 6th, our wonderful colleagues from the National Center on Parent, Family, and Community engagement introduced this model as a framing for the Office of Head Start's

Advancing Race and Ethnic Equity Webinar Series. BUILD's racial equity and early childhood systems framework highlights four levels of change that need to occur to ensure racial equity lives and lives well in Early Childhood Systems. The four levels represented, as you can see on the screen, are personal, interpersonal, institutional, and structural. At the National Center on Program Management and Fiscal Operation, our charge is to ensure that programs have sound management systems and structures in place to first ensure that high-quality programming ... We know we have to do continuous improvement, and of course, we wanna support sound leadership. Therefore, the institutional and structural levels of this model draw upon PMFO's expertise and will be our focus for this presentation. So, if you don't mind, let's define both areas really quick before moving on.

So, let's start with the institutional level. Institutional is applying a racial equity and economic justice lens to policies, practices, regulations, and work culture to dismantle policies that perpetuate inequality and to design and develop policies and practices that advance opportunities, fairness, access to resources and other factors for those most affected by racial inequality. So, let's close out institutional, and now let's define structural level. Structural is when individuals and groups recognize that structural arrangements are interconnected and resist change. They develop approaches to advance equity that offer new or reconstituted structural arrangements. They build shared leadership and collective power that leads to change, and then I'ma add my own words, for everybody. All right then, now that we've discussed the BUILD framework on ethnic equity, let's move on to review another important topic area that was covered in the first webinar by our National Parents Center. And that was the five A's. Again, in the previous session and the first installation of this series, our colleagues from the National Center for Parent, Family, Community Engagement shared the five A's model with you and unpacked the following elements that you see on the screen.

Let's quickly review those five elements. The first element shared in the five A's model was aware. The second element shared in the five A's model was acknowledge. The third element shared was accept, and the fourth element shared was appreciation of self. The final and the fifth element shared was act. We at PMFO acknowledge that this model is an extremely important element for Head Start staff, and program leadership must have this in their toolbox, especially as they analyze possible interpersonal situations, where there is room for personal growth due to racial and/or ethnic conflict. We also feel that given our institutional and structural focus, it is important to create a working environment that has structures in place that lifts up. Y'all hear me? Lift up racial and ethnic equity. So, as we take you on our PMFO culture, diversity, inclusion, and equity journey, we strongly encourage you to apply the five A's with your systems lens on. Y'all got that? Put your system lens on. All right, good. So, Jacquie, I'm gonna go ahead and turn this virtual floor back over to you, and I want you to move us forward into a conversation about systems.

Jacquie: All right, thank you very much, Michelle. So, systems isn't just a buzzword. It's at the core of any organizational work. It is the heart of the work we do at PMFO, and to move forward and to move towards sustained systemic change and to advance racial and ethnic equity, we have to adapt a systems mindset. So, let's do a quick review of systems. So, what we know is that systems are an interrelated, interacting, and interdependent parts that form of complex and unified whole, and they serve a specific purpose. And that is why we say systems is not just a buzzword. We think about our human body, and that's a system that functions to keep us alive. So, if we consider that, that's really powerful. So, if we at Head Start are going to make sustainable paradigm shifts, change will have to happen at the structural systemic level. And, Peter Senge, the author of "The System of the Fifth Discipline" uses the analogy of putting together the puzzle, just for the sheer joy of seeing the whole emerge. He stresses the importance of seeing the whole at the heart of systems thinking. And so, and in order to do that, that brings us to this resource that that's on your resource page, "The Dawn of Systems Leadership", authored by Senge and Hamilton and Kania. And it references another resource that's on the resource page, "Leading from the Emerging Future," where the authors, Scharmer and Kaufer, bring out the message, which offers three openings. And those three openings, as you see there on the screen, are needed to transform systems. Opening the mind to challenge our assumptions, opening the heart to be vulnerable and to truly hear one another, and opening the will to let go of preset goals and agendas and see what is really needed and possible. These three openings match the blind spots that are inherent in making those sustainable and systemic changes. And that transforming systems is ultimately about transforming relationships among people who shape those systems.

So, as we move on, of course, we have to ground all of our work in Head Start in the Head Start Program Performance Standards. And 1302.100, in subpart J, and that's where the program management and quality improvement work compensation regulation doc, and that's where we live. It's not the only place where the PMFO does a lot of their work, but in this one, we just wanted to lift up ... You see where it says there, "A program must provide management and a process of ongoing monitoring"? A process is not the same as systems, synonymous with the word system, but it's in that word family. And then it goes on to say, "delivery of effective, high- quality program services." So, we see that systems are really important to delivering high- quality program services. And that brings us to a graphic that maybe many of us have seen and some of us may be seeing for the first time, and that's the Head Start Management Systems Wheel. And what we know about this is that the leadership and governance is the foundation of the work that we do in Head Start, including our systems work. And emanating out from that are those 12 systems that we know that if those 12 systems are operating effectively, those services are gonna be working effectively as well. And if we have services and systems that are working effectively, we're gonna to be able to provide quality services to children and families. And so, that's the big message. And so, for this particular conversation, that's where we get our title, our spotlight on the human resources. We call these pie slices. So, for this conversation, throughout the rest of this presentation, we're gonna be focusing on this particular pie slice.

And there has been an evolution in the world of human resources that reaches far beyond administration and compliance accountability. As reflected in PMFO's Human Resource Suite, there is a module focused on each organizational effectiveness and development, HR strategic planning, talent acquisition, employee and labor relations, learning and development, and culture, diversity, inclusion, and equity. This is why we are able to spotlight human resources as we examine culture, diversity, inclusion, and equity, because not only is it about the people, it also embraces the need for human resources to be at the table and part of any conversation that speaks to sustaining systemic changes, mindsets, and paradigm shifts. And so, with that, we're gonna turn it over to Michelle, and she's gonna get us into culture, diversity, inclusion, and equity. Michelle?

Michelle: Thank you, Jacquie. So, as we move forward in our discussion on culture, diversity, inclusion, and equity, it's important to define each of the four elements, along with defining organizational culture. Before we define each of these terms, it's important that you understand why we organize these terms in the way we chose to in the first place. OK? So, we decided the best way to explain these terms would be in a way that would support your own program analysis through a systems lens, which in our opinion would be starting with the macro perspective and moving to the micro perspective. In short, what we mean is we put culture first, because it's the broader, big-picture concepts and equity last because it's taking that deeper dive, the actual actualizing of this, or as I love to say, which y'all have probably figured out, living out and living well, these terms that come before equity. So, culture, diversity, inclusion, and equity present opportunities for organizations to leverage the unique backgrounds and characteristics of everybody, so all employees, to contribute to continuous improvement, high-quality programming, and the overall success of the program. So, remember we just took a sneak peek at the HR management systems pie slice, and we stated that programs are only as good as the people and staff who maintain them, so knowing this culture, diversity, inclusion, and equity opportunities should be viewed as simple ways to do the job, to get people talking, get folks listening and engaging with one another. That's where we start, right?

It's only through understanding each other that we truly gain knowledge, engage with one another in an authentic way and move forward by being action-oriented, and again, promoting that continuous improvement and innovation in our programs. And when we do that, that leads to systemic, and more importantly, sustainable change. OK, so now that we've covered this overview, I'm really excited to share with you our culture, diversity, inclusion, and equity mix.

You see that slide up there? We're gonna talk about the mix. So, the Head Start Multicultural Principles ... My colleagues are laughing at me because I get so excited about the mix. So, the Head Start multicultural principles and other supporting resources ground us in the importance of – I'm about to say it again, y'all – culture, diversity, inclusion, and equity being a part of the Head Start mix. If you could see me, I have my air quotes up in the air because this mix is serious. The question then becomes: How in the world do these four elements impact the workplace? Let's take a look. So, our first element ... uh-oh. John, can you go back one slide?

You know how I feel about this mix. I need you to stay here for just a moment.

So, our first element is culture, and we already know that everyone – and if I was at home in Toledo, Ohio, I would say e'rybody – but everyone is rooted in culture. When we say, everybody, we're thinking about program leadership, staff, children, families, community partners, everybody. And we know that culture has an influence on the beliefs, behaviors, desires, and practices of everyone that I just mentioned. Our second element of the mix is diversity. And diversity speaks to the mix of those differences in our workplace, right? So, there's diversity. Our third element in the mix is inclusion, and inclusion is essentially making

that mix work, or as I would say if I was at home too – because we're family, we're having a kitchen table conversation right now – making that thing work, right? And the last element, the fourth element in the mix is equity. And y'all, that's the end goal. We want to create an equitable workplace for all. And if you were on the first webinar, you heard them define equity as fair. We want a fair workplace for all, fairness in the workplace. So, John, mix my boogie up. Can you mix my mix up? Y'all, my mix is supposed to dance for, there it is. That's our mix. So, I have one more thing to say before I keep moving.

So, if you were on the first webinar, you heard the importance of the five A's and that they support an interpersonal focus on racial and ethnic equity. So, our culture-diversity-inclusion- equity mix seeks to support program staff and leadership on the institutional, structural, and systemic level. Let's keep moving so we can get to the definition. So, culture, diversity, inclusion, and equity is not a sometimes thing. And I know y'all have already figured that out now. The mix is an always thing that needs to be cultivated, supported, and reinforced in order to have, again y'all, sustainable, systemic change. By recognizing people's similarities and differences, we become better employees, we become stronger leaders, and then we have awesome programs for children and family. If you know me, you know when I say awesome, I have to say my other word, which is the bomb diggity. And if you were to look that up in urban dictionary, that means awesomeness in its purest form. So, in order to help people learn about and live out these elements in their programs, we must establish common definitions and find common ground to be able to work with and celebrate the differences and communicate openly and honestly about the importance, again, of culture, diversity, inclusion, and equity.

Therefore, our focus in this module is how these concepts work together to create an effectual work environment. So, let's move forward. John, will you move me forward to the organizational culture slide?

Y'all, we're gonna start first by defining organizational culture. So, organizational culture – and you see it up on the screen – is a shared set of beliefs and values established by leaders and then communicated and reinforced through various methods, ultimately shaping employees' perceptions, behaviors, and understanding. Organizational culture sets the context for everything an enterprise does. And as you can see, this definition came from the Society of Human Resource Management. So, John, will you take me back to the previous slide? I think it's time for some audience participation. So, let's go ahead. Audience, I'm gonna need your help. We wanna poll you and see what you know about these definitions already. We wanna see what you know about culture, diversity, inclusion, and equity before we actually give you the definition that you'll use to support your work. So, Ms. Glenna, will you open the first poll for me? All right. So, Culture is – you have 15 seconds to decide – culture is ... [hums theme to "Jeopardy!"] Culture is. OK, Ms. Glenna, can you go ahead and close the poll and share the results? OK, you guys. Jacquie, what do you seeing as the results? Think they did pretty good?

John: Certainly looks like it, but Jacquie, what do you think? Michelle: Yeah.

Jacquie: Yeah, because it was a fill in the blank. So, it is a complex whole, that includes knowledge, beliefs, art, morals, custom, and many other capabilities. And most people are saying B. We have about 73, 11.83 that is saying diversity. And we have that 82% that hit the mark of culture. So, that's a good one, yes.

Michelle: OK. OK, great. So, I'm gonna keep us moving. OK, Ms. Glenna, will you open up the second poll for us? And so, the second poll is diversity is. We'll give you a few seconds to answer that. OK, Ms. Glenna, please go ahead and close the poll and share the results.

Jacquie: OK, so they're coming in. They're coming in. Michelle: Let me give it a second. Let me slow down.

Jacquie: Right, mm hmm. So, in a workplace ... It's a fill-in-the-blank, Michelle. So, in a workplace and learning environment ... blank in a workplace and learning environment everyone receives fair treatment, and so ... It looks like we have a large percentage. We have a

25. Well, we have a large percentage of people that are saying equity. They're saying D, 62% are saying D, and then we have diversity coming in second. In a blank in a workplace and learning environment means everyone receives fair treatment. So, for this one, the answer is equity, and that is the 62%. D is the correct answer that's coming in for that one.

Michelle: So, Jacquie, should I move on to inclusion?

Jacquie: Yes [Cross talking] send those results for the audience.

Michelle: OK, Ms. Glenna, would you send those results to the audience? It looks like they've already answered that, huh?

Jacquie: Mm hmm. [Inaudible]

John: So, the issue is what would people fill in the blank with this one, Michelle and Jacquie?

Jacquie: Right, blank is the collective mixture of differences and similarities. So, what would be the answer there, everyone, if you're filling in the blanks? And let's see what's happening here. It looks like, yeah, we're getting there. A large percentage, 60% are saying diversity, A, and that one keeps growing and growing and growing.

Michelle: Well, you know we have super smarty pants folks in Head Start. Jacquie: Yes. We do. We do. We do.

Michelle: Yeah. [Laughs] That doesn't surprise ... Jacquie: That's how Head Start rolls, right?

Michelle: Yes. So, Jacquie, since we're doing these multiple choice, why don't you move on to the next one? Should we ask Glenna to open up the results?

Jacquie: Right. Right, open up the results, and then we'll be ready to look at the last one, as soon as she sends those results to the audience.

Michelle: OK, Head Start family, let's see how cerebral you are on this. Look at me, tongue tied. Let's see how you did.

Jacquie: So, the last one is the fill-in-the-blank. Blank is the achievement of a work and learning environment in which all individuals are treated fairly and respectfully and have equal access to opportunities and resources and can contribute fully to the organization's success.

Michelle: I know that's right.

Jacquie: It looks like they're on top of things. We have an 81% that are saying inclusion. And we know that from process of elimination, we have 17% that are saying equity. And this is really good because sometimes, unless you've been looking at this for a while, you might get a few words in there might make you think it's one or the other. So, this is really good to have this conversation and to really make sure that we're all understanding where those differences are that make the difference, that makes equity, equity, inclusion, inclusion, culture, culture, and diversity, diversity. So, this is really great. And so, right now ...

Michelle: There it is, yeah.

Jacquie: Yes, so right now, for this one, inclusion is leading at 68%, almost 70%. If Glenna wants to close that one out, then it looks like everybody was basically on target with these definitions, Michelle.

Michelle: Yeah, I'm not surprised 'cause we're awesome! OK, Head Start family, we're going to – thank you, Jacquie and John – what we're gonna do next is close out this part of the conversation, and John, I'm gonna need you to move us forward and share the definitions with everyone. But before you do, you guys, John mentioned in the handout pod that you actually have these definitions on a handout. So, if you download it, have that in front of you. John, action!

John: Mm hmm, OK so we have ... You guys did so well at this, I'm not gonna spend a lot of time, but organizational culture, as you see, is a set of shared beliefs. And as it winds down the definition, it sets the context for everything an enterprise does. So, if you remember what Michelle said initially about culture being the roots, organizational culture are those organizational roots, so very important to remember. Jacquie, do you wanna add anything on these?

Jacquie: No, no, no. Please keep going.

John: OK, next, culture is a complex whole. And again, you've heard that terminology of complex whole, as Jacquie talked about systems as well. That includes knowledge, beliefs and other capabilities and habits acquired by individuals as members of society. Next, we have diversity, and the operative word there is collective mixture of differences and similarities. So, you have some examples there of values, beliefs, preferences, and behaviors. As we look at inclusion, inclusion is the achievement of a work and learning environment, which everyone feels that they're treated fairly and respectfully, have equal access to opportunities and resources, and can contribute fully to the organization's success. So, inclusion puts us on the pathway to our final goal, and that is equity is a workplace and learning environment where everyone feels ... meaning everyone receives fair treatment. And that word fair, we heard from our colleagues at PFCE as they were looking at equity in the first session, so very important. And again, we transferred that quote from the woman in Head Start from a historical reference.

Again, her feeling that she could do this for nothing really symbolized how good she felt and how equitable that workplace was. With that, Jacquie, I'm gonna have you take us into cultural intelligence. We are noting, everyone, before we go to that slide, that we are getting a number of key questions that we do wanna share near the end to talk about that, but we do have some challenging situations, Jacquie and Michelle, that people are talking to about the organizational culture defined versus the organizational culture unspoken. So, we might wanna bookmark that for our later discussion. With that, Jacquie, I'm gonna go to ... Michelle OK, John?

John: Yes, ma'am.

Michelle: Jacquie, I'm gonna steal 30 seconds of your time. So, John, if you go back to the equity slide, there's something that we really wanna point out to you is that as you think about equity, oftentimes people confuse equity and equality. So, I just wanna touch on this very quickly.

Equality refers to everyone having the same rights and being offered the same opportunities. Equity involves ensuring individuals have what they need to enact those rights. Let me give you a quick example. Y'all don't mind, do you? OK. Equality would be like everyone at an organization gets a free meal. Management decided free meals for everybody. Equity would be when the free meal consists of, daily, a meat dish as the main entree. Well then, the organization did an evaluation and their data revealed that 30% of their members are vegan.

Where this meal experience becomes equitable is that they changed their menu to not only include meat but vegan options as well. So, I think that's a great example, and so, Jacquie, I'm done talking about equality and equity.

John: Michelle? Michelle: Mm hmm?

John: One thing we had, since you're on a roll with definitions, we had someone ask, "What's the difference between equity and inclusion?" And I'm gonna go back up to that.

Michelle: Equity, inclusion, OK. So, let's leave this slide here for a second. And here's what we'll do. We'll leave this slide here, and then we can impact this definition. I'm not sure who said it in the audience, but get back to you and spend some time with you in the question-and-answer section of the presentation. We'll leave this here for a couple more seconds. And if you trust us, we'll get back to that after Jacquie. We're gonna move forward and let Jacquie cover the four- factor model of cultural intelligence.

Jacquie: Thank you, Michelle. Thank you for unpacking that and providing a little bit more conversation around the equity. So, one of the things that we offer here is this four-factor model of cultural intelligence. And so, you heard about IQ and EQ, but what about CQ? And that's what this is cultural intelligence, also known as CQ was originally defined as the capacity to function effectively in culturally diverse settings or to adopt effectively across cultures. And we offered this as a model that moves you in the direction of sustainable and systemic change. One of the things that we wanted to do here is not just share information but give you some different strategies and some different ways to move as you begin to consider how you're going to advance racial and ethnic equity. And so, in essence, CQ picks up where emotional intelligence leaves off. And if you see there, you see the CQ drive, and these are like the four levels. And it doesn't mean that they developed in any particular order.

So, the first one there is the CQ drive, and that's the level of a person's interest, their persistence, and confidence to function in culturally diverse settings. Then next to that we have the CQ knowledge, and that's the level of a person's understanding about what cultures are, the similarities, and how they're different. And then, of course, next to that, you see the CQ strategy, and that's the degree to which a person plans for and remains aware and checks afterwards – so it's like a reflective moment – after any kind of multicultural interaction. And then of course, we have the cultural intelligence action, the CQ action, and that's the extent of a person's flexibility and the appropriate use of their own broad repertoire of behaviors. So, how do they pull up what they believe they know within themselves as it relates to cultural intelligence? So, there's a lot of work to be done, and guess what? We've gotta do it. And to continue our mantra that work will be most impactful, this work will be most impactful through systemic organizational change. So, we invite you to find out more about how CQ, cultural intelligence, can be a value to your teams as individuals or as an organization. You can check out the resources handout that we have for you. And there's a URL to the Cultural Intelligence Center. Thank you. So, now we're gonna get back to John, and John is gonna share some additional strategies with you. John?

John: Yes, Jacquie. Thank you so much. So, again, one reason why you're here, as we talk about what your program might be able to do, are some practical strategies to begin the conversation. Let me advise everyone, this is not designed to be the total answer, but just some beginning threads to really think about to move your program forward. The first one is educate your leaders. And as Michelle, Jacquie, and I were discussing this one, thought it was really good to emphasize the point of this is a point where you as a Head Start program leader, especially as a director or manager, really have to do some internal reckoning on where you are on your journey. Obviously, we've talked about things you might be able to utilize, like the five A's that Michelle looked at earlier from our friends at PFCE. But this is where, if you're doing this on a systemic and organization-wide level, you also have to check yourself. Where are you at? Where do you need help? And it's OK to, per that reckoning, think about other things and other resources that you will need to continue this important journey on behalf of your staff. So, Jacquie, would you wanna add anything to that?

Jacquie: Yeah, John, thanks. There's Bryan Stevenson of the Equal Justice Initiative. He talks about getting proximate and that really stuck out for me. And he says we cannot create justice without getting close to where injustices prevail. So, for leadership, getting proximate means stepping into a place of humility. Getting proximate means listening to, learning from. Getting proximate means making space for those who are most effected by the work to guide the work. So, that's a biggie for leadership, and here's another biggie. Getting proximate is not coming the table with all the answers and solutions. So, this takes us back to when we were talking earlier about an open will and open heart and an open mind. So, when we get proximate, we are human to human. We are equal. So, that's the piece I wanted to add with that. So, John, you want us on? Thank you for allowing me to share that.

John: The second piece is form an inclusion council, as it says here. That's a place where you can really start to look at on a team basis, where is your organization as they think about its journey on equity, racial and ethnic and otherwise? Where are they on that? What needs to happen? And this is a great way to start hearing from other voices. This is really important because, obviously in Head Start, we know we have a very diverse constituency in terms of children, families, and our staff, but it's very important that there's a mechanism that we can start to blend those voices and make sure everyone is heard. So, an inclusion council is a very important piece to hearing everyone's voices. Let me also brace you. As you do this, you're gonna wanna have, think about things like ground rules and the like because you wanna make sure you have a way of having good constructive conversations, like our friends at PFCE talked about, having those tough conversations. But this is one of those mechanisms that might facilitate those conversations. So, Jacquie, anything there?

Jacquie: No, keep going. No, no, John, I'm good. Thank you. John: Great. Celebrating differences, this is probably one of the easier ones to attain because all of you in some way, shape, or form have done this at your agencies, whether it's through language, looking at customs, holidays, and the like, there are obvious ways you can celebrate each other's differences and bring those to the forefront. The question is going deeper. Celebrating differences is a great way, a fun way of exploring equity, but it also has to be partnered with some of the other items on this list. So, wanna rise up, keep doing that, but add to it as well. Next, listen to employees. This is really a case, as we make this exploration, and again it won't be an easy journey, but it's important to really put on your active listening hat and really think about what employees are saying to you. And again, this might be a place where you might need help in doing that. Really encourage that because you really want to ... The worst thing that could happen is you say, "We're all about equity," and then you don't practice that. And one of the ways that tends to shut down is by not listening to employees. So, you really wanna practice active listening. That's a key resource. Holding more effective meetings. Again, it's not enough to say have an inclusion committee meeting, go through the agenda saying, "OK, we've done everything. We're fine." You really need to think about checking in. What are some of the unspoken aspects going on? We know sometimes people can be very dominant in their voices, and we might have a few dominant voices in a meeting. How do you make sure that everyone is heard, especially when it's something as important as equity? There are a lot of folks that have been harboring, that might be having a lot of deep-seated feelings. You need to find ways of really facilitating the means to bring those out in a safe space. That's one of the aspects of holding more effective meetings. And then finally, communicate goals and measure progress.

This is essential because really, just as you think about your program planning efforts for your five-year goals, you wanna figure out what role does equity play in those program goals? And really be mindful and intentional about thinking about those implications. And Jacquie, as one of our lead voices on planning, what do you wanna add to that?

Jacquie: Yeah, so this is a great opportunity to lift up the Foundations for Excellence in Head Start. Now, that's probably more of one of those similar resources for strategic planning, develop and developing program goals. And we know those broad program goals and those SMART objectives drive the work we do in our program. So, here's the question: How does this conversation on advancing racial and ethnic equity move you on a path forward to even think about revisiting your program goals and creating a goal or even some objective that really pay attention to this advancing equity? This is a just beware moment. On page 25 of the Foundations for Excellence, there's a conversation there about escalation of commitment. And it says that "while successful strategic planning requires a forward-thinking mindset, programs sometimes cling to that one successful strategy, even though those approaches no longer work. So, escalation commitment is like that phrase from good to great. Jim Collins says, "Good is the enemy of great." Well, for me, the escalation of commitment is the enemy of systemic change, paths forward, and advancing racial and ethnic equity. John, that's where I'm gonna end that conversation. Thanks, and so as Michelle comes back to talk, here is a reflective moment for us. So, we know that we just talked about a lot of stuff, and you could see from the Q&A that people had some additional questions around this. So, we just wanted to do a little reflection moment and talk about diversity, looking at diversity, inclusion, and equity again. And what we know is that diversity is having a seat at the table. Inclusion is having a voice. Equity is having that voice be heard or having that voice heard. So, as we bring Michelle back on the scene, just take a ...

John: And Jacquie, can I just add, thank you for that. Jacquie: ... reflect on that.

John: Jacquie, I thank you. Also, we had a question from the audience on the difference between inclusion and equity, so thank you for answering that question for them. Great. We're at the 4:00 hour, Jacquie and Michelle. So, we know we have some great conversations we wanna get to, so I just wanted to move us along. Thanks, Michelle.

Michelle: Thank you, John and Jacquie, Head Start family. You still with us? I hope so. I just want to acknowledge on behalf of all three of us, that it's clear from the questions coming in to the chat that you all are deeply committed and that this presentation is meaningful to you. And so, I just wanna pause for the cause right now – those are Jacquie's words usually – and tell y'all thank you. So, now that we've paused for the cause, let's reflect for a moment. What I think I've come to realize on this journey so far is the first step in really ensuring that culture, diversity, inclusion, and equity live and live well in your Head Start programs is what some of you all have been talking about in the chat, that we have to normalize the conversation on these elements by achieving a shared understanding of their meaning amongst everyone. Now, as you can see from some of the questions, that won't be an easy task, but I'ma tell you right now it's a necessary task. And with some patience and perseverance, I know y'all are gonna get this done and done well. And a lot of it you're doing already. So, we shared the definitions for culture, diversity inclusion, and equity, and that's just one part of the Head Start mix. But another part of the Head Start mix comes from our seminal, or as we refer to, our groundbreaking document, Head Start's Multicultural Principles. Bear with me. In the interest of time, I'm gonna move quickly and expeditiously, but I do wanna share some background information related to the multicultural principles.

For starters, the first edition of the principles was published in 1991. The original Multicultural Principles were created because Head Start, as you guys know, has a long history of serving culturally and linguistically diverse populations. And you know we still do, which is why the Multicultural Principles were updated and revised the second time. That's the edition that find and use on ECLKC. And we've also known, and I'm tooting our own horn – beep, beep – for 55 years that knowledge of culture and home language is essential to providing high-quality and effective Head Start services. Our multicultural principles represent our commitment to individualizing services so that every child and family feels respected, valued, and is able to grow in not only accepting differences, but appreciating differences as well. And still today, programs need to understand the implications of this and provide high-quality services through thoughtful application of our Head Start multicultural principles. So, let's go ahead and move forward and reframe the Head Start multicultural principles. So, hopefully you downloaded the handout that John mentioned earlier, the Head Start Multicultural Principles in your program, and you actually will see that up here on the screen. And John, if you go ahead and click again, principle nine and 10 should pop up because those two are closely related to our work at PMFO. So, let me review quickly, multicultural principle nine, and it states, "Culturally relevant and diverse programming examines and challenges institutional and personal biases." And now I'm gonna read Multicultural Principle 10, which is where we'll spend some time. "Culturally relevant and diverse programming are incorporated in all systems and services and are beneficial to all adults and children." So, John and Jacquie, let's highlight Multicultural Principle 10 and give some example perspective. I'm gonna read it again really quickly. And John, I'm going to call on you first. So, Multicultural Principle 10 again, so "Culturally relevant and diverse programming and practices are incorporated in all systems and services and are beneficial to all adults and children." So, John, where do you think people could see evidence of this principle in their program?

John: No problem, Michelle. Thank you so much. So, really quickly, again, it's advantageous that we have Jennifer Amaya as one of our OHS co-hosts because we have the opportunity at PMFO to really work with her actively as we were putting together the Dual Language Program Assessment Tool. And that was one, PMFO's contribution to that was really working on the management systems, and one of them was human resources. So, I would say that's one obvious way that we support that, and that's something that everyone on this listening in can look at. The one thing I would say, Michelle, too that obviously while its function, its main thrust is to look at dual language, it's also a very effective opening for continuing this conversation on equity in general, so I think it has a multifaceted utility. So, that's my thoughts.

Michelle: Hey John, that was a great example. Jacquie, what's on your mind?

Jacquie: Well, I'm gonna stick with what I've been saying, [Michelle laughs] talking about throughout this last hour. So, it's a system. So, you know, data and evaluation is one of the systems. So, if we were looking at this from a program perspective, based on qualitative data and evaluation, you have determined another one of the management systems. Training and professional development is necessary to build a level of sensitivity around racial and ethnic equity. So, what do you do after you've looked at that data, and it's valid and it's useful? You introduce cultural intelligence to your team, and you figure out a way how to imbue that message or create that message and build that into the work that you do. Maybe do different kinds of training, maybe through some kind of consulting work, but that was the thought that came to mind for me.

Michelle: OK, Jacquie, that was an excellent example too. Do y'all mind if I share a classroom example? That teacher still lives inside of me. So, we're gonna wrap it up with my example. So, we know that culture and language influence the lives of children and their families. We also know that showing children that we see and value all aspects of them, including attributes related to race and culture, is a critical step in helping them feel welcomed and connected to their teachers, peers, and classroom community, especially through children's books and literature that you find in the classroom. Example that I have of living out Multicultural Principal 10 could be that Head Start program leadership has made sure that there's a system in place for the selection of classroom books and materials that help the enrolled children see themselves right in those materials and that also help expand their understanding of others in this multicultural world we live in. So, you guys, I think we all shared three great examples, and it was a great discussion. So, I'm gonna close out this conversation on the multicultural principles, and I want to encourage the audience really quickly, if you're not using them or you haven't used your multicultural principles lately, pull them back out y'all. They are so important to this culture, diversity, inclusion, and equity mix. So, Jacquie, now we'll close this out. I want you to go ahead and move us forward and talk about that tool we have about facilitating dialogue.

Jacquie: Right. Thank you. Thank you, Michelle, for that. So, this is one of the handouts you have, and you see it here on the screen, the Guide to Facilitating Dialogues. And so, I'm gonna take us back, reflect back to close to the beginning of the presentation when I was talking about Eric Ellis, and he said that if we don't prepare our people to have these diversity, inclusion, and equity conversations, we're leaving ourselves open to those kinds of micro explosions, is what he calls them, but those kinds of conversations that may not go as well as they could. And so, we're gonna use this, and this is not the only one. This is just the one that we selected because of the way that it's designed to have this conversation. We put some more and some other examples in the resources on the Resources Handout page, and we've also included the resource Crucial Conversations. We wanna just look at this because you're gonna use this document to do some work in a second. So, we know that dialogue facilitators do not need to be experts on the topic being discussed, so that's important to know. And so, of course, if you're following along, I'm still on the first page, and dialogues are rooted in democratic discussion, not debate and not arguments. And so, as we keep looking on the next page, it begins the Eight Tips for Being a Great Facilitator. And of course, at the very beginning of that, it's about being a good listener, and that's really key in any conversation at any time, but definitely when we're trying to advance this message around racial and ethnic equity, it's critically important. And No. 2, lifting that one up because that's the one you guys are gonna be working on in a few minutes. Look at that one. Stay impartial. And not only are they saying stay impartial, but they have an exclamation point, because they're saying the most important thing to remember is that, as a facilitator, you should not share your personal views or try to push your own agenda into the issue. You are there to serve. It asks us to serve the discussion, not to join it. And if you see this resource comes from the University of Missouri, the Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity Department. And then, of course, we go on. We see to set of relaxed and open tone. Create a safe space for all participants. Stay aware is No. 5, and assist the program for the group process. Help the group to look at various points of view and ask those open- ended questions that don't lend themselves to easy answers. And that one at first, I'm like, why? What? Don't lend themselves to easy answers? Because what that does having been in this situation before, those people that come at you with those rapid-fire questions, if you have crafted that really good question, then they're gonna have to sit back and think about it. And so, then that cuts off that rapid fire coming back, coming back, and coming back. And then of course, No. 8 is to be aware of the dynamics of cross-cultural communication. So, as I turn this back over to Michelle, I'm again going to ask you to lift up No. 2, stay impartial because that's the one you're gonna do some work with in just a few seconds. And Michelle is back.

John: And Jacquie, if I could, before Michelle speaks, let's bookmark this as well after Michelle's conversation in the video because we do have a number of people asking about what happens when your leaders are not on the same page. So, I wanted to bookmark that, make sure we go back to it. Thanks! Michelle.

Michelle: Thank you, Jacquie and John. And so, Jacquie, thanks for sharing the Guide to Facilitated Dialogue. I agree with you. It's an excellent tool for beginning these types of conversations and the strategies you shared on facilitating these challenging dialogues are ones that I know will help our leaders and our staff on the phone have honest and courageous dialogue. You guys, I need you to tighten up your tool belt because right now we wanna give you a chance to practice one of those two strategies. And you heard Jacquie remind us like 50- 11 times that we're gonna focus on strategy two, being impartial. And we know as facilitators, to move a conversation forward, this skill of impartiality is a must. So, right now we're gonna view a two-minute-and-51-minute video clip from the film, "Hidden Figures". So, I wanna do a quick synopsis just in case you don't remember, or you didn't see it. So, "Hidden Figures" was a 2016 movie that shared the untold story of Ms. Katherine Johnson, Ms. Dorothy Vaughan, and Ms. Mary Jackson. These beautifully brilliant African-American women were working at NASA and serving as the brains behind one of the greatest operations in history that launched my

fellow Ohioan and astronaut, John Glenn, into orbit. This short scene, OK, y'all ready? I'm setting it up. This short scene is between Katherine Johnson and her boss, Al Harrison. So, here's your directions. As you watch this entire clip, you've got one job, and that's No. 2, stay impartial. Again, your job is to stay impartial, and we'll check in with you afterwards and ask you a couple of questions. Ms. Glenna, can you go ahead and begin the video?

[Video begins]

[Door closes, quick footsteps]

Al: Where the hell have you been? Everywhere I look, you're not where I need you to be, and it's not my imagination. Now where the hell do you go every day?

[Katherine breathing hard]

Katherine: [Sniffs] To the bathroom, sir.

Al: The bathroom. To the damn bathroom for 40 minutes a day? What do you do in there? We're T minus zero here. I put a lot of faith in you.

Katherine: There's no bathroom for me here. Al: What do you mean there's no bathroom for you here? Katherine: There is no bathroom. There are no colored bathrooms in this building or any building outside the West campus, which is half a mile away. Did you know that? I have to walk to Timbuktu just to relieve myself, and I can't use one of the handy bikes. Picture that Mr. Harrison, my uniform, skirt below my knees, my heels, and a simple string of pearls. Well, I don't own pearls. Lord knows you don't pay coloreds enough to afford pearls! And I work like a dog day and night living off of coffee from a pot none of you wanna touch!

[Trembling breathing] [Orchestral music]

So, excuse me if I have to go to the restroom a few times a day. [Shelves squeaking] [Papers rustling] [Footsteps]

[Loud metallic clanging] [People milling] [Orchestral music]

[Al grunting] [Loud metallic clanging]

Al: [Sniffs] There you have it. [Heavy tapping] No more colored restrooms. No more white restrooms, just plain old toilets. [Loud metallic clanging] Go wherever you damn well please, preferably closer to your desk. [Al panting] Here at NASA, we all pee the same color.

[Video ends]

Michelle: All right, Head Start family I just wanna pause for a second and thank you for viewing that powerful clip with us. I want to be honest with you. I always cheer at the end of that clip. So, let's do a little critical self-reflection. I told you that I'd have some questions for you at the end. So, here's the first thing I want you to ask yourself. How do you think you did with No. 2? Remember strategy No. 2, being impartial, while viewing this clip. Do you think you did well? If yes, take a few moments with yourself and process why? And then, on the other hand, if you had a hard time doing No. 2, staying impartial, take a few moments to process that too. I'm just gonna pause here. And lastly, I want you to think about the importance of the role of the facilitator in moving forward conversations about culture, diversity, inclusion, and equity and how important it is when you're in that role to stay impartial. Jacquie, did you want to say something?

Jacquie: No, you're doing good. That was ... Michelle: OK, OK.

Jacquie: What you're saying is powerful.

Michelle: Yeah. Well, just to reflect on what that means, and why it's of value in moving this conversation forward in your program, because when you move this conversation forward, remember, Jacquie's been talking about systems and structures. And when we could have that conversation and do that evaluation of what you have that's working already, because we know you probably have some things in place already and what you might need to do more of or start doing to begin with. We know when those things start to live at the systems level, they move their way to the service level. And you know what I'm about to say, that's that awesome or the bomb-diggity outcomes for children and families. And Jacquie, I wanna use my other word too, that relates to impartiality. You know that word I'm talking about that I like to use a lot. [Jacquie laughing] Thank you for watching the video with us, and we hope that the video, as an example, and the resources and the eight strategies shared will help you be the best facilitator you can be, and here comes my word y'all, and you do it with equanimity. So, you can look that up, but I'm just gonna tell you that Webster says it's a habit of mind that is only rarely disturbed under great strain, implies the controlling of emotional and mental agitation by an effort of will and matter of habits, evenness of mind, especially under stress. So, I know you guys are gonna do this and do this with equanimity. Thanks everyone for taking this journey with us. Jacquie, can you move us on to our next slide for a little bit more reflection?

Jacquie: Yes, we can. Yes, I can. And so, at the top of the hour, John shared this question with everyone, and we said that we would come back to it for Head Start leadership, Head Start program. What can program leadership do to support an organizational culture that systematically advances diversity, inclusion, and equity in the workplace? And so, that's the question that we're coming back to. And as you're thinking about what you might say in the Q&A, I want us to do something a little different because one of the things about all of these sessions, we wanna make things actionable. And from looking at the Q&A, you guys have been walking, taking away a lot, asking a lot of questions. So, with this, we're gonna try something. So, just take a piece of paper and write up, make a huge circle. This is called a Sleep on it activity. And did you know that if you go to bed for the night within an hour or two of reviewing some critical facts or information, your brain gets to work consolidating that info and your longer memory, your longer-term memory, which increases the likelihood that you will do something with that info the next day. So, we want you to try that out. So, whatever you write in the Q&A, we want you to put that in the circle, and feel free to add a couple of other things. And then we wanna see what you're saying in the Q&A, and then we also want to encourage you to try it out tonight. Have that by your bedside or take it home with you tonight if you're in your offices, and read it before you go to bed, and see what happens in the morning. So, that's just a [Crosstalk muffles speech] thought, and so ...

John: Jacquie, while people are doing that, and we'll swing back to the Q&A in just a couple of seconds. I wanted to maybe open the floor for David to comment because he wanted to, based on the video, and we noted from the Q&A, Michelle, that there were a lot of people that were quite moved or angered by the video. And so, David, I wanted you to maybe say a few words about some of the clinical implications here, because I think they're important. But keep filling out that, answering that question in the way Jacquie talked about.

David: Thank you, John. The one thing that I would say is clearly that the film is not in any way intended to have anyone feel bad or to make them to feel guilty. It's just an example of just how difficult these conversations can really be. What I would say is that you cannot ... It is almost impossible to achieve a different result if you don't do something different. And that means you have to confront biases wherever they exist. And so, again, the video as powerful as it is, and as impactful as it is, I think the real growth in this situation is sometimes we're blinded to the needs of others when they don't necessarily impact us in a particular way. So, once it was revealed to the gentleman in the position of leadership, he was able to immediately, immediately make a change that was responsive to the lack of diversity, the lack of inclusion, the lack of equity. Again, we hope that you took away from the video what the intent was, was that it's an example of the conversations that's gonna need to be had across our Head Start universe. And we hope that people embrace that and understand that these conversations will not necessarily always be easy. Jennifer, is there anything you wanna add?

Jennifer: Hey, David. No, thank you for the opportunity. I know that another piece that I think is important to reflect on is that change begins within ourselves, and it is not an easy task. It is a process, and it takes time. We got to start somewhere, right? So, I encourage all of us to start on that somewhere and engage with others who might also provide ideas to where we need to begin to have a conversation that truly looks at all children, families, our staff, and the communities within the lens of what we need individually to be at a place that we can all be at. Thank you, David.

David: You're welcome. Jacquie, back to you.

Jacquie: Thank you. It also takes us back to that open will, open mind, and open heart. That's a really big message there. And so, we wanna thank you all for your Q&A. We're gonna look at that Q&A, and we're gonna be able to maybe get some responses together and get them back to you in some way. So, right now we wanna move on and take a look at the resources that we

talked about earlier. There is a resources handout in the pages, the downloadable items, and one of them is the Human Resources Systems Audit, which is a new offering from PMFO. And in there, you'll see the last section because they're designed to be used separately. There is the culture, diversity, inclusion, and equity section. Of course, we talked about the foundations for excellence as a seminal resource as we think about strategic planning and program goals and objectives, and definitely the Multicultural Principles is seminal. And we kind of practiced that with you a few minutes ago with Michelle. And so, we have the Q&A that we just talked about. So, we saw some questions in there and some of them I see that we can respond to them, and we may be able to get some responses out to you through answering after we get through this, after we finish up here. And so, of course, we have the upcoming events. We mentioned earlier that on September 10th, we have the National Center on Early Childhood Development, Teaching and Learning. And then on September 17th, we have the National Center on Early Childhood Health and Wellness that will be coming to you. And as we round out the session, we do wanna say thank you. And remember, you're gonna have to stay on until this webinar closes before you can receive your certificate. We do wanna say, thank you for being here. We have one more closing video clip that we wanna show you. It's a 60-second video, and when we come back, you will see the feedback evaluation survey available for you to respond to. Right now, we're gonna push to you the 60-second video clip and then we'll be back with the survey. Thank you.

[Video begins] [Inspiring music]

Narrator: These are the hands of our nation, proud, diverse. These are the hands that taught our children, raised our leaders, fought for freedoms, defended our country, and that today contribute to the most productive, inventive, and industrious workforce in the world. These same hands push the bounds of acceptance, tear down the barriers of resistance, hold us up when we need it, point out injustice when we see it, come together in union and stay together in unity. These hands can build a nation of inclusion, a workforce that is as diverse as the hands that built it, that empowers our teams, lifts up our communities, rewrites our future to understand what one nation really means. It takes many hands to build a world of work that works for all, and now more than ever, we need a show of hands to move forward together.

[Video ends]

John: Thank you for great that video, Jacquie. And then, just to remind everybody of the evaluation process that will be sent out to everyone. You can also click on now that item, and you can start to fill it out, but we're very happy to be with you today on behalf of PMFO, David, Jennifer, and myself, Jacquie, and Michelle. Thank you so so much, and please keep in mind, as Jacquie alluded to, the next one up is DTL, and they'll be talking about ways of advancing these principles in the classroom. So, be on the lookout for that. That will be in two weeks, and we'll be attending that as well. Thank you all. Have a great day.

Michelle: Yay, have a great day, everybody! Keep pushing.

Jacquie: Bye bye. Thank you.