How Wide is Your Window: A Thoughtful Approach to EDI Family Programming

In a polarized world, how do we work across bridges and mend our bruised hearts? Here is one thoughtful approach from the High Plains Library District.

Please join us to discuss Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in family programming as seen through the High Plains Library District’s (HPLD) first family book club, Widening the Window (WtW). In partnership with Greeley-Evans School District Six, High Plains Library District’s Outreach department has successfully hosted an EDI book club series since 2021. The WtW book club ideology is based on creating intentional and authentic programming that speaks to and honors the uniqueness of community members in Greeley, Colorado. Intending to hold space for courageous conversations among intergenerational community members, the WtW cohort aims to discuss racialized trauma while exploring various healing techniques accessible to all family members.

Session archive 

Handouts

• Slides (ppt)
• High Plains Library District Land Acknowledgement (doc)
• Delpit’s Issues of Power  (doc)
• Accountability Storytime Planner (doc)
• Widening the Window Grant Proposal (PDF) – Includes storytime templates

Session Outcomes:

• Participants will understand the invaluable role outreach partnerships play and learn how to incorporate community partners.
• Participants will briefly review 2021 and 2022 EDI-themed storytime planners, as well as 2024’s themes of humility, accountability, and gratitude.
• Participants will understand how to request grant funding and incorporate goals, outputs, and outcomes in alignment with the organization’s strategic plan.

About the presenters

Carolyn Valencia (she/hers) works as an Outreach Librarian for the High Plains Library District (HPLD) focusing on early literacy. She identifies as Spanish and Native American. Earning her MLIS in 2019 from Emporia State University and a Bachelor of Arts from Santa Clara University in 1998, Carolyn shares her passion for the arts and multiliteracies (primarily physical and self-literacy) with her diverse community members in Greeley, Colorado. She received the 2020 Rising Star Award from the Colorado Libraries for Early Literacy (CLEL), in which she was recognized as a new librarian demonstrating exceptional work in early literacy and a rising star who inspires others to do outstanding early literacy work. The Hispanic Women of Weld County honored her with the Educator’s Award in 2021. Carolyn strives to provide diverse and inclusive programming to her community. In 2021, she partnered with Greeley-Evans School District 6 to offer HPLD’s first family book club, Widening the Window (WtW). Currently, in its third year, WtW is a 3-month EDI series dedicated to witnessing, hearing, holding, and healing racialized trauma. Honored with each new sunrise and sunset, Carolyn celebrates all walks of life and dances in her kitchen with her daughter.

Bridget Parker (she/her) is currently an outreach and children’s librarian with the High Plains Library District.  She has earned a BA in English from the University of Northern Colorado and an MLIS from Emporia State University.  She worked for several years as a K-8 Arts school librarian in Greeley, CO before transitioning to public library service.  She is passionate about building community, enjoying nature, and becoming a kinder human being.

Nate Fairchild (he/him) is an educator passionate about fostering literacy and a love of reading in his students. He currently teaches 8th-grade Language Arts and History in Greeley Evans District 6, where he has inspired young minds for over 15 years. Nate’s diverse background includes a BA in Religion, an MA in Leadership, and experience teaching all levels of literacy. He found his way to teaching through an alternative program and also holds a principal license. He believes libraries play a crucial role in empowering students and is excited to continue exploring how schools and community libraries can collaborate to serve their communities. When not in the classroom, Nate champions equity as his school’s equity team coordinator and consults with other organizations on building inclusive learning environments.

Veronica Lucero is the Assistant Principal at Billie Martinez and is a facilitator for UnboundEd, an educational organization focused on equity. She has presented at national conferences, including Free Minds, Free People, Standards Institute, and National Science Teaching Association Conference, and has also participated in MAST-EL, a program that focuses on providing math, science and technology education to students learning English. Veronica is passionate about collaborating with educators across the country to develop cultural proficiency, focus on the impact of race in education, and support parent engagement. She is one of the facilitators for the Widening the Window program in partnership with High Plains Library District where they facilitate community discussions about racial healing. The work Veronica does is rooted in the importance of creating an educational environment that engages students who have been historically pushed to the margins, to honor and celebrate different ways of being and knowing, and to create equitable outcomes for all students.