Foundations:

Anti-Racist Workshops for Kids

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October 2020-February 2021

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Foundations is an age-appropriate series of workshops for kids and their families that will introduce youth to issues of vital importance in our modern world. Participants will hear stories, interact with other participants and their families, and receive access to additional resources to continue to explore this topic at home. This series of workshops is perfect for integrating into virtual or homeschool learning. All workshops are delivered live, allowing for instructor and peer interaction and discussion.  

Workshops series is divided into three age groups:  

All workshops are 100% virtual and take place in our private Zoom classroom.  A materials list will be provided to all registered participants. 

For accessibility needs, please contact 

Can't make make it to all of the live sessions? 

Don't worry! All workshop sessions will be recorded, so if you miss one, you can view it later.

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You can also purchase the entire workshop curriculum!

Purchasing the curriculum is a great option for those who what to implement curriculum independently, or who want to have the opportunity to review the content and have discussion with your child/student.

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Workshops Facilitated by: Chrissy Beltran, Melissa Torres, and Alison Westermann

Chrissy Beltran is a resource creator and consultant for instructional coaches and elementary teachers in the area of literacy. With over 16 years of educational experience, Chrissy has worked with students and teachers in grades preK-8, serving them through downloadable tools, online courses, and in-person workshops. Her podcast, Buzzing with Ms. B: The Coaching Podcast shares strategies and ideas with instructional coaches who are working towards growing their schools.

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Melissa Torres was born and raised in El Paso, Texas. She attended the University of Texas at El Paso and obtained her Bachelor’s degree in Interdisciplinary Studies with a minor in Elementary Education Specializing in Physical Science. She was an elementary school teacher for 7 years in the Ysleta School District where she was also a trainer of teachers in Write From the Beginning. She sat on her school’s intervention committee for 2 years and was also a mentor teacher to student teachers in UTEP’s education college.  

She credits her teaching experience with making her a better mother to her 3 sons and even though she no longer works as a classroom teacher she could not stay too far from public schools. She is a volunteer at her sons’ elementary school, where she helps bring presenters to enrich the lives of the students social and emotional needs. Her substitute work also helps keep her on her toes and she has recently begun teaching Chinese students how to speak English. Life is busy but never too busy to help educate children!

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Alison is a mom, wife, educator, singer, songwriter, knitter, social justice warrior and all-around student of life. For the past decade or so, Alison has been involved in teaching in the Jewish community of El Paso, and began weaving together her passions for social justice and Judaism in 2018 by coordinating the recruitment, training and scheduling of volunteers for a house of hospitality for Annunciation House, along with volunteers from the Borderland Rainbow Center. This relationship led to closer ties between Alison and the LGBTQ community in El Paso. 

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If you have already registered, start the training or resume the training by clicking the module buttons directly below this text.

Reading has long been recognized as a crucial milestone in a child's development, with emphasis placed on the benefits of caregivers reading to very young children.  Children who are exposed to a great range of literature are more likely to have higher vocabularies in their native languages, and tend to view reading as a positive past-time.

What role does diversity play in that enrichment? Literature has an impact on a child's view of the world and of themselves, and the characters and voices featured become part of child's narratives of belonging, acceptance, and affirmation.

This pre-recorded webinar will discuss the role and importance of diversity in children's literature. This educational experience is perfect for parents, educators, librarians, and anyone who works with children ranging from pre-school aged through elementary school aged children.

This educational experience contains approximately two hours of video content, which participants may complete independently at their own pace, and also contains additional resources. Each module takes between 20-30 minutes to complete, and in order to move to the next module, you’ll be asked to respond to a few questions in a journal format.  

Participants will:

Identify why it matters that children’s literature be diverse

Articulate some of the core principles of multiculturalism in children’s literature

Gain access to resources that will help guide your own use of these books moving forward 

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*Any and all journal submissions may be used in marketing pieces to advertise the training, or in reports about the training, unless you choose to opt out during registration. If you want to allow us to utilize your journal submissions, but wish to remain anonymous, please provide your consent in your registration, and note your wish to remain anonymous in each of your journal entry submissions.*

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Education and training designed to inform and empower.