LL009 Care and Cooperation
When we focus on our community of children and educators rather than each child as an isolated individual, we find an infinite number of ways children show up as a helper, speaking up for themselves and speaking up for others. Too often, the culture of early childhood education tries to foster “self-help skills” with the goal of independence. But most children show their “self-help” skills more readily when they use them to help others. In addition, when we foster care and cooperation in our early childhood communities, we foster cohesion as a group and a sense of agency and belonging in individuals.
What if we dared to make caring for one another visible by viewing our grand gestures through the lens of humanity?
On today’s episode, Mike and I unpack care and cooperation. We talk about avoiding performative acts of service — and why you should never be afraid to do good for others, even if it’s misunderstood.
Kisa can be found at The Playlab Foundation and Mike at Inclusion Includes Us, on Instagram and Facebook. Their books are available at https://www.redleafpress.org/
Theme music by John's Black Dirt https://johnsblackdirt.bandcamp.com/album/horrible-moments-of-upness
