UPLAN members brought their expertise to the Family Math coordinating committee kickoff meeting in Seattle August 16-17. Representatives from Community Organizing and Family Issues (COFI/POWER-PAC) and Abriendo Puertas / Opening Doors shared their views about the importance of parent leadership in a national movement to promote math learning among families with young children. UPLAN was invited to the coordinating committee after parent leaders spoke on a panel at a Family Math convening in New Orleans in January.
The committee will plan the policy, research, resources, and programs needed to launch a national Family Math movement. Parent leaders Donna Carpenter and Yeny Duran from COFI/POWER-PAC opened the meeting by sharing their stories as Head Start Ambassadors in Chicago doing outreach about the importance of early math. Sandra Gutierrez from Abriendo Puertas/Opening Doors shared their experience engaging over 400 parents across the country in developing an early math session of their leadership curriculum called Cuenta Conmigo / Count with Me (to be released later this year). The coordinating committee was eager to learn about examples of parents as powerful leaders of Family Math initiatives. UPLAN is excited to continue bringing our voices to this collaboration!
