We believe we are our child's first teacher.
A group of parents from Boston started First Teacher in 2013 with 4 families. Ten years later over 300 families are actively engaged in the First Teacher movement.
Our theory of change:
At First Teacher we believe that every parent has the power to be their child’s most important brain builder, most powerful advocate, and their most influential teacher. We believe that when we, as parents, come together to build community and share with each other, we all increase our confidence and capacity as our child’s First Teacher.
That is why we create spaces and structures for parents and caregivers to form relationships, be part of a supportive non-judgmental community, and work together to gain new skills, strategies and perspectives.Through this supportive community and the relationships formed by parents, our children become lifelong learners who will be prepared for success in kindergarten and in life.
Since 2014
First Teacher has worked with families with at least one child under the age of 8 who live in various Boston neighborhoods, primarily Roxbury and Dorchester.
The majority of our participants are parents and caregivers, ages 18 to 55, with children between 2 weeks and 5 years old.
First Teacher families build community and work together through:
Book Clubs
Community Events
Informal parenting discussion sessions
Playdates
Wellness Gatherings
Workshops
The First Teacher movement seeks to aggressively dispel the myth that Black and Brown children need to be saved by others.
Rather, parents of color in cash-poor neighborhoods need the same support and benefits afforded to our more affluent white peers in order to prepare our children to be school & world-ready.
WE ARE PARENTS AND CAREGIVERS WHO:
T
Take time to invest in the future: our child’s, our own, and our community’s
E
Empower each other and recognize our own power
A
Accept that we are our children’s guides to the world
C
Commit to lighting up our children’s brains
H
Have the courage to ask for help