As we enter the school year, many parents have been asking a critical question: how can we have conversations with our children about diversity and inclusion, early and often?
For over 50 years, ParentChild+ has been working to strengthen inclusivity and diversity by partnering with parents to build school readiness in the homes of young children and their families. By committing to provide all families with reading materials that are diverse, inclusive, and culturally relevant, we are now prioritizing helping children to be rooted in their own identity, and develop a strong sense of self and understanding of others.
As part of ParentChild+'s virtual series Windows, Mirrors & Doors, we invite you to join children's book authors and illustrators and parents and advocates working on disability issues for a compelling discussion on disability representation in children's literature. The discussion will shine a light on the impact representation has on the well-being and social-emotional development of children with disabilities, children with family members and friends with disabilities, and all children. It will highlight the importance for children and families of experiencing books featuring characters with disabilities, equipping parents and caregivers with the tools to engage children in reading and discussing this literature and to advocate for improvements in disability representation. At ParentChild+, we believe representation and book selection can be a powerful step toward building a stronger, more equitable world.
This event is free and open to the public. As you learn more about the impact that programs, like ParentChild+, have on families living in communities experiencing economic and health crises, we hope you will consider making a special contribution to our work here.
ParentChild+ Director & Parent Advocate
Jennifer Abaid is the Director of ParentChild+ at Boys Town South Florida and has been overseeing the program for the past 11 years. Having been in the social services field for 20+ years, her background includes early childhood educational experience, being an Autism Awareness Advocate, owner of a My Gym Children’s Fitness franchise, and mother of two. Boys Town South Florida ParentChild+ underwent its 4th expansion in early 2019 and Jennifer currently oversees a staff of 15 supporting 170 families.
Panel: Building an Inclusive World:
Creating Children's Books Featuring Characters with Disabilities
Founder and President of Downtown Bookworks
After several decades of working in the publishing world, her experience as a mother of 4 boys compelled her to start a children’s publishing company in 2010. Her sons (avid superhero fans) served as inspiration for many of its books. Julie has also written a number of bestselling titles including My First Book of Girl Power, The Power of Kindness, Diversity is a Superpower, Baby’s First Eames, No! My First Book of Protest, My First Book of Feminism (for Boys), My First Book of Feminism, and My First Jewish Baby Book—which collectively give an accurate window into her interests. She lives in downtown Manhattan.
Author & Illustrator
Cece Bell is an author and illustrator of books for children, and the creator of the Newbery Honor and Eisner-winning graphic novel memoir, El Deafo. Cece's other books include the
Geisel Honor-winning Rabbit & Robot series, I Yam a Donkey, and the Chick and Brain early
reader series. She enjoys hanging out and discussing book ideas with her husband and frequent
collaborator, author Tom Angleberger.
Author, Actor & Dancer
Khalil Munir is the author of the upcoming children's book The Crown is Yours, which speaks to a young boy's “super power” of dyslexia and his ways of triumph.
In his life, Kahlil has overcome significant childhood adversity including the challenges of growing up in a community impacted by drugs and incarceration and devastating learning hurdles. He has conquered that and much more, emerging as an artistic risk-taker and respected role model. His brand of exciting aural-visual experience and electrifying expression is “art imitating life” at its very best, taking showgoers on a tumultuous real-life journey.
Co-founder & CEO of Lovevery
Prior to Lovevery, Jessica was the Cofounder and COO of Happy Family, helping to launch, build and lead Happy Family to its position as a top organic baby and toddler brand in the US. Happy Family was acquired by Group Danone in 2013.
Jessica also co-founded the Climate Collaborative, a non-profit organization helping companies in the natural products industry take meaningful steps to reverse climate change. She is an Aspen Institute Henry Crown Fellow and was awarded the Park Leadership Fellowship, graduating from Cornell’s Johnson School in 2004.
Jessica and her husband, Decker, live in Boise, Idaho and are parents to Beatrice, Thacher and Leland.
CEO & Co-Founder of Wolf+Friends, Photo Editor
Gena Mann has worked for brands such as Elle, O, The Oprah Magazine, and CosmoGIRL! She left magazines shortly after her second son was born and her first child was diagnosed with autism at 2-years-old. Gena knows first hand how lonely, terrifying, and overwhelming it is to navigate everything that comes with having children with special needs—and the special needs moms around the world she connected with on Instagram felt exactly the same way. Gena is the CEO and Co-Founder of Wolf+Friends, a platform that helps special needs moms make meaningful connections in their neighborhoods, get shopping and lifestyle tips from experts + mentors, and find resources they could trust.
Parenting Expert, Psychologist, and Behavior Analyst
For more than 20 years, Reena B. Patel, LEP, BCBA has had the privilege of working with families and children supporting all aspects of education and positive wellness. Patel has worked with developing children as well as children with exceptional needs, supporting their academic, behavioral and social development. She is the Founder and CEO of AutiZm & More, and is a published author of two children’s books, My Friend Max: A Story About a Friend with Autism and Winnie & Her Worries. It is Patel’s hope to use these stories to start a dialogue to help address crucial topics such as inclusion, compassion, friendships, and working through stress or anxiety.
ParentChild+ is a national non-profit organization that uses early education and school readiness to support families living in marginalized communities and facing the largest opportunity gaps.
For over 50 years, ParentChild+ has worked with young families in immigrant communities and communities of color. Utilizing its research-based school readiness models, the organization engages parents as their children’s first and most important teachers, helping families to build educational opportunities and close the equity gap.
Today, ParentChild+ works with over 9,000 families with young children, across 142 locally-run program sites in the U.S.
