Little Chairs Big Differences

Little Chairs Big Differences This year’s conference will invite attendees to:
Connect:
Who has access to play? What is play, who gets to participate, when and how is play negotiated?

Through gatherings and events, Little Chairs Big Differences aims to create space for a means of both celebrating and going deeper into this work, broadening our understanding, and being more action-oriented toward creating a more just society and world. Little Chairs Big Differences Conference
October 20, 2016
8:30am-3:00pm
Weeksville Heritage Center

Call and Response
(Inspired by Audre Lorde’s essay “Poetry is not a Luxury” in Sister Outsider. 1984)

Play is essential to the lives of young children and a vehicle for agency and activism in our lives. Because of bias issues including racism, sexism, homophobia, classism, ableism and other forms of individual and intersecting discrimination, children are not given equal chances to fully develop themselves to be who they are and to pursue their natural rights to safety, nurturing, education, creativity and joy. Through access to deep, meaningful play and a culture that supports this; children will be able to thrive academically, and families, caregivers, educators, and policy makers will have access to the innovation and creativity needed to create a world better than the one we were born into. These issues can be explored through the lens of physical safety, green space, curriculum and assessment, how the day is structured, materials, technology and more. We will connect with each other and have complex and fruitful conversations about safety, play, and every child’s birthright to play. Create:
What is creativity and how can we nurture it in ourselves and the children we serve? These hands-on thinking and feeling workshops will give you a chance to settle into your creativity and to understand on a deep level, its importance in early childhood and all of our lives. Interact:
We will dare to create new structures for play-both metaphorical and physical- that allow, promote and nurture access, connection, creativity, and play for all young children. We will explore the idea of interactivism where we interact with children, families, caregivers, educators, policy makers and all who impact young children to strengthen leadership in early childhood and to insist that play and creativity are fundamental for every child at home, at school and in our world. Our children cannot dream unless they live, they cannot live unless they are nourished, and who else will feed them the real food without which their dreams will be no different than ours? “If you want us to change the world someday, we at least need to live long enough to grow up!” Shouts the child. -Audre Lorde

We are back and hoping to run some programming for 2025-2026. What are you hoping Little Chairs does next?
07/30/2025

We are back and hoping to run some programming for 2025-2026. What are you hoping Little Chairs does next?

02/17/2025

Mass Layoffs in Early Childhood Programs Threaten Services for Children

The recent dismissal of 3,600 probationary employees from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) poses a significant threat to early childhood education nationwide. This action undermines essential programs like Head Start and child care services that support our youngest and most vulnerable children.

Immediate Effects:
• Delays in Services: Fewer staff will lead to slower processing of grants and approvals for necessary facilities, causing setbacks in program delivery.
• Reduced Support: With fewer experts available, technical assistance and oversight will diminish, affecting the quality of services provided to children and families.

Long-Term Consequences:
• Loss of Expertise: The departure of dedicated public servants, many of whom chose service over more lucrative private-sector jobs, results in a significant loss of knowledge and commitment vital for nurturing and educating our children.

This move appears to be a strategic effort to weaken early childhood programs quietly, making it less noticeable to the public. By reducing the administrative capacity of these programs, the government hampers Congress’s ability to fund and maintain them, leading to a gradual erosion of support systems that families depend upon.

Organizations like Democracy Forward are actively pursuing legal actions to challenge these terminations. However, legal processes can be lengthy and uncertain. Immediate action from the early childhood community and concerned citizens is crucial.

What You Can Do:
• Contact Your Representatives: On Tuesday, reach out to your Senators and Members of Congress. Express your deep concern about the significant reduction in early childhood staff within HHS and explain how this negatively impacts your community. Urge them to take immediate action to reinstate the terminated employees and prevent further cuts. If you don’t have direct contact information, call the Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121 to be connected based on your location.

This is not just a policy issue; it’s a moral imperative. The futures of our children and the well-being of our communities are at stake. Collective action and unwavering advocacy are our most powerful tools in confronting this challenge.

Damn Damn—what are we to do next? We must unite, raise our voices, and fiercely defend the programs and people that are the cornerstone of our children’s futures.

Registration for our 2022 Gathering is now OPEN! We will be coming together on Saturday, November 5 at Weeksville Herita...
10/10/2022

Registration for our 2022 Gathering is now OPEN! We will be coming together on Saturday, November 5 at Weeksville Heritage Center and hope you can join us! Please help spread the word and pass this along to al the ECCE folx in your networks! With much appreciation ❤️🌟❤️🌟

Join us for a one-day gathering and engage with our theme - Love, Spirit, Equity and Connection in Early Childhood

This is a friendly reminder that proposals for workshops at our 2022 gathering at Weeksville Heritage Center on Novembe...
10/07/2022

This is a friendly reminder that proposals for workshops at our 2022 gathering at Weeksville Heritage Center on November 5 are due in one week! We hope you will consider sharing your brilliance with us! Follow the link below to see the call!

Little Chairs Big Differences Annual Gathering 2022 Call for Proposals Love, Spirit, Equity and Connection in Early Childhood “After we have made the choice to be healed in love, faith that transformation will come gives us the peace of mind and heart that is necessary when the soul seeks...

May we have your attention, please?? After a long three years, we are coming back together again in love, solidarity, an...
09/30/2022

May we have your attention, please?? After a long three years, we are coming back together again in love, solidarity, and community at Weeksville Heritage Center on November 5th. Please follow the link below to learn more about this year's gathering. Our theme is Love, Spirit, Equity and Connection in Early Childhood. We hope you consider submitting a proposal for a workshop! And please help spread the word!
All our best!

“After we have made the choice to be healed in love, faith, that transformation will come gives us the peace of mind and heart that is necessary when the soul seeks revolution”

Join Little Chairs, Big Differences in a gathering with Megan Pamela Ruth Madison and Jessica Ralli on May 3 at 4:00 EDT...
04/20/2022

Join Little Chairs, Big Differences in a gathering with Megan Pamela Ruth Madison and Jessica Ralli on May 3 at 4:00 EDT!

Join Little Chairs, Big Differences in a gathering with Megan Madison and Jessica Ralli!

It was a truly special evening with Francois Scarborough Clemmons and we are SO thankful for him. As he and Mr. Rogers w...
03/02/2022

It was a truly special evening with Francois Scarborough Clemmons and we are SO thankful for him. As he and Mr. Rogers want us to always remember, BE KIND, BE KIND, BE KIND.

HAPPENING NOW!!!! JOIN US IF YOU CAN!!!
03/01/2022

HAPPENING NOW!!!! JOIN US IF YOU CAN!!!

We are thrilled to present Dr. François S. Clemmons from Mr. Rogers in conversation with Rafael Pérez -Segura of Mi Casita Preschool.

Happening tomorrow night - March 1 at 6:00 EST! Have you registered yet?! A special event not to be missed!
02/28/2022

Happening tomorrow night - March 1 at 6:00 EST!
Have you registered yet?!
A special event not to be missed!

We are thrilled to present Dr. François S. Clemmons from Mr. Rogers in conversation with Rafael Pérez -Segura of Mi Casita Preschool.

Address

New York, NY

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm
Saturday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

+19175171100

Website

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Our Story

Little Chairs Big Differences was founded in 2013 by The Maple Street School, a small co-op preschool in Brooklyn, with the collaboration of Wendy Cole, Martha Haakmat, and Takiema Bunche-Smith. LCBD hosts a variety of events (workshops, panel discussions, celebrations...) and one major yearly conference that offer action-based and social justice-minded resources, support, professional learning, and community connection for those who work with young children.

As early childhood educators we are fundamentally involved in raising awareness and challenging perceptions and accepted norms for the youngest learners and those who work with them, yet we are often left out of larger conversations about identity and intersectionality. Through gatherings and events, Little Chairs Big Differences aims to create space for a means of both celebrating and going deeper into this work, broadening our understanding, and being more action-oriented toward creating a more just society and world.