Institute for Educational Advancement

Happy Pride Month!

This June, we are spending some extra time celebrating our beautiful community. We are committed to ensuring IEA is a safe, inclusive place for each and every one of our unique kiddos where they can be their authentic selves. ⁠

Let's spread the love and pride by reading stories featuring LGBTQIA+ authors, characters, and history:
- Be Amazing: A History of Pride by Desmond Napoles, Illustrated by Dylan Glynn
- A Family Is a Family Is a Family by Sara O’Leary, Illustrated by Qin Leng
- Families Can by Dan Saks, Illustrated by Brooke Smart
- The List of Things That Will Not Change by Rebecca Stead
- Mama and Mommy and Me in the Middle by Nina LaCour, Illustrated by Kaylani Juanita
- Pink Is for Boys by Robb Pearlman, Illustrated by Eda Kaban
- Red: A Crayon’s Story by Michael Hall

Congrats to our CDB Scholars Class of 2026!

Our Scholars will soon be graduating high school and off to college! We are immensely proud of our Caroline D. Bradley Scholars Class of 2026 and look forward to seeing them grow as they move on to these colleges and universities. Congratulations!

Yunasa is right around the corner. While you check sleeping bags, bug spray and other camp essentials off your packing list, it’s also important to make sure your camper feels ready for their time at camp.

Here are 5 simple tips you can try before to help your camper feel confident and excited for camp:

1. Try Something New
Camp is full of new experiences. Introducing them to something like a new food, hobby, or activity, can help them feel confident exploring new things while at camp.

2. Practice Independence
Give your camper opportunities to practice everyday responsibilities on their own. Small tasks like packing their bag or following their bedtime routine will go a long way.

3. Wellness Check-in and Homesickness
New to camp or not, anyone can experience homesickness or feelings of anxiousness being away from home. Before camp, talk with your camper calmly and positively about what they may experience and reassure them the camp staff and community are there to support them.

4. Review Camp Rules
Go over camp rules, expectations, maps and other information from your camp handbook. Knowing what to expect beforehand will help you and your camper feel comfortable and ready for the summer.

5. Build Excitement for Camp
Focus on what your camper is looking forward to while at camp, such as specific camp activities, and help build excitement.

Learn more tips from psychologist and Yunasa Fellow Samantha Outcalt in the recording of our Gifted Support Group on Preparing Your Gifted or 2e Child for Summer Camp: https://youtu.be/q8Qp7piJ1II?si=o16tK9JoNM2400oF

May is AAPI Heritage Month!

We're celebrating by reading books featuring Asian American and Pacific Islander stories. Here are a few recommendations for this month and beyond:

- Bracelets for Bina's Brothers by Rajani LaRocca and illustrated by Chaaya Prabhat
- The Girl Who Heard the Music: How One Pianist and 85,000 Bottles and Cans Brought New Hope to an Island by Marni Fogelson and illustrated by Mahani Teave Marta Álvarez Miguéns
- Grandpa Across the Ocean by Hyewon Yum
- Leila in Saffron by Rukhsanna Guidroz and illustrated by Dinara Mirtalipova
- Let's Do Everything and Nothing by Julia Kuo
- Quiet Time with My Seeya by Dinalie Dabarera

Part 2 of our Navigating Intensity is a Family Affair series is next week!

Join us and Allison Krug for a free 60-minute interactive session designed for parents of gifted and 2e children.

Part 2: World-Building: Crafting the Gifted/2e Family Habitat⁠
Using novelty, flexibility, and humor to strengthen parental authority and connection⁠
May 12, 2026 at 12:00PM PDT | 3:00PM EDT⁠
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This session will focus on:
- Creators, combiners and disruptors need unique habitats
- Crafting a world where our kids find autonomy, competence, and connection (the three pillars of human flourishing)
- Leaning on novelty, flexibility and humor to wrangle chaos and increase attunement
- Learning how conflict can be constructive and catalyze a deeper connection

Parents will leave with 2 practical tools and strategies to create a resilient, fun, and connected family culture.

RSVP for the Zoom link at https://bit.ly/3NUKRC6

Tacos, beautiful weather, and lots of shared laughter made a wonderful Family Picnic! 🧺

Thank you to all the families who joined us to kick off the start of summer! It was so lovely connecting with you all and seeing you connect with each other. You make events like this so meaningful.

A special shoutout to all of our Picnic Patrons for helping sponsor the event and keeping it free and accessible for all families. We truly appreciate your support!

Our IEA Academy No-Budget Filmmaking students had their movie premiere!

They spent the Spring learning all about writing, lighting, acting, sound, and using a $0.00 budget and put it all together into a short action-comedy film!

Students invited their family members for a red carpet premiere at IEA with a cast and crew Q&A.

The full short film is available now on YouTube.

https://youtu.be/wbiXaRI0p5Q

Thank you to all of our volunteers for helping IEA run smoothly!

From serving on our Board of Directors, to helping at events like Bradley Seminar or Trek for Talented Youth, writing letters or making calls for our fundraising campaigns, serving on our CDB Selection Committee, being an IEA Community Ambassador, and more, we are grateful for your service. Our community would not thrive as it does without your help!

Interested in volunteering? Sign up at https://educationaladvancement.org/giving/volunteer/

We are excited to share our 2025 Annual Report!

Inside, you'll find new milestones, stories from our community, and a look at how your generosity helped support gifted and advanced youth all across the country.

Thank you for being a vital part of the IEA Community. We invite you to take a moment to browse the report and see the difference you helped make possible.

Read the report at https://educationaladvancement.org/giving/annual-report/