Ithaca Welcomes Refugees (IWR) is reopening its refugee and immigrant childcare program, Global Roots Play School after it closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and is holding a special fundraiser from August 19-29 to support the program. Donations can be made at https://www.givegab.com/campaigns/back-to-our-roots.

With generous community support, IWR launched Global Roots Play School in 2017 in partnership with adult English as a Second Language (ESL) programs in Ithaca. Refugee and immigrant parents of children ages 18 months to 5 years old can send their child to Global Roots and then attend their nearby English classes at Open Doors English, Tompkins Learning Partners, and BOCES.

Global Roots has provided early childhood education to nearly 60 children, with families from countries such as Afghanistan, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Ecuador, Indonesia, Taiwan, and Korea. Because many students are refugees or at the very least have moved from one country to another, teachers practice trauma-informed care and come up with creative ways to communicate in the absence of shared language. The school uses a sliding scale of tuition according to family income, and no family is turned away because they cannot afford it.

As Global Roots Play School continues to support more refugee and immigrant families, IWR is asking for help to cover the difference between the per-child cost of operations and the affordable tuition contributions from families. Contributions made during this annual campaign will ensure that low-income families can afford to send their children to Global Roots Play School and attend adult English classes.

Global Roots Play School is now accepting applications for the 2022/23 school year.

Enrollment is open to all, with priority given to families attending ESL classes. Global Roots serves a maximum of 12 children aged 18 months to 5 years. The play school is open Monday-Thursday from 9 a.m.-noon. Global Roots runs the length of the school year, from September to June.

How to Enroll

Global Roots offers 2-day (Monday/Wednesday or Tuesday/Thursday), and 4-day options, with enrollment preference going to families attending ESL classes or Tompkins Learning Partners. 

You can enroll online or fill out this form (PDF) and send to director@globalrootsplayschool.org, or return to:

Global Roots Play School
402 N Aurora St
Ithaca, NY 14850

Please contact Bronwyn at director@globalrootsplayschool.org for more information.

About Global Roots Play School

Global Roots Play School is a project of Ithaca Welcomes Refugees (IWR).  Our mission is to provide educational and social opportunities for refugee and immigrant children and families in our community. We are an inclusive play-based, child-paced program that provides a community for families and a space for children aged 18 months-5 years to learn, expand their trust beyond the family, and explore their world!

Global Roots Play School opened its doors in September 2017. We are conveniently located downtown near English as a Second Language (ESL) classes and tutoring at Tompkins Learning Partners, Open Doors English, and BOCES, making it possible for parents to attend ESL class while their children are cared for close by. Parent attendance at ESL programs is not required for enrollment at Global Roots, and historically we have served a mix of families some of whom take ESL and some who do not.

Global Roots is a place where families and teachers come together to build a community where children can feel safe and nurtured, while enjoying the socialization of group care. Our focus is on learning through play experiences. The right candidates will be reflective practitioners who have a passion for working with toddlers and preschoolers and their families in a diverse, international setting. They will have a thirst for continuing their education and develop their thinking about how best to work in a community with families, teachers, and children as co-collaborators. Preferred knowledge of languages other than English. Special education experience is a plus. All staff are required to have Covid-19 vaccination.

Global Roots Play School is looking for enthusiastic early childhood specialists to join us in re-opening our mixed-age, family-focused, half-day program in downtown Ithaca.  We are hiring 3 positions to join our experienced director and assistant director starting in September 2022:

1. Co-teacher (Monday-Thursday 8:45-12:30)
2. Assistant teacher (Monday-Thursday 9:00-12:00)
3. Assistant/Substitute Teacher (Tuesday and Thursday 9:00-12:00 plus substitute teaching)

 

About Global Roots Play School

Global Roots Play School is a project of Ithaca Welcomes Refugees (IWR).  Our mission is to provide educational and social opportunities for refugee and immigrant children and families in our community. We are an inclusive play-based, child-paced program that provides a community for families and a space for children aged 18 months-5 years to learn, expand their trust beyond the family, and explore their world!

Global Roots Play School opened its doors in September 2017. We are conveniently located downtown near English as a Second Language (ESL) classes and tutoring at Tompkins Learning Partners, Open Doors English, and BOCES, making it possible for parents to attend ESL class while their children are cared for close by. Parent attendance at ESL programs is not required for enrollment at Global Roots, and historically we have served a mix of families some of whom take ESL and some who do not.

Global Roots is a place where families and teachers come together to build a community where children can feel safe and nurtured, while enjoying the socialization of group care. Our focus is on learning through play experiences. The right candidates will be reflective practitioners who have a passion for working with toddlers and preschoolers and their families in a diverse, international setting. They will have a thirst for continuing their education and develop their thinking about how best to work in a community with families, teachers, and children as co-collaborators. Preferred knowledge of languages other than English. Special education experience is a plus. All staff are required to have Covid-19 vaccination.

 

Co-Teacher

Qualifications: Bachelor’s Degree in early childhood education or a related field and 3-5 years of early childhood classroom experience OR an Associate’s Degree and 5 years of early childhood teaching experience OR 10 years of early childhood teaching experience. Must be available Monday-Thursday 8:45-12:30, plus hourly staff meeting once a week

Wages: $20/hr

Responsibilities:

• Observe and assess children’s needs
• Communicate and build relationships with families
• Maintain a safe and healthy classroom environment
• Facilitate experiential learning activities (cooking, art, music, etc.)
• Support children’s social and emotional needs
• Conduct parent-teacher conferences
• Participate in continuing education
• Attend staff meetings
• Collaborate with other team members
• Comply with all school policies

 

Assistant Teacher & Assistant/Substitute Teacher

Qualifications: Strong interest in early childhood education and experience working with children.

Wages: $19/hr

Responsibilities:

• Observe and assess children’s needs
• Maintain a safe and healthy classroom environment
• Facilitate experiential learning activities (cooking, art, music, etc.)
• Support children’s social and emotional needs
• Participate in continuing education
• Collaborate with other team members
• Comply with all school policies

Please submit cover letter and resume to director@globalrootsplayschool.org by July 7th.

IWR Executive Director Casey Verderosa was interviewed on Only In America with Ali Noorani. Casey discussed IWR’s origins, current challenges, and what she hopes for Ithaca and IWR in the future.

Produced by the National Immigration Forum, Only In America features conversations with Americans from all walks of life and from across the political spectrum who are experiencing changes in their communities as a result of immigration. Faith leaders, law enforcement officials, business owners and others speak openly about the way culture, identity and values are shaping and defining our country, and they offer a constructive way forward in the immigration debate.

As many in the IWR community know, Ithaca Welcome Refugees was created with a hope of supporting the resettlement of refugee families to our welcoming community. This part of our mission has been challenged by political decisions.

In response, we’ve expanded our mission to include resettling refugee families as they have come, supporting families seeking access to English classes, and responding to challenges faced by immigrants at risk.

We’ve recently been offered the opportunity, in partnership with Catholic Charities, to consider fully supporting the arrival of an asylum-seeking family in Ithaca. The family is from Angola and is fleeing persecution in their home country. They are two parents who have come to the United States seeking sanctuary and a safe place with their four children. 

We see this opportunity to support this family as being in line with our core IWR hopes and dreams – hopes for the family and for our community, which has so much welcome to give.

Asylum-seekers are legally released in the U.S. to await their opportunity to share their story and their need for protection with our immigration courts. While they wait to be heard, they need support to learn about their new home community, to help them navigate, to get work authorization, to find a job, to enroll in English classes, etc. – many of the same types of support IWR and Catholic Charities have experience providing to other families seeking refuge.

One significant difference is that asylum-seekers do not receive any government financial assistance. They must rely on neighbors and friends like us for support, until they get settled in and start supporting themselves through work. We are very fortunate that an amazing local congregation has agreed to provide long term housing for the family at no cost until the family situation is financially stable.

However, additional cash assistance support is needed to help with food, children’s needs, medicine, and other basic expenses over the next year or more while their asylum case moves through our backlogged immigration court system. Our goal is to raise the financial support to give this family a temporary helping hand and a new start.

Please consider offering a generous donation here to provide for basic needs for this family or consider making a recurring gift to help IWR provide stable assistance. Any funds which exceed the family’s monthly needs will be used to support critical needs for refugees, asylees, or at-risk immigrants in our community.

If you have question about opportunities for financial sponsorship for the family, please contact Sophia Rocco at orgdev@ithacawelcomesrefugees.org

THANK YOU FOR YOUR GIFT OF WELCOME!

IWR is delighted to share our publication, Food Resources in Ithaca: A Guide for Immigrants and International Newcomers!

The guide is intended to help those new to the community identify and make use of the City’s fantastic food-related assets. Using colorful visuals and simple text, the guide provides information on seasonal foods, places to shop, safety nets, local production, ordering in

a restaurant, key vocabulary, and more. To create relevant content and an accessible and attractive design, we worked closely for many months with Sidekick Studios, TST BOCES Adult ESL program, and many members of the refugee and immigrant community.

We are so proud of the final product and look forward to translating it into other languages commonly spoken among new arrivals in Ithaca. Please share with your newest neighbors!

The guide was made possible by a small grant from the U.S. Alumni Thematic International Exchange Seminars (Alumni TIES). This program is funded by the U.S. Department of State and administered by World Learning. The Alumni TIES program has previously featured blog posts on the creation and launch of the guide. Many thanks to all of the volunteers and partners who supported its development!

Print copies are available on request.

View Guide

As this year comes to an end and we look forward to the new year, we are grateful for the outpouring of local support received in response to challenges directly affecting refugees and immigrants here in Ithaca.

We have reached out to our newest neighbors who have come from all over the world—Afghanistan, Vietnam, Colombia, Venezuela, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Burma/Karen community, China, Ecuador, Indonesia, Japan, Taiwan, and Romania.

In 2017, IWR served newly arrived refugees, supported at-risk immigrants, and welcomed newcomers in our community through two major initiatives: Response Projects and Global Roots Play School.

Response Projects
IWR Response Projects focus on responding to the specialized needs of both newly arrived refugee families and at-risk immigrants who have lived in the Ithaca area for a longer period. With their agreement, we build a small core welcoming group that accompanies a family or individual in taking steps toward self-sufficiency.

While one family may need support to connect their child to meaningful activities, another might need transportation training, computer help, or assistance with finding consistent food support. Others need help finding people in the community who speak their language. Some need all of the above and more. Response Projects reduce isolation and get people connected to the wider network of resources that Ithaca offers.

We see that addressing near-term needs can have a long-term impact—these small investments into some of our most vulnerable neighbors lead to ever larger steps toward stability, success, and new hope for each person.

Global Roots Play School
Thanks to our entire community, we launched Global Roots Play School four months ago. Real families in our community now have access to English language education and tutoring and thoughtful, high-quality care for their children that was not accessible just a few short months ago.

Twenty-one children have been part of the program so far, and we have 13 more children on the waiting list!

Global Roots is already making a difference by offering a unique place that closes a gap for parents—especially women—who are eager to learn English but would otherwise not be able to due to lack of nearby childcare.

Mothers are often the primary caretakers, and outside childcare can be an expensive and unrealistic expense. GRPS makes it feasible for mothers to get to English class, empowering them to seek opportunities for themselves, including employment.

Global Roots is an amazing place of welcome. Parents who aren’t quite ready to say goodbye at the door are invited to come and stay. Families connect to other families undertaking the same journey, forming a learning-based community of support where everyone is comfortable and respectful of diverse life experience.

We’ve had parents, grandparents, big brothers, and big sisters all come to play. And the friendly faces that grace our door say daily “you are welcome here” in a profound way.
IWR Response Projects and Global Roots are just two examples of the ways IWR is working toward a more inclusive and welcoming community.

Your support—in volunteer hours, donations, goods and services, and by simply showing up to IWR events—is of absolute importance. We could not undertake these initiatives, and respond to the changing needs of newcomers in our community, without your support.

Please consider giving a holiday or end of year gift today. You also have the option to set up a recurring gift. Help this meaningful work continue in our community!

• The new Ithacans we have gotten to know this year, coming from homes far away, bringing with them resilience and smiles;
• The little children of Global Roots Play School who have become fast friends, and their parents who have put their trust in our teachers, in order to pursue a new opportunity to learn;
• The worker bees who have tirelessly gathered, moved, folded, organized, hustled, cooked, cleaned, decorated, and welcomed families into new homes and a new school;
• The partners who have stepped up, reached out, given space, and collaborated in building a welcoming community;
• The teachers who provided guidance to new arrivals on how to navigate this community and connect to its many resources, while extending the hand of friendship;
• The folks “backstage” who answered the emails, created the systems, cut the checks, and balanced the books;
• The talented artists who have sung, designed, written stories, and shared their films, in support of refugees on their journey to find home;
• The advocates who have spoken out, made calls, marched, stood up for the 65 million forcibly displaced;
• The connectors who have brought people together – volunteer to volunteer, friend to friend – building up IWR as a growing organization of interconnected humans. 

Thank you!

Psst! Guess what? Next Tuesday is #GivingTuesday, the global day of giving.

Why? Because we have a day for giving thanks, two(!) days for getting deals, and now, a dedicated day to give back. This year, Ithaca Welcomes Refugees is participating in #GivingTuesday and we would be honored if you chose us as one of your organizations to support.

Thanks to dedicated volunteers and supporters like you, we’re able to create a more warm and welcoming community to refugees and immigrants in need. Your support means we can provide more childcare to parents learning English, more apartment and basic needs support, and more education on refugee and immigrant issues.

All the best,
Your IWR Board