A viewing and discussion of the widely viewed film, “Race to Nowhere,” is scheduled for Wednesday, February 15, 2012, at 7 pm in the Wayland Town Building Large Hearing Room. This free event is designed for parents of preschool-age children and is co-sponsored by two Wayland Center early childhood programs. Registration is required through the following link: (http://rtnwaylandma2012.eventbrite.com/ ).
The Children’s Way Director Cheryl Fertig and Wayland Creative Preschool Director Susanne Geiger are hoping the viewing and discussion will stimulate dialogue about child-rearing issues. The film has been viewed around the world and is described in press materials as being “a call to mobilize families, educators, and policy makers to challenge current assumptions on how to best prepare the youth of America to become healthy, bright, contributing and leading citizens.”
The film purports to reveal “the dark side of America’s achievement culture” and how it affects young children. It tells the stories of young people across the country who “have been pushed to the brink.” Explains Director Fertig: “After viewing the movie and talking with parents and teachers who had also seen it, it became clear that the only way we can avoid perpetuating 'the race to nowhere' is to start thinking and talking about these issues when children are very young and parents are first engaged in child rearing and quality of life decisions.” Dossie Kahn, Psy.D., of Wayland Youth and Family Services, will facilitate a discussion after the viewing.
Fertig said she and Director Geiger hope to “spur ongoing and rich conversations among preschool parents and educators that help them recognize the position they are in. We want them to be able to take hold of the exceptional opportunity they have, the opportunity to make choices early on that can have a positive and formative impact on children and the quality of family and community life. Parents of preschoolers are bombarded with information about child rearing and pressured by cultural norms that result in the overwhelming and disturbing daily realities that are depicted in this film,” Fertig added.
"We’re very excited to be partnering with Wayland Creative Preschool to raise awareness of these issues. We’re hoping this event will get the dialogue going and will get people thinking about what we can do that will make a difference.”
For further information, contact The Children’s Way at 508-358-7072.
