Bananas Blog
What parents should know about getting kids ready for transitional kindergarten
by Karen D'Souza who covers early education at EdSource Going back to school is always a bit of a sticky transition, but this year there’s more to worry about, from teacher shortages to mask rules, than the usual concerns. On top of all that, there are many more...
2022 FFN “Bridging the Gap” Conference Summations
Hello, again community! Thank you for participating in our conference, it was a labor of love and teamwork. We appreciate everyone who shared their insights and experiences. I hope that you all were able to connect with each other. We wanted to share everyone’s...
2022 Family, Friends, and Neighbor Conference Takeaway
What We Learned from “Bridging the Gap” Last summer, BANANAS was asked by The David and Lucile Packard Foundation to create a virtual conference for the Family, Friend, and Neighbor (FFN) caregiver community. It was important to BANANAS to create an event for the FFNs...
BANANAS 2022 Mother’s Day Campaign
Give a Gift That Says "Thank You for Everything!"Why is Mother’s Day So Special? Our mothers and mother-figures have shined the past couple of years. In addition to their daily responsibilities, mothers were tasked with defining what a ‘new normal’ looks like for...
Male Early Child Care Professionals Matter!
Written by Sharon Shi We need more men to break the stereotype of the female-dominated child care industry in today’s gender equity world. From the Hechinger Report, males total only 3% of early childhood educators (1). In our society and history, we have these very...
Part 2: From Domestic Violence to Homelessness: Motherhood Survival
Written by: Heather Lang, Family Services Manager Sandra left in the middle of the night because she knew it was what she had to do. Again. Her husband was very intoxicated this time, having attended a holiday party, now snoring heavily and would not wake easily. She...
Attitudes of Gratitude
Do you remember reading the back of cereal boxes, playing with empty boxes, and banging on pots and pans? Whatever happened to the enjoyment of the little things? The holidays are vastly approaching and we have the opportunity to be intentional about defining what we...
Tell me early educators, what is your math story?
Think back to when you were nine years old. You are sitting in your 4th-grade class and your teacher announces it is time for a timed multiplication test. What is your reaction? Do you get a rush of excitement over the thrill of a timed brain rush, or do your palms...
The Many Faces of Homelessness: Mothers & Children (Part 1 of 3)
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to live in your car parenting your children, day in and day out because you have nowhere else to live? This is a devastating reality for many families in the Bay Area due to their homelessness or housing insecurity. Here at...
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR KYM JOHNSON’S REFLECTION ON FISCAL YEAR 2020-2021
Gratitude and grace - these are the sentiments that I have held this past year. We entered the 2020-2021 year shell-shocked. Four months into the pandemic, BANANAS was in triage mode. As an organization, our focus was on stemming the crisis our families and child care...
Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us, and bringing out those excellent points. Making positive changes in the ECE…
Excellent! I am for ever grateful to the male teacher my child encountered in pre K
Sharon, Thank you for spotlighting this ongoing anti-bias issue in early childhood education. I appreciate how you provided clarity on…
Nancy Harvey has done a phenomenal job with Bananas and children
To Bananas from rfwilliams.1949@gmail.com, Nancy Harvey has and is doing phenomenal work with the children and Bananas from what we…