Shantae Toole and First Teacher in The New York Times

We're thrilled to share today's New York Times feature on First Teacher, co-founded by Shantae Toole, who graduated with her 2017-2018 colleagues in June from the Perrone-Sizer Institute for Creative Leadership (PSi). "Together, Parents Boost Their Children’s Early Learning," by Sandra Larson, offers an in-depth exploration of First Teacher's work with young children and their families during the learning years leading up to kindergarten.

First Teacher was founded in 2014 by Shantae and Dinah Shepherd, both teachers in the Boston Public Schools, and has grown to serve more than 100 families in Roxbury and Dorchester. First Teacher is parent-staffed and parent-led, and offers workshops, play dates, field trips, and more to support parents in the process of their children's learning. 

During her PSi year, Shantae focused on her work with First Teacher as her Capstone project, and we are so proud of her -- and her First Teacher colleagues' -- community-centered, asset-based approach to the challenge of ensuring that parents feel confident and competent as their children's first teachers.