Offering Real Space for Parents & Caregivers

Read the whole 2024 Annual Report.

I recently was lucky enough to visit the wonderful city of New Orleans. Along with long sun-filled walks and watching a Krewe parade, a true highlight was our visit to StudioBE—a landmark and cultural destination in New Orleans, an "alchemical" space for artists and the local community that inspires them. 

The enormous murals of everyday Black members of the NOLA community, nested among portraits of so many of the heroic leaders of the 1960s civil rights movement, were a powerful reminder of the importance of both remembering our history and taking actions for justice in our present-day lives.

As I was wandering through the exhibit, deep in thought, I was pulled out of my engagement by the voices of 25 or so school children on a field trip. This group of mostly white second and third graders seemed to be in awe of both the beauty of art and these larger-than-life figures.

At that moment I was transfixed, watching the African American museum guides engage these little people in a critical history lesson—asking questions about Dr. King’s Dream and for the definitions of big words like “ephemeral” and “eternal” (the title of the exhibit). 

A class of students at an exhibit in StudioBE.

My heart was full. The power of learning about diverse histories and cultures and building knowledge across difference was palpable. And I was so proud that, at Morningside, we are focused on this truth of our mutual humanity.

In fact, Morningside Center’s mission of fostering joyful, equitable and rigorous learning environments would be impossible without the vital participation and contributions of our young people’s caregivers and families, who come from every culture and tradition around the world. We deeply believe in the power of school-family relationships as a key ingredient in children’s growth and development. For children to thrive, all of the adults in their lives need opportunities for skill-building, reflection, healing and joy. 

In this time of escalating confusion and frequent calamity, caregivers and their children may feel overwhelmed, anxious, frustrated, or fearful of navigating our current world. They may feel a host of other emotions as well, which vary from one moment to the next. Our culturally affirming family workshop series takes time to check in with families, invites them to share how they’re feeling, and then communally validates the wide range of emotions we’re all experiencing during this time. By reflecting on and identifying the ways in which they are activated, caregivers draw connections between their emotional states and those of their children, gaining new and enlightened perspectives that result in a commitment to wholeheartedly listen to their children. 

Painting of John Lewis by artist BMike; viewed at StudioBe, New Orleans, LA in 2025.

With this in mind, Morningside created a series of workshops to support families in knowing and caring for themselves to better support and care for their children. These workshops are designed to be delivered either in person or virtually. Each format has its own advantages. We have been gratified to see how many parents and caregivers have participated in this first year of offerings. By the end of the school year we will have worked with more than 2,000 participants:

On a weekday evening, 130-plus caregivers sign on to Zoom to be in community with other families and explore the topics most relevant to their children’s lives (e.g., conflict resolution, social and emotional learning, how young people process and identify their emotions, and more). Some are on camera, raising a hand emoji to share reflections on messages received from their caregivers as children, experiencing a-ha moments around how these messages seep into their current parenting practices. Others are off-camera due to caretaking or dinnertime routines but share connections and helpful advice in the chat box. One participant is driving home from work and pulls off the road to unmute herself and respond directly to another parent who is having trouble communicating with his adolescent daughter. Several interpreters are on the line, presenting the facilitator’s information in Spanish, Mandarin and Bengali. By the close of the workshop, there is a chorus of voices, both audible and within the chat, exclaiming the same refrain with gratitude: “We are not alone.”

These family workshops afford parents and caregivers a brave and welcoming space to acknowledge their daily stressors, process their personal experiences with the topic at hand, and affirm one another in the challenging but critical role they play in their children’s lives. Hearing the struggles and rewarding moments of other families builds a strong caregiving community rooted in mutual understanding and appreciation. One caregiver, for example, reminded her fellow participants, "We have to treat [our children] with respect—as little humans with unique souls."

Just as the heroes of the past can take on larger-than-life meaning and power for those of us who do not live such big, public lives—parents can feel to children larger than life, powerful, all-knowing and even omnipotent. By rooting in our common humanity with these “little humans with unique souls” and our own truths and vulnerabilities, we both remind ourselves of our children’s power and voices, and the power and voices we have to raise them up. This is the work Morningside Center is dedicated to—and empowered to take on—thanks to the affirming support of so many in our community.