The AECEO staff understands that our stance against colonialism, in all of its iterations, requires us to be visible and brave. We continue to stand in solidarity with the oppressed and victims of injustice.

We know many educators, ECE students, families and people in early learning and child care look to the AECEO for strength, guidance, community and solidarity in the face of crisis. Supporting our community through challenging times is a central part of our work and this time we fell short. 

For the sake of transparency and accountability, we wanted to share some context to our delay in speaking out. We are not trying to make excuses, we are intentionally sharing about this experience so our community can learn alongside us. 

The truth is our organization did not have processes in place for responding to this unprecedented situation in a timely manner with the care and the respect it deserves. Our deepest apologies to our community, especially to those who have felt the weight of our silence.

Moving forward, AECEO staff is actively working with our newly-elected board of directors to put procedures in place for dealing with matters of this importance with the necessary urgency and respect. 

Please allow us patience as we deal with the structural barriers that continue to delay our response. We will release a full statement, along with resources to help our community support children, families and one another navigate through the collective trauma we’re experiencing.