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Growing The Village

Growing Village

Want to Be a Part of Growing Our Village?
Could Your Community Benefit From PSV?
Do You Want Your Children to See More of
Themselves in the Private School Setting? 

Girl Raising Hand

Thank you for your interest in helping to expand this important community of support — a village like none other to ensure our children fully thrive throughout the private school experience. 

We are excited about growing PSV because it means more resources and support for more families, stronger school communities in general, and healthier children! Helping to expand PSV means you would:​

  • Immediately join a 3-year-old+ organization that’s found major success and has established nonprofit governance and operations, volunteer structures, school partnerships, and specific programs in place based on learnings gathered from “on-the-ground” intelligence and a proven track record 

  • Ensure lasting support for future generations (as opposed to something ending when students matriculate or passionate parents or administrators move on)

  • Contribute to the growing power of a collective, national parent voice rooted in a non-eurocentric experience

  • Benefit from legal/business resources, infrastructure, backend business practices

  • Benefit from and build programs that address the systems and processes that inflict harm on Black students in private schools 

  • Help diversify private and independent schools by strengthening retention and increasing awareness among prospective families about the private school experience through PSV programs and events

  • Become more literate about race-related challenges often experienced in the private school community and become more proactive in preparing students for these challenges so that they are better protected

  • Feel a greater sense of belonging in private schools because of the community of support, regular, positive cultural affirmation and being more educated about Black culture, history, and racially sensitive situations (which positively impacts identity development, self-esteem, mental health)

  • Ensure more Black students have a greater opportunity to thrive in the private school environment and beyond

  • Benefit from increased research related to the Black experience and the many opportunities that data provides for improvement, reflection, and replication.

 

(scroll down for more)

 

Read Founder and Executive Director Lisa Johnson’s

Position Paper —

How to Improve the Private School Experience for Black Students

2019-2021 PSV ReviewMore_.jpg

Read PSV’s 2019-2021 Review

To help us grow thoughtfully, please read the below and tell us more about yourself and your needs. This first year of expansion will be deliberate so that we can learn and perfect future streamlined growth, protect the integrity of our resources, and ensure our programs and services are sustainable for generations to come. But first, it’s important that parents interested in creating a PSV community (a market within the PSV national organization) understand what is expected of them in general. Parents working with PSV to create a PSV community will need to:

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  • Promote national programming, coordinate select local programming, and represent PSV in the local community on behalf of the national organization of PSV, a 501(c)3 non-profit, which is not a private foundation or foreign organization, not benefitting any one individual or organization, etc. (adhering to this latter part is a legal requirement of our national nonprofit status);

  • Establish a core group of 5-7 “Founding” parent volunteers from at least three private schools who will spearhead the exploration, application, and induction process and identify 1-2 lead volunteers to liaise with PSV National;

  • In partnership with PSV National, host two virtual social, interest group meetings for parents to learn more and gage general support; host two virtual meetings with local school administrators to gage needs and general support/interest;

  • Have a general understanding of local private/independent school communities, be comfortable with electronic communications, and have a strong appreciation for the many ways to build and sustain volunteer operations; 

  • As a parent lead helping to create a new PSV community, you may need to agree to a basic background check 

  • Agree to follow, uphold, and collaboratively improve PSV national standards, guidelines, and policies related to finances, legal requirements, brand standards, program requests, and more;

  • Have a collaborative spirit and commit to building a growing nationwide network of like-minded communities created by families and independent/private schools
;

  • Manage the daily affairs in the market in concert with a national centralized team and resources;

  • Adhere to the four pillars that guide all programmatic opportunities and decisions — racial socialization, racial literacy, representation, and research;

  • Thoroughly read the PSV website as the content provides information about the organizations programmatic pillars and key programs, a FAQ, and it outlines the many ways people can support the important work of PSV which are all essential and basic things for any community to understand;

  • Complete the short questionnaire below to the best of your ability.

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Interested in Being a General Village Participant (because your region isn’t densely populated)?

  • Anyone, anywhere can join the PSV community and join events and activities and benefit from resources virtually. Simply “Join Us” via the PSV website! It’s that easy, for now, however, all PSV programs and services may not be available in your area depending on the resources required and more! That said, we’re always open to growth and welcome ideas to meet compelling needs that help achieve our mission.