Board Meeting of the Noth Aerican Reggio Eilia Alliae

BOARD MEETING OF THE NOTH AERICAN REGGIO EILIA ALLIAE

February 28, March 1st, 2011

Miami, FL

February 28, 2011

9:00 a.m.

Present: Barb Acton, Margie Cooper, Jennifer Azzariti, David Fernie, Beth MacDonald,

Sheri Hunt, Jennifer Kesselring, Angela Ferrario, Susan Lyon, Susan Redmond, Simonetta Cittadini-Medina, Jeanne Goldhaber

Absent: Teresa Acevedo, Brenda Fyfe, Ellen Hall, Jennifer Strange, Pat Tarr, Carol Ann Wien

Reggio Children Liaison: Amelia Gambetti

Staff: Judith Kaminsky, Julie Sewell, Cheryl Rapaport

The updated “History of NAREA” power point presentation was shown. Discussion about keeping it updated and connected to NAREA initiatives. Use of the presentation could be limited to reduce overexposure. It was suggested that we might use some of the video clips that were taken in Santa Monica.

A very much appreciated thanks was given to Simonetta for hosting the board meeting in her home and also to the board members for their attendance

Update of Board Members – attached to this report

Call to Order - 11:14 a.m.

Approval of Minutes:

Motion to approve minutes from last board meeting held on November 4, 2010 in Anaheim, California was made by Susan Lyon. Seconded by Beth MacDonald. No discussion. Minutes were approved unanimously.

REPORTS OF STANDING COMMITTEES

Finance: See written report (Margie Cooper)

·  Significant expenses connected to the summer conference were not paid in 2010 and so they will be forwarded into expenses for 2011

·  Innovations payments aren’t always on the same dates in each year. Some years, the last quarter bills are paid early and some years on time. This is one explanation for variations in Innovations line item year to year

·  Received total payment in advance from Monterey for exhibit in 2010, which will effectively lower exhibit revenue for 2011

·  The board decision to support the Reggio Children Foundation has been budgeted within the exhibit project line item

·  Additional payroll costs include the hiring of an additional person per prior board approval

·  New items: Facilities line item includes operating expenses such as utilities, cleaning, etc… These costs are shared with Inspired Practices

·  Travel: Budget includes an increase in travel expenses to compensate board members. Budget proposes a flat rate of up to $500.00 per board member per board meeting

·  Projected deficit for 2011, but there is cash reserve – a little less than $242,000. This is the cushion. With big expenses coming up, the cushion will remain around $150,000. This cushion enables NAREA to take bigger risks such as the one just taken to sign contract with Asilomar

·  Projections for revenue for the Summer Conference somewhat conservative. (290-300; capacity: 400-475). The revenue will go up if there are more participants—always impossible to predict precisely

Summary: The Board needs to decide if it is comfortable approving a budget that shows a $40,000 operating deficit for the year, which will mean using cash reserves.

Dave Fernie moved to approve the budget. Susan Lyon seconded. Motion to approve the budget passed unanimously.

Winter Conference

·  The Winter Conference in Miami was very cost conscious. Inexpensive hotel, low food costs that did not involve a caterer, free theatre. NAREA’S success is always connected with Reggio Emilia educators. Simonetta would like NAREA to consider a donation of 1000 Euros to Reggio Children for this conference. It was decided that the NAREA Board wait until the June meeting to look at the budget again in order to make a decision to make this donation.

·  Simonetta for L’Atelier would like to make a contribution to NAREA for the complimentary registrations from their school.

·  Simonetta proposed that NAREA create a document that would be an incentive for scholarships that would include a statement explaining why it is important to attend this conference and the importance of professional development. In Florida, Quality Counts offered scholarships up to 160 participants for the Winter Conference and twenty-eight were able to qualify. Action item for the future.

Innovations rate increase proposal: see written report (Judith Kaminsky)

Beginning in November, WSU account for Innovations periodical and seminar series in deficit and the Business Manager at the College of Education would not approve expenses except for salary until substantial deposit made.

Summary Analysis:

·  Total subscriptions have not increased; Associate Members increased; Student Member decreased

·  The percentage of subscriptions that are directly to Wayne State has decreased; plans to raise direct subscription rates in 2012

·  Expenses have increased due to postage increases

Beginning with 2012 members, proposal that NAREA would pay WSU:

$25 for all Associate Members (currently pays $0)

$25 for Students (currently $25)

$35 for Regular (currently $35)

$70 for Program (currently $70)

Board in agreement; the additional funds were included in the proposed budget.

For future consideration:

·  Increase Associate Member fee from $45 to $50 (like Student)

·  Consider strategies for increasing membership

·  Research automatic renewals – Judy Kaminsky, Chad and Julie Sewell to research

·  June Board Meeting: Board to consider funding Judy's travel to 2011 NAEYC conference

·  Winter 2012 board meeting: consider possible donation to Innovations if end up in deficit at end of 2011

Professional Development: See written report and proposals (Angela Ferrario, Jeanne Goldhaber and David Fernie)

1.  What big ideas or insights came up in the documentation center large group conversation:

2.  Summaries for NAREA Conversations with New England Educators at Wheelock College

3.  A NAREA Conversation with New England Educators, Dec. 3

4.  Proposals

·  Angela reviewed purpose of the meeting held in New England to share work among colleagues. Attendees included faculty, program directors, museum curators, researchers, state-level consultants and 4 NAREA Board Members; how can NAREA support and how to increase NAREA visibility

·  Jeanne reviewed the agenda of the day, visit to the Wheelock Documentation Studio and discussions, summaries, connections with each other and NAREA

·  Dave introduced the proposals (see Powerpoint)

Discussion:

·  Energy should be how to support or sustain work and not look to NAREA

·  How do we create regional connections?

·  What is a NAREA collaboration and what is role of Board Member?

·  How can NAREA be seen as a resource?

·  How can NAREA be seen as contributing to work?

·  Challenge to build connections to what already happening as a way organizationally to take on more responsibilities in our work; is there a way to connect into what’s already in process as a starting point

·  Small grants symbolic of NAREA support.

·  NAREA as catalyst to take initiative to new level.

·  What infrastructure do we have in place?

·  All board members have responsibility to generate activities and experiences attached to increasing quality of the work and to stay linked to Reggio Children. It is an alliance.

·  The type of work initiated in New England is the same type of work being done by other roundtables, collaboratives, networks. To bring people together in order to study. These develop in many different ways.

·  Proposal shared by the Mayor of Reggio is for NAREA to be the catalyst to organize an institute or something that could show the work of NAREA in terms of professional development, to generate opportunities to study more-to research more about the Reggio approach.

·  Financial resources for professional development should come from fees

This was a great experience brought to NAREA; thanks for taking initiative to experiment, offer point of conversation; membership coordinator discussion coming up; Board agrees to postpone decision-making regarding the New England proposal until day two of board meeting to give more time for thinking and gathering additional information.

Membership Report: See Written Report - handout (Jennifer Kesselring & Sheri Hunt)

Discussion of topics for the next year’s DVD

·  In addition to list presented by committee, board offered: infant/toddler, image of the child, participation, children as citizens, community…. Board preference appeared to support the topic, “Family Engagement" A collection of images that shows how many opportunities can be open to involve parents

·  Following a board discussion, committee should have the liberty of organizing the work and making selection of topic based on their deeper familiarity with the process

·  Committee will contact individual programs to gather ideas and Amelia will write preface from Indications as thread to support visibility of topics throughout year (like in 2011 DVD)

·  Need board members to send images.

·  Good idea to get more than one year of images and to work on more than one year at a time

·  Committee to collect list of schools and contexts from board members

·  Jennifer will send out requests for images within the month; best to request before school year ends; include request in March e-newsletter.

·  Deadline will be May 1st for image submissions

Break for Lunch 1:30

Meeting resumed 3:00

Membership Coordinator – Discussion and Comments

·  What is the role and what makes sense now and how to make it more meaningful for those who are participating?

·  It is more about “networking” rather than “coordinating membership;” to be more involved in the work in their area.

·  Did we start too big because we wanted every state to have a contact person?

·  Can we re-think the role regionally to be more manageable to invest in them in a way that brings them more connectivity?

·  Create ways for them to give more concrete contributions back to NAREA such as columns in the newsletter.

·  Collaboration is key and it would make sense if each group was regional; not as isolated.

·  Renewed idea of map for regions re: initiatives, map not as geographical, rather pedagogical.

·  Something to make the work more visible.

·  To date, we only have information from three organizations for the networks page of the website; connection has not been made and a lot of experiences get lost.

·  Consider a Facebook page – Julie Sewell will do it, Jennifer A. can support if needed

·  Need to change the name of “Membership Coordinator.”

·  The name of NAREA has to stay associated with quality.

·  Coordinator needs accountability. They need to know what is happening and we need to create the visibility. What is NAREA’s role?

·  Organic – try not to be fragmented.

·  Dissemination of information is one thing but the person to person collaborative part is something that gives meaning to the connections that happen.

·  Identify those networks working effectively; invite them to come together, make personal calls to solicit their insights.

·  New name could be Networks or Networks & Relations. Committee to think and define first step and bring back to the board.

·  Need to understand what/where networks are.

·  Need to focus on mission of NAREA and being a facilitator of conversation and liaison.

·  The exhibit brings people together.

·  Question to groups or networks. What is their responsibility to NAREA?

·  Possibility posed by Ohio Voices of Learning: Could the Ohio group get, for example, a $25.00 membership fee for OVL that NAREA collects in addition to NAREA membership fee?

SUMMARY: A first step could be research. What networks have long histories or visibility? This requires a group of board members to do the research with the aim of bringing that information back to the next Board meeting.

What can NAREA offer to existing Membership Coordinators? A statement that says, “We are in the process of re-thinking the role and we would like your reflections about the role.”

·  Use a survey for specific questions that are open ended. Are you still interested?

·  In which way are you continuing your work in relation to being a Membership Coordinator?

·  NAREA is checking in with you.

·  Cross reference Membership Coordinators to see if they are NAREA members.

Lifetime membership: Discussion concerning the concept of adding a Lifetime Membership option targeted to those who have longstanding commitment to Reggio Emilia. Additionally, this could be a strategy for increasing cash flow at a time when NAREA has made a financial commitment to support Reggio Children’s Foundation. There was a positive response to discuss this in greater detail at the next board meeting in June after a researching how other organizations utilize lifetime memberships. Julie Sewell will conduct the research, including collecting pertinent information already assembled from Jennifer Kesselring.

Job Postings: (see research document and proposal) Board agrees to add job postings to the NAREA website at a rate of $100 for members for 60 days and $175 for non members for 60 days. Staff will work with webmaster to launch this as soon as possible.

Conference Postings: Should we charge for posting conferences? A discussion for the future….

REPORTS OF SPECIAL COMMITTEES

Exhibit: See written report 2/11 (Judy Kaminsky)

Final report received from Santa Monica and NAREA Professional Development Series question responses from Tulsa and Boulder. Proposals received for professional development plan in Monterey. Portland interest in hosting the 2012 Summer Conference. The condition of the exhibit will be evaluated in June by Amelia and Judy for significant wear and tear. The project is going well, even if it remains complex.

Summer Conference Update (Margie Cooper)

Angela, Judy, Susan Bates, Beth Reeves Fortney, and Margie have participated in conference calls to agree to the content of the Summer Conference brochure, which was completed and mailed in January. Conference calls will be continued to plan out further phases of the conference which include organization, content decisions, and flow of the conference. Amelia met with Elena Giacopini Anna Orlandini to make a draft of the program. Anna and Elena appreciate presenting in the morning. Leslie will be used as a translator.

The June board meeting will take place on the 15th so everyone should plan on arriving on the 14th (flights arrive in the evening) with the conference scheduled for June 16-18th. Board members do not pay to attend the conference. Board members do pay for flights, hotel and food but will be reimbursed according to board policy. Check the Summer Conference page of the website for further updates.