Post submitted by Kimmie Fink, Welcoming Schools Consultant

As part of our commitment to expanding the diversity and accessibility of our materials, Welcoming Schools is proud to announce the translation of three more of our resources into Spanish. We want every school to be a welcoming school, and that includes dual language, immersion and bilingual programs, as well as the many schools that serve Spanish-speaking students and their families.

In addition to our bilingual and Spanish edition booklist and our most popular resource, “What Do You Say to ‘That’s So Gay’?”, we have added the following resources in Spanish available for download from our website:

• “Be Prepared for Questions and Put-Downs on Gender/Esté preparado para pregunta e insultos sobre el género”: Practicing answering questions related to gender or interrupting hurtful teasing based on gender will help you to respond more easily when situations arise. Take the time to practice simple responses, now in Spanish.

• “Checklist for a Welcoming School Environment/Consejos para lograr un ambiente inclusivo y acogedor”: Ensure that all of your students and their families feel welcome with this simple checklist to assess your school climate. Is it welcoming? Are you developing a school where all children can thrive?
• “Yes, They Are a Family!”/Sí Son Una Familia”: Check out these kids’ questions about different kinds of family structures and learn and practice simple and straightforward sample responses.

With Spanish the second most commonly spoken language in the U.S., we know that full accessibility to our program hinges on translation. Stay tuned for more resources in Spanish as we plan to build our catalog of Spanish-language materials over time.

Housed by the HRC Foundation, Welcoming Schools and Time to THRIVE are national programs to help LGBTQ youth succeed. Welcoming Schools provides professional development to educators and free resources to educators and families to support a respectful elementary school climate for all students. Time to THRIVE is an annual national conference that brings together K-12 educators, counselors and other youth-serving professionals to build awareness and cultural competency to better support LGBTQ youth.