Vol. 1, No. 7                                                                                                                   August 2014

A Progress Report on the Child Care Project

If you were able to attend our conference on "Child Care in Chicago: A Working Woman's Issue" last January, you know that WWHP has launched a project to collect first-hand stories of women involved in child care--the providers, the parents, and some observers of the field. Our goal is to use these stories to engender public discussions of the availability, affordability, and quality of child care that exists for working class families in Chicago today.

 

Since our January 11th conference, we have assembled a focus group of 10 child care practitioners--women who work directly with children in their own homes or in centers, Head Start or private, and videotaped them talking about the issue from their perspective. We have also videotaped an interview with Katie Jordan, the president of the Chicago Coalition of Labor Union Women (CLUW) who was a witness to the one of the nation's premier child care centers provided by the Amalgamated Clothing Workers for 13 years and who participated in National CLUW's effort to influence the federal government to create legislation that would support child care. These videotapes are either fully transcribed on in the process of being transcribed.

 

Individual interviews with child care practitioners are planned soon to deepen our understanding of the issues raised by the focus group. The next step in obtaining information will be gathering parents of young children together for a focus group and interviews on their experiences.

 

We have already had inquiries from people in child care who are interested in the material we've collected. At the same time, we are talking to playwrights who have ideas on how to present this material to the public. In addition, we plan to explore other mediums to move "Child Care in Chicago" into the public view: radio interviews, film, articles in print.
A Preview of Spoken Art, WWHP's Annual Fall Event
Mark your calendars: Spoken Art III is coming up! Once again WWHP will be celebrating women's stories and offering the wares of women artists for sale. Please save the date.

 

Spoken Art III

Saturday, October 25, 2014

5-8 P.M. at

SEIU Healthcare IL IN - Health Care

2229 S. Halsted, Chicago, IL 60608

 

The cost of attendance will be $10 and include food, dessert, and non-alcoholic beverages. Wine is extra. This year we will feature four women telling their stories about how they empowered themselves and others, as well as four arts and crafts vendors selling everything from jewelry to chair massage to glass creations. We hope you can attend.

 

Here is a preview of two speakers and two vendors. Watch out for the September issue to learn about the other individuals who will be featured.

 

Speakers:

Hedy Ratner is the co-founder of the Women's Business Development Center, an organization that helps woman entrepreneurs get a foot in the door. It is the largest, oldest and most comprehensive women's business assistance center in the U.S. She was Co-President of the Women's Business Development Center until last July. She remains on the board.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mac-Z Zurawski unites her life experiences as a union laborer with her practical education to create a life journey of learning and activism. She is an Adjunct Lecturer at Chicago State University, the Chairwoman of the Midwest Sociological Society's Women in the Profession Committee, a member of the Working Women's History Project, and a political/sociological activist for progress. She blends these life experiences to be a guide of hope, optimism and action for her young son and all around her.

 

 

Vendors:

  Roberta Mezinskas is a local artist in the Chicagoland area and a member of the Woman Made Gallery. She is a painter who specializes in enameled glass.

 

Renee Ryan is a massage therapist, a Tai Ji and Qigong teacher, and co-owner of the Light Heart Center in Winfield, Illinois, the oldest alternative health center in Chicagoland.