Roxbury Weston Preschool Celebrates its 55th Anniversary

In recent months, many across the commonwealth and the nation have joined the fight against racial injustice and inequality.But one small local program is celebrating its 55th year in that fight. In fact, it is the longest running culturally diverse education program in the U.S., and it is right here in our backyard — Roxbury Weston Preschool.

Roxbury Weston Preschool (nicknamed “RoxWes”) was established in July of 1965, with a summer camp housed half the time at Case Estates in Weston and half the time at the Blue Hill Christian Center in Roxbury.

The founders were inspired by Martin Luther King Jr.’s march from Roxbury to the Boston Common in April of that year, giving a speech in which he stressed the challenges of “school imbalance” and “de facto segregation.” The purpose of establishing the school was to bring families together from both communities, to create a learning environment in which to celebrate diversity and achieve excellent early education for all.

Valora Washington, an authority in early childhood education and founder of the CAYL Institute, said, “As a former consultant to Roxbury Weston, and an observer of this field for many decades, I can say this: Roxbury Weston has been in the vanguard of equity with high early childhood education for 50 years. This fact is worth remembering in this current era that is emphasizing social justice. The program is a jewel. Our communities need this as an example of what is possible for all children.”

Winifred Hagan, who previously served as director for the program and has a lengthy career in education, most recently in the state Department of Higher Education, said, “RoxWes families were Freedom Riders, RoxWes teachers earned NAEYC accreditation when less then 8% of programs nationwide were doing so. It is a proud history. Many people, both white and people of color, have been leading and supporting RoxWes from the outset — when two ministers, one from Weston and one from Roxbury, met in Selma, Alabama, marching for civil rights in the 1960s.”

Today, Roxbury Weston still runs as a preschool for ages 3 to 5 and seeks a 50/50 balance of children from Boston neighborhoods with those from the suburbs. A small nonprofit program, it has a simple mission: to bring families together in a learning community dedicated to the celebration of diversity and excellence in early care and education. For families who attend, it is a source of loving integration and inclusion, along with uncompromising excellence in education.

Part of the draw for many families are the committed and tenured teachers. Denise Simmons has been a teacher at Roxbury Weston for over 20 years, with three of her own children attending. She said, “It has truly been a blessing to experience Roxbury Weston from the perspective of teacher and parent. Roxbury Weston sets the stage for a wonderful diverse opportunity to play out. Our role as parents, more today than ever, is to carry out the mission and to teach our children that our differences don’t matter. What matters is that we treat one another the way we want to be treated. My belief accounts for my longevity at Roxbury Weston — my belief and love for God, the little people and their incredible families and the fun, loving and dedicated teachers.”

Ramesh Nagarajah, a RoxWes alumnus who recently wrote an article for Medium titled “Reflections from a Token Black Friend” that went viral, said of the school, “Throughout my life, I have never struggled to be open to sharing moments with people who do not look like me. I realize that my openness roots itself in many different sources, such as being a part of a multicultural household, and my parents’ views, but one program particularly stands out in beginning my journey stepping across racial and cultural bounds — Roxbury Weston Preschool.”

In spite of its ever-essential mission, Roxbury Weston must always work hard to raise funds to support financial aid, transportation and operations costs. The program is held together by committed staff and teachers, as well as parents who often volunteer their time to help support the program.

Today, as RoxWes celebrates its 55th year, enrolled and alumni families remain more committed than ever. Current RoxWes parent Onika Jenkins said, “We feel that RoxWes helped contribute to our children’s eagerness to learn and explore their talents, and sets a foundation for students to be prepared for the daily schedules of kindergarten. Our children enjoy the activities created by the RoxWes teaching staff. The staff are fully engaged with the parents so that we are fully aware of their class days. As a parent, this is encouraging to see our children’s enjoyment when they come home and begin by discussing how much fun they had during the day.”

By Arielle Nurczynski