X
This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. By continuing to use this website, you consent to our use of these cookies.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

La Jolla Country Day School (LJCDS) is actively committed to creating and sustaining a diverse, equitable and inclusive community. The school’s diversity, equity and inclusivity commitment is grounded in its core value of fostering a culture of dignity—one that believes all human beings have inherent worth and value. 

LJCDS welcomes and values all races, ethnicities, gender identities, socioeconomic backgrounds, abilities, family structures, religions and sexual orientations. We know a diverse community contributes to a more enriching teaching and learning experience. A safe and inclusive environment is critical to students’ well-being and academic achievement. 

As we prepare students to be global citizens, we will work to ensure that every child has the skills and awareness to embrace humanity in all of its diversity and to strive to make the world a more just, equitable and inclusive place.

List of 4 items.

  • 44%

    students self-identify as students of color

  • 14%

    students self-identify as multiracial

  • 31%

    faculty of color

  • 30%

    trustees of color

Program and Opportunities

List of 4 items.

  • Committees and Task Force

    • Diversity, Equity and Inclusivity (DEI) Board Committee 
    • DEI Alignment Working Group
    • Assessment of Inclusivity and Multiculturalism (AIM) Task Force
    • AIM Strategic Vision Committee 

  • Students

    Affinity Groups (Middle School)
    • Black Student Union (BSU)
    • Chinese Heritage
    • Multiracial Students
    Affinity Groups (Upper School)
    • Asian, Asian American, Pacific Islander (AAPI)
    • Black Student Union (BSU)
    • Latin American
    • Sib Strong
    Alliance Groups (Middle School)
    • No Place for Hate®
    • Prism
    Alliance Groups (Upper School)
    • Asian Culture Club
    • Spectrum Club
    • Student Diversity Leadership Committee (SDLC)
    Student Conferences

  • Parents/Guardians

    • Parent Mandarin Club 
    • Families Supporting Inclusion and Diversity (FSID): Parents of students who identify as Black, African American, Afro-European and Afro-Caribbean
    • Rainbow Families: Parents, caregivers and LJCDS adult community members who are LGBTQIA+ or who have an LGBTQIA+ child and are interested in celebrating and exploring this part of their identity.
    • Culturally Responsive Parent/Guardian Book Club
      • Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents, Isabel Wilkerson (December 2020) 
      • The Purpose of Power: How We Come Together When We Fall Apart, Alicia Garza (February 2021) 

  • Faculty/Staff Professional Growth

Progress and Goals

List of 2 items.

  • Goals

    • Publish the report of AIM assessment 
    • Develop strategic action items as a result of the school’s culture and climate assessments
    • Hire a DEI director  
    • Establish speaker series theme focused on DEI, Restorative Justice and BIPOC voices 
    • Establish DEI Alignment working group (all divisions and departments working together to align missions and goals)
    • All-school Transgender/Non-binary Inclusion Training 
    • Diversity audit of library materials, beginning with picture books
    • Establish a parent/guardian culturally responsive discussion group with readings
    • Enhance and refine LJCDS’s hiring process in regards to diversity, equity, and inclusion to ensure a fair and equitable hiring process. Partner with diversity-focused hiring and recruitment firms.

  • Progress

History/Heritage Months

Definitions

Diversity is the range of human differences, including but not limited to race, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, social class, physical ability or attributes, religious or ethical values system, national origin, and political beliefs. (Ferris State University)

Inclusion is involvement and empowerment, where the inherent worth and dignity of all people are recognized. An inclusive university promotes and sustains a sense of belonging; it values and practices respect for the talents, beliefs, backgrounds, and ways of living of its members. (Ferris State University)

Equity and Justice focus on empowerment and co-ownership of the community in strategically building on and sustaining diversity, multiculturalism, and inclusivity. (NAIS) 

Anti-Racism is defined as the work of actively opposing racism by advocating for changes in political, economic, and social life. Anti-racism tends to be an individualized approach and set up in opposition to individual racist behaviors and impacts. (Racial Equity Tools) 

Dignity Resources

Acronyms


AAPI

Asian, Asian Pacific-Islander 

AIM Committee

Assessment of Inclusivity and Multiculturalism

BIPOC

Black, Indigenous and People of Color

BSU

Black Student Union

DEI

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

FSID

Families Supporting Inclusion and Diversity 

LGBTQIA+

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Asexual


NAIS PoCC

National Association of Independent Schools People of Color Conference
 

RSDS

Regional Student Diversity Summit

SDLC

Student Diversity Leadership Committee 

SoCal POCIS

Southern California People of Color in Independent Schools

WASC

Western Association of Schools and Colleges

La Jolla Country Day School

9490 Genesee Avenue
La Jolla, CA 92037
858-453-3440

© 2023 La Jolla Country Day School

Privacy Policy

COVID-19 Safety Plan

Country Day Connection Newsletter

Accredited by: