S1E9 - Amy Chiu: Leading Through Devastation
How do we, as educators and leaders, create space for collective grief while still moving forward with purpose?
How can we redefine the idea of ‘school’ and ‘community’ beyond physical spaces?
Amy Chiu is a dedicated early childhood educator, consultant, and advocate specializing in play-based, nature-based, and community-centered learning. Based in Los Angeles County, California, she has spent her career fostering environments where young children, families, and educators can thrive. Her leadership philosophy is deeply rooted in the belief that education extends beyond the classroom, emphasizing the importance of strong relationships, emotional well-being, and community support.
In this powerful conversation, Amy shares her experience navigating one of the most challenging moments of her career—the aftermath of the LA County wildfires, which devastated her school and displaced many of the families she serves. She speaks candidly about the trauma, grief, and resilience that followed, detailing how she and her team worked tirelessly to reunite families, secure temporary learning spaces, and provide emotional support for both children and staff. Her reflections highlight the importance of community solidarity, compassionate leadership, and the healing power of human connection during times of crisis.
Despite the immense challenges, Amy remains hopeful and committed to rebuilding—not just in a physical sense, but in strengthening the bonds that hold her community together. She shares how the children’s resilience, the unwavering support from families, and the kindness of strangers have reinforced her belief that education is about people, not buildings. Her story is a testament to the power of collective action, emotional honesty, and the enduring spirit of early childhood education.
Connect with Amy Chiu
LinkedIn: Amy Chiu MSED
Website: Amy Chiu Website
Hire this host via hello@thelearningfuture.com
Amie Fabry (00:01)
Hello friends and welcome back to Leading the Early Years for the Future. I'm your host, Amie Fabry. And today I have the real joy of speaking with Amy Chiu an early childhood educator, consultant and advocate for play-based, nature-based and community-centered learning. Amy is an absolute delight and we met last year, but Amy, since we met, things are looking a little different for you. You work in LA County.
And I'm so grateful to you for joining me today and sharing your experience as a leader, particularly through some really traumatic recent events. Thank you for being here.
Amy Chiu (00:42)
Thank you, Amy. I've really enjoyed reconnecting you with you today. Excuse me. And yes, you're right. So much has happened in a span of a couple of months. And I'm excited to share a little bit of what's been happening recently in my leadership. And I hope that it is helpful to your listeners. I certainly hope that it connects us on some level.
Amie Fabry (01:04)
Hmm.
Amy Chiu (01:11)
because I think that the work we do is just so community centered and that's really the focus of why I'm on your show today. I really want to talk about community.
Amie Fabry (01:17)
Hmm.
That's beautiful. And I'm really looking forward to listening to you share your experience. Can you start by giving us a bit of context? You know, there might be listeners all around the world. Give us some context to where you work as a leader and educator.
Amy Chiu (01:38)
That's right. So I'm based in Los Angeles, California, and LA is a very big place. So I'm in LA County, not LA city. I say this because something happened a month ago in LA County. Wildfires started in my community. In fact, where I worked in the Pacific Palisades, that's where the first wildfire started. And it
Destroyed our town it burned down our school. It burned down houses 90 % of our families lost their homes All the infrastructure is gone, you know, there's not even a place to return to even families that did not lose homes They cannot move back yet. There are a lot of hazardous materials in the air all of that. So Yes, so this has been life-changing
Amie Fabry (02:29)
Yeah, wow.
Amy Chiu (02:35)
I definitely am in a state of trauma and grief. So I wanted to speak to that and how it's impacted my leadership. And really, I would have to say that it's impacted my brain. I am having a hard time remembering things, organizing my ideas and thoughts. It's really impacted my executive functioning. And so of course,
Amie Fabry (02:39)
Mm-hmm.
Yeah.
Mm-hmm.
Yeah, wow.
Amy Chiu (03:04)
I counted on that. I took it for granted that I could access that as a leader. And so now working these days, these past three weeks through this traumatic event has been very challenging, additionally challenging for me and my administrative team and for our staff, to our teachers and families. But I want to focus on what happened in the aftermath. So the fire started on a Tuesday.
Amie Fabry (03:09)
Hmm.
Hmm.
Amy Chiu (03:33)
And by Thursday, we found out our school had burned down. And the first thing that we as an administrative team wanted to do, I worked closely with three other administrators. We thought, how are we going to reunite with our families? That was really our number one priority. So in the midst of grieving the loss of our school, we really knew that the most important thing to do right away was to
Amie Fabry (03:50)
Hmm.
Amy Chiu (04:02)
find a place where we can reunite. So immediately we started reaching out to educators in our network, schools in the LA area. And very quickly a preschool in nearby Santa Monica talked to us and said, hey, we might have a space for you. We were thrilled. We couldn't believe at the quick response. We were so thankful.
Amie Fabry (04:02)
Mm.
Amy Chiu (04:31)
So we visited this sweet preschool and they're called Palisades Preschool, by the way. So it's kind of interesting because we're Methodist Preschool of Pacific Palisades and they're called Palisades Preschool. And so we found sort of a natural affinity. It was like a good sign, right? And so we walked into the program. The director, Linda, was so welcoming and, you know, she held space for us. We cried, we wept together.
Amie Fabry (04:36)
Mm-hmm
Yeah, well, yeah, absolutely.
Yeah.
Amy Chiu (05:00)
It's
something that is affecting the whole of Los Angeles. And so we started working right away. We decided, yes, we could make this space work. We were given a space in their basement with a large hall and two smaller classrooms. These were shared spaces. So there were some scheduling conflicts. one of the days, Wednesday wasn't going to work out there. So we reached out to other resources to see, can we crash?
Amie Fabry (05:17)
Mm-hmm.
Amy Chiu (05:28)
at your place on Wednesdays for our families. And the Children's Museum in Santa Monica actually are hosting us now. So again, I mean, people showed up for us in the best ways immediately. Really, really beautiful. And so after that, after we had our temporary space ready, we got our staff back together for the first time in one big room. And of course they were also going through their own emotions.
Amie Fabry (05:29)
you
wow. How beautiful.
Amy Chiu (05:58)
You know, this school was very, very special for so many of us. I mean, I can't tell you how many parents, former parents, former teachers have reached out to say how wonderful, you know, the school is, how wonderful we are to try to continue. And so it's giving us lots of courage and hope. And so now we're, you know, a month after the fact and we're running our program, we're making it work.
Amie Fabry (05:58)
Hmm.
Hmm.
Amazing.
Yeah, wow.
Amy Chiu (06:28)
All the while,
we're looking for a more semi-permanent home. Because, you know, we're just borrowing the space for now. Yeah.
Amie Fabry (06:32)
Yeah, amazing.
Yeah,
that's incredible, Amy. You know, to I'm processing so much here, you know, and I'm trying to put myself in your shoes, because I honestly just cannot imagine what it must be like to go through this kind of traumatic event that, you know, has such a devastating loss on your, your whole community. You know, you mentioned
90 % of your families lost their homes, you know, you've lost your preschool, which is a pivotal part of a community that brings people together, whether you're educators, families, children, know, past educators and families, you know, our schools are just such beautiful, important places in our communities that bring people together. you know, the impact this would be having on you as a leader, and you mentioned that briefly.
How do you navigate your own trauma and need to grieve whilst you also, like I am honestly sitting here in awe of you thinking, how did you process all of that and then be able to step into, well, this is what we need to do and let's reach out to people and how do we get the program up and running? You know, like, and I see why that's so important too. Are you comfortable to sort of talk us through that?
Amy Chiu (07:39)
Mm-hmm.
Yes, I can. And I can't tell you though that I had a plan. I think we were just go, go, go. And you know, something about experiencing this collective trauma together, I think has bonded us even closer. So for that, I'm really thankful because my team is strong. And so there was not a doubt in our mind that this is what we wanted to do was to find a place to reunite our families. And that gave us a purpose in the days after the fire. That gave us something, right, to work towards. that
Amie Fabry (08:07)
Yeah, right.
Hmm. Hmm.
Yeah, amazing.
Mm-hmm.
Mmm.
Yep.
Amy Chiu (08:30)
helped me to feel more helpful when I was feeling helpless. So how did I deal with it myself? mean, obviously, I mean, I, I mean, to be honest, I've cried every single day. You know, I've cried every single day and I think that's a great outlet. I just needed, just let it out. And I tell my staff this too, you know, whatever you're feeling right now, that's what you're feeling. It's okay. You know, I also started therapy right away. Again,
Amie Fabry (08:35)
Yeah.
Hmm.
Mm-hmm.
Hmm.
Mm-hmm.
Amy Chiu (08:59)
because so many people, organizations, schools have reached out to extend help and support. I was able to link up with a therapist who offered pro bono work. Many therapists in the LA area are doing that right now for our community. And I wanted to do that because I knew I had to take care of myself. Not only do I have to show up for my staff, I have to show up for my family at home, right?
Amie Fabry (09:14)
Wow.
How incredible.
Yeah.
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Amy Chiu (09:28)
And it's not easy. I'm taking it day by day. That's really the truth. And I'm leaning on all my loved ones, at work, at home. They're all part of my broad base of support. So I'm thankful I have so many people I can count on.
Amie Fabry (09:33)
Yeah. Yeah.
Yeah.
Hmm.
amazing, amazing and, so important. And I can see how that, you know, that focus on purpose can help you to shift from feeling helpless to actually we can be helpful and this is what we can do somewhere to put your energy and your focus. And I guess, you know, I'm kind of reflecting too, that as educators, so much of our work is really around service to community, right? Service to families and children. And I think that's
That's where the reward comes. You know, I know for me in my work, that's where the reward comes and you know, that's where the hope and joy comes to. And so I'm, you know, I'm really reflecting on the power of having that purpose and you know, to be of service and support the community that can help navigate, you know, the smallest to the greatest of challenges. And you know, you really are experiencing.
Amy Chiu (10:18)
Yes.
Yes.
Amie Fabry (10:43)
the absolute greatest of challenges that you would ever, you wouldn't even think would happen to you, right?
Amy Chiu (10:50)
never, never in a million years would I imagine the whole town gone. You know, it's going to take years to rebuild. but the community is strong. So that's the thing. That's the thing that is going to be our foundation for however we rebuild. Whatever. it's, it's what keeps me going. And it's actually the first time I can, you know, cause I talk about community a lot, you know, we talk about community in our work, but to feel that community.
Amie Fabry (10:57)
Yeah.
Yeah.
Mmm.
Yeah, yeah.
Hmm... Hmm...
Amy Chiu (11:19)
is amazing. It's amazing and it's
beautiful. It's heartbreaking, but it's beautiful. you know, so the fire that happened, the Palisades wasn't the only wildfire. The fires also popped up in other parts of LA County. And so a lot of Los Angeles has been impacted in the neighborhood of Altadena. Also, they lost entire communities as well. And so there's that.
Amie Fabry (11:25)
Hmm.
Amy Chiu (11:47)
Even though it's tragic, it really ties us to one another, you know, in community. Even if we don't know one another, you know, we've gone, we're going through the same thing together. And it's really powerful. It's really powerful. I'd rather use this tragedy to build back better, to, you know, strengthen our community. Because I hope that we stay like this, right? Because sometimes, you know, it's easy to complain about how disconnected people are, that they don't really care so much.
Amie Fabry (11:51)
Mm. Yeah.
Hmm.
Hmm. Yeah.
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Amy Chiu (12:16)
But I'm feeling a lot of love and care and support right now. So I hope that continues.
Amie Fabry (12:22)
That's really beautiful. And it's interesting, isn't it? If you reflect on, I think society as a whole, we are becoming more disconnected. And yet you're talking about connection and it is our shared lived experiences that connect us. And so even through a tragedy such as a wildfire, you are coming together stronger because
you've all been through something really horrific together. And it's that shared, shared experience that you know, like you said, even strangers you can connect with because you suddenly have this shared experience and you you often hear about you know, whether it's floods or fires or devastation that actually brings people together and it's where we see humanity shine, right? You know, the Office of Support, you know, we've got space for you.
And whether it's here's some resources or here's a space, but even, know, I'm hearing you talk about the humanness of let's cry together, you know, let's actually grieve together. It's really, really powerful. I have goosebumps, Amy, actually listening to you talk about this. It's so profound. I'd love to know how, how do you make space for your team, you know, to go through the emotions and...
Amy Chiu (13:29)
this.
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Amie Fabry (13:47)
Again, to share the experience, I guess there's a part of you that wants to be, well, for everyone wants to get on and how do we support our families and children? But how do you balance that with actually grieving and supporting your whole team emotionally through this process?
Amy Chiu (14:07)
Yeah, well, a lot of communication, a lot of check-ins, just more than usual, probably. Hey, are you doing okay? Do you need anything or maybe a gentle touch if that's what they like, right? We're thinking of, I'm thinking of everyone's different love languages and how to meet their individual needs. You know, but just, even telling my staff, because I was always a huge proponent.
Amie Fabry (14:13)
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
yet.
Hmm.
Amy Chiu (14:35)
on slowing down in education, really feeling our feelings and all of that. And so it was a narrative that I continued, know, like it's okay right now, wherever you are, you're struggling. I am too. We're all sort of struggling and trying to figure it out. It's okay. If you need to step away because you know, you don't want to cry in front of people, go ahead, let me know. We'll step in for you, right? So we're being that for one another.
Amie Fabry (14:38)
Hmm.
Mm-hmm.
Mm. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Yeah.
Hmm.
Yeah, amazing.
Amy Chiu (15:01)
I'll
share this analogy actually that's come up a lot in recent weeks, the analogy of flying geese. So in a flock of geese, you know, they fly and there's a leader leading the way. And then when the leader gets tired, the leader goes to the back and someone else takes the And that's what we're doing for one another. Okay. No matter our title, right. We have to do that for one another that when I'm not feeling so strong, maybe someone else will step in and take the lead.
Amie Fabry (15:17)
Mmm.
Mm-hmm.
Hmm.
Amy Chiu (15:30)
So in that
Amie Fabry (15:30)
Hmm.
Amy Chiu (15:31)
way we can take breaks and check in with individual needs, all of that. And so that's what we're doing. We're being flying geese.
Amie Fabry (15:38)
Yeah, wow. That's so beautiful. So powerful. Again, you know, just the human connection side to see everyone as equals and we're in this together and, you know, to share that even that idea of leadership. It's not just about the role and who's the head of the preschool, but actually, we're all leaders and recognizing and responding to how people are because, you know, I guess
Everyone is so different anyway, but when you go through an event like this, you're not all going to respond the same way. You're not all going to experience the same emotions or on the same day, you know, you'll probably have similar ones, but you, you know, there'll be days where you're strong, like you said, and days when you don't feel so strong. I love that you have this beautiful team around you and you can all share that load together and, and, and step up and be there for each other. And I imagine that comes from some
Amy Chiu (16:16)
Exactly.
Amie Fabry (16:36)
modeling though and making space for that. You know, having those really honest conversations about it's okay to not be okay. You know, things like this kind of culture that that you have at the preschool, you know, amongst your team is not, it doesn't just happen on its own, right? There is some modeling, some thinking, some sharing, you know, some guidance that sort of helps to create that.
Amy Chiu (16:39)
Yes.
Yes, there's definitely a strong culture within our school. Our mission, you know, I mean, we're a preschool, right? But our mission is much more than just teaching young children. It's about providing a safe and loving place for our children and families. And also, by extension, our staff. You we want our staff to find school to be inspiring and safe and comforting as well. And even though our building is gone, I can tell you that
Amie Fabry (17:23)
Hmm.
Hmm.
Amy Chiu (17:34)
The fact that we remain together, that spirit is still there. And so I have no doubt wherever we land, we will continue that because that's who we are. And I'm really thankful actually, one of my most, I'm most thankful that we kept our staff together because I think it's great for morale. At a time when we're already kind of feeling low, this is.
Amie Fabry (17:39)
Hmm
Hmm.
Mm-hmm.
Amy Chiu (18:02)
really the best thing for us to stay together. And so that's why it was really important for us to reopen as soon as possible. So our staff can, you know, again, do what they do best, be with children, teach all of that stuff, take care of the school. And it gave us something to do and to, you know, to also reunite with the children because in the absence of children, that grief hit us that much harder. And when they were back,
Amie Fabry (18:09)
Hmm.
Amy Chiu (18:32)
their little faces, their little bodies coming through, smiling, joking, or crying. All of it just made us feel like, okay, we're okay. We're home, the children are here, families are back.
Amie Fabry (18:36)
Mm-hmm. Yeah? Yep.
Amazing. Children just have this amazing, they're just such a gift, aren't they? You know, and I think if I even think about my own journey as an educator and a leader, you know, even when when things are tough, children always make everything better. They just make everything better.
Amy Chiu (18:54)
The
They do.
They are a natural remedy, honestly, for depression. so, you know, and I know that I'm going through the stages of grief and one of them is depression. And I've definitely hit that spot a few times recently. But when I'm around the children, they just somehow help me to stay in the moment, right, to appreciate what's happening right in front of me instead of ruminating or wondering what if I did this or that.
Amie Fabry (19:09)
Naya!
Hmm. Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.
Hmm.
Mm-hmm.
Amy Chiu (19:32)
And so, yeah, they're really wise in that way. They really teach me how to be grounded in the present moment. And so I really, I mean, I just adore children. We all do, right? We adore children. That's why we're here. But now they're teaching us a lot. They really are. And I have to also give a big shout out to our families. mean, like I said, most of them lost everything, lost everything, the life they knew, and still they're here supporting our school.
Amie Fabry (19:37)
Hmm. Hmm.
Yeah, yeah.
Mmm.
Hmm.
Amy Chiu (20:02)
they're making donations of school supplies and things that we need because remember we have nothing now. We are just running on the kindness of others. And I just can't, for me too, I can't believe how much they're willing to help even as they're dealing with everything. And some of them have multiple children who go to different schools and our school was not the only one that burned. now they're...
Amie Fabry (20:04)
wow.
Mmm.
Yeah.
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Amy Chiu (20:29)
doing lots of different pickups and drop-offs and living, you know, I mean, our families are scattered all around LA County. It was very hard to find housing. I won't get into that part. I really can get into a lot of the, you know, how the other effects of our community of, you know, lack of housing, know, price gouging by landlords, things like that, you know, taking advantage of a situation. But I have to say, wow, you know, they're providing
Amie Fabry (20:37)
Yeah.
Mmm
Amy Chiu (20:59)
a lot of support which is making me more resilient. So it's taking all of us. If I had to face this on my own, forget it. But because I have such a strong community, we're gonna get through this.
Amie Fabry (21:02)
Yeah, amazing.
Absolutely. So much power in community, right? Whether you're talking about your team, whether you're talking about the broader community, the families and children, you know, we all need each other. You know, we all need each other. And it's it is that kindness of others and support from others that helps us to keep going. You mentioned, you know, different stages of grief and depression and the children are a sort of a somewhat remedy, I guess, that help you kind of get through.
Amy Chiu (21:23)
We do.
Amie Fabry (21:39)
What else helps you to get through this as a leader?
Amy Chiu (21:45)
Well, I am so proud of the team that I work with. I'll start with my admin team. It's the four of us.
Amie Fabry (21:53)
Yeah.
Amy Chiu (21:56)
And, you know, we grew up at this school as humans, as educators. And so this really is a devastation unlike any other I've ever experienced. But to have each other and to continue to have each other's backs.
Amie Fabry (22:13)
Hmm.
Amy Chiu (22:15)
It's really powerful. And we just enjoy each other's company. We can make each other laugh in the darkest of moments. And I so appreciate that. I really do. We need that laughter. We need that joy sometimes. It's OK. Sometimes I feel guilty, like, should I really be this happy right now? But I allow myself that because that's real. It's real. We really enjoy each other.
Amie Fabry (22:20)
Yeah.
Hmm.
Hmm.
Hmm.
Amy Chiu (22:43)
We really enjoy the work we do. We find it really meaningful and powerful and important. And so that's what keeps me going. Of course, my family members too at home. I have a wonderful partner who has been just so accepting of where I am every single day. You know, we'll do a little check-in and he helps me to co-regulate for sure. He's been my co-regulator at home. So we have lots of downtime when I get home and
Amie Fabry (22:45)
Hmm.
Hmm.
Yeah.
Mm-hmm.
Amy Chiu (23:13)
That's it. You I think I just need that. It's been hard to take breaks from work because a lot of decisions are time sensitive. But I am trying again to realize that I do need to take a break on occasion. My partner is reminding me of this. And he says, it's not because I don't want you to continue working. I know it's important to you, but you need to take care of yourself so you don't burn out. Right. So I'm thankful for that.
Amie Fabry (23:22)
Hmm.
Yeah, great.
Mmm. Mmm. Mmm.
Amy Chiu (23:42)
too because
Amie Fabry (23:44)
Yeah.
Amy Chiu (23:47)
Right now there is no balance. I don't know. I don't have a work-life balance. It seems to be work, work, work all the time. working as an administrator at this preschool isn't my only job. And so I'm teaching child development in college. And so I've had to pivot a little bit. My semester just started. And so I realized to, OK, I need to not be completely obsessed with my preschool work. I need to now compartmentalize a bit.
Amie Fabry (23:53)
Mm-hmm.
Hmmmm
Amy Chiu (24:17)
you know, bring
my focus, shift my focus a little bit because my students there need me too. And so just working on day by day, finding more balance and finding a better flow for work and home.
Amie Fabry (24:22)
Hmm.
Yeah.
Yeah, wow. So much to navigate right now, I can see how, you know, it is so important to look after yourself. And you know, sometimes as leaders, we forget to do that. It's so great that you've got people around you, know, at the preschool, but also at home, your family to remind you of that and
I can imagine when there's lots to do, particularly as you navigate the challenges with the preschool in particular, it would be easy to just keep working, particularly when there are people that need you, but to actually be able to look after yourself in that process and take that downtime is pivotal, as you said, so that you don't burn out. That's really powerful, Amy.
Amy Chiu (25:20)
Yeah.
Amie Fabry (25:23)
and really good, I think a great reminder for all leaders, know, that we can't lead well when we're not well ourselves, you know, and whether that's burnout or overwhelm or stress or whatever it might be physically, it has an impact, right? And on our own mental health and wellbeing, you know, that's so important. Can I ask about, yeah, sorry. No, no, go.
Amy Chiu (25:36)
Yeah.
Yeah, it still has to come first. Yes. Yeah, I think mental
health still has to come first. And so I'm happy for the reminders because, I think I'm fighting myself a little bit when people tell me this, but no, I have to finish these 10 things. I don't want people waiting on me, you know, but you're right, because I have to think in the long term. This is a marathon, not a sprint.
Amie Fabry (25:53)
Yeah.
Mmm.
Yeah, so true. And so much of leadership is kind of that long game, right? You know, you're talking about a marathon and you're literally talking about rebuilding a school, which is enormous. But I think, you know, it's easy to think, I just have to get all the things done now, but actually to remember that some of this stuff is part of the long term game. And this is where are we headed towards and what are the small steps I can do now.
towards the bigger picture and not feeling like everything has to be done yesterday, you know, which I know is one of my flaws, sometimes being a little impatient.
Amy Chiu (26:41)
Yes, right? Yeah.
Yeah,
same here. you know, you know, talk about I mean, I get to practice everything I preach now for real, like, you know, I used to just say it. And now I really have to remind myself to, to be it to embody it. And so I'm trying hard, you know, to grow my myself just as a person, but also as a leader for my team.
Amie Fabry (26:53)
Yeah.
Mmm. Mmm.
Yeah, yeah. And modeling that would be really powerful to your team as well. How do you navigate this? You know, as a leader, I'm thinking, you know, you said there's lots of decisions to make, and sometimes they're time sensitive. Where do you start? You know, when when you literally don't have a school, you mentioned, you know, it sounds like some of the first steps for you were reaching out to some of the local
preschools and other schools for support or the Children's Museum. I mean, apart from finding that physical space, like, where do you go from here as a leader? You know, how do you know where to go and what to do and make decisions, you know, to support the children and families and to keep the program going?
Amy Chiu (27:45)
Yeah.
That was our first initiative, finding a temporary location. So that was the most urgent matter for a while. And now that we have found that temporary space, it has opened us up to maybe slow down just a smidge.
Amie Fabry (28:03)
Mm.
Mm-hmm.
Amy Chiu (28:14)
I'm not sure that I have a plan. Again, you my executive functioning has been so impacted that it feels like we're just go, go, go, going with, you know, with little intention. Like it's just kind of, we're re reacting to, you know, emails coming through, you know, people needing information from us, things like that. But now we do, we are starting to settle into our routine. The children have been in school now for three weeks, so we're starting to see a shift.
Amie Fabry (28:19)
Mmm.
Yep
Hmm.
Hmm.
Amy Chiu (28:44)
Because
there's more of a routine now, we can now talk more about curriculum, right? And the first week's was really just about establishing safety and security. Even though the staff were the same, the space was different, the environment was different. And so we just tried to make us cozy and comfortable as possible with familiar favorites.
Amie Fabry (28:50)
Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm.
Yeah.
Amy Chiu (29:08)
you know, making sure there's, you know, they have what they needed, you know, snacks, right? Children always bond over snacks and meal times, having lots of movement, music, all of those things. I didn't mention this earlier, but, you know, in the first week, of course, we didn't even go outside because the air was full of ash and soot. And so that's something else that our preschool, area preschools have to contend with.
Amie Fabry (29:08)
Mm-hmm.
Yep.
Mmm.
Amy Chiu (29:35)
We had to do a whole clean down of our outdoor environment, all the surfaces, replace the sand in the sandboxes. We had to do a lot of those things. those little tasks, you know, just kept going, kept us going moving forward. But yes, now I'm in, you know, we're in a place where the children are somewhat settled into a routine. And so the teachers are back, you know, doing what they do best, which is curriculum kind of like
Amie Fabry (29:50)
Mm.
Amy Chiu (30:04)
seeing what the children are interested in, in their new environment, the new connections they're making and making the most of it. And so for that, I'm really grateful. They're really great. As for administration, I mean, it's just, it has been nonstop. Just this past Saturday, actually, I realized Saturday night, nobody checked in about anything today. Nobody texted today. And I was actually like thankful for that. was the first.
Amie Fabry (30:06)
Mm-mm.
Wow.
Amy Chiu (30:35)
that we just went radio silent. We didn't plan it. And then when we went back on Monday, we all decided that we needed that. We really needed that. We didn't plan it, but we needed it and we did it. We just need to take a break from the intensity of things to have time for other things. Our families, our personal errands, all of those things that haven't disappeared, they're still there.
Amie Fabry (30:39)
Mm-hmm.
Hmm.
Mm, yep.
Mmm.
Yeah, yeah, Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.
Amy Chiu (31:03)
Yeah, it's helping in a way to at least have some type of a routine and rhythm now in the school day. Yeah.
Amie Fabry (31:11)
Mmm, beautiful.
I'm reflecting on the fact that, you talked about first and foremost, it was really about making everyone feel safe and secure and connect to new environment, new routines. You know, and I'm reflecting on even the fact that that's so foundational for all of us as human beings to thrive is actually recognizing our basic human needs. You know, like we need to feel safe, feel a...
a sense of belonging and in a new environment, even though you might have the same people and the same faces, there's still uncertainty and it's unfamiliar and you know, just allowing space for that I think is so important. And sometimes we can forget how important it is to just be human, to connect with each other, to reestablish those relationships to...
Amy Chiu (32:08)
you
Amie Fabry (32:09)
you know, feel what we're feeling to have time. And you know, you've mentioned a few times slowing down to actually just, you know, does everyone have food? You know, do we have what we need? You know, are the families supported with the new routines and the new places that we're coming to, to, kind of gather together. That's so important, right? To really establish those human foundations. And you know, I'm thinking here,
Amy Chiu (32:19)
Thank
Amie Fabry (32:39)
of Maslow's hierarchy of needs, right? Once we've got the basic needs and you know, when you think about the experience that you've been through and are going through, some of those basic needs were removed. So it is really about actually starting again and reestablishing those first before we can think about things like curriculum and you know, I imagine the children probably have lots of questions too and lots of the conversations and
Amy Chiu (32:59)
Yes.
Yeah.
Amie Fabry (33:07)
play
and curiosity is around what they're experiencing together. How are you and the educators finding that and navigating that aspect?
Amy Chiu (33:10)
here.
Yeah, thank you for asking. That was actually one of our biggest concerns, maybe not concern, but interest in the right before we were set to reopen again, we had a big meeting, all of us to talk about how to prepare for conversations about the fire or rubble. So we also wanted to inform the parents about how we would address things as they came up. So two of our school administrators are also preschool parents.
Amie Fabry (33:25)
Hmm.
you
Yep, yep, yep.
Amy Chiu (33:49)
So not only did they lose their workplace, they also lost their child's preschool. And I could tell that it was even hard for them to tell their own children about what happened to the school. It took a long time before they broached that conversation.
Amie Fabry (33:49)
you
Mm-hmm.
Hmm.
Amy Chiu (34:08)
which made me realize, wow, this is really one of the toughest conversations I think, you know, a parent or caregiver can have with a child. And we also knew that not all parents had told their children about what happened. Some of them just picked up and left and they haven't, you know, talked about whether their house was okay or not. So we were prepared for many different scenarios.
Amie Fabry (34:16)
Hmm
Okay.
Yeah.
Amy Chiu (34:32)
So, you know, I usually say this, you know, when I'm working with teachers and they say, how do I talk about, you know, they want to know about death or, you know, life and death, how do I talk about it? Right. And I always say, depends on the child, right. It really depends on the child. And, you know, I think as adults, we can put a lot of our adult emotions, you know, we can project, right, our adult emotions onto the children, which might not be accurate. And so it just begins with spending time with children.
Amie Fabry (34:53)
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Amy Chiu (35:01)
listening to what they're talking about, seeing what they're playing, right? We're gathering facts all over again to kind of determine how do we want to drive this, you know, if it were to come up. We also knew that some children knew and might come to school and say, my house burned down in front of other children that didn't know, right? And so we were trying to prepare for many different scenarios. I have to say I was a bit nervous. was, didn't know
Amie Fabry (35:01)
Hmm.
Mm-hmm.
Yeah.
Yeah, totally.
Mm-hmm.
Amy Chiu (35:30)
you know, who, you know, what kind of children were going to show up. We knew that the family members would be quite emotional and tearful and we, we, held space for them to do that. But we didn't know how the children would respond. And honestly, I think they just wanted to play. They saw they were happy, lots of hugs with teachers, playing on new equipment, reading new books. It seemed okay. And they also, of course, connected with their friends. Number one, they got their friends again.
Amie Fabry (35:40)
Hmm.
You
Mmm.
Amy Chiu (36:01)
And that was great. And so for a while, you know, I would just listen. I'm not a classroom teacher, but now we're sort of in a large hall. So it's a very large hall, not really divided into rooms. So I can overhear lots of conversations and watch the children play. And so I would hear from time to time, you know, or they'll come up to me and say, my house burned down. More of a statement, right? And so...
Amie Fabry (36:23)
Yeah. Yep.
Amy Chiu (36:27)
You know, I think it's really hard to hear that from a child. Like, wow, this is so heavy. They shouldn't even have to say this. But again, I really tried to not project my own feelings onto the situation. And I would just say, I heard. Tell me about it. Tell me more. And sometimes I opened up conversation and I had a kid saying, well, my dad is going to rebuild the house. He has a really tall ladder and he's going to help us make a big house, you know? And so just listening to them.
Amie Fabry (36:34)
Mmm.
Hmm.
Amy Chiu (36:57)
So that showed me, right? That child is more like not in the past, but more about the future. And so we imagined the future together. Sometimes too, I'll hear, I miss my old school. I miss my old school. And I get that, so I validate it because I feel the same way. I miss it too. And I realize it's not a time to change their minds. Like, well, but we have so many.
Amie Fabry (37:05)
Mm-hmm.
Amy Chiu (37:27)
fun new things to play with. That's not what that's about, right? I'm not trying to change how they feel. I want to hear them. I want to validate what they're going through as important, as necessary for us to process this event together. So that's where we are. We're just holding space for all feelings as we've always done. But I think now even more than ever, you know, just really allowing everyone young and old to have the feelings that they have.
Amie Fabry (37:28)
Mm, yeah.
you
you
Amy Chiu (37:55)
and to talk about it when we do feel comfortable talking about it. I mean, I don't like to break down in front of my staff. I don't, but I mean, sometimes it's emotional, right? Sometimes the tears just well up. And I think that's okay to show that. We're humans, we're going through something very, very challenging, very difficult.
Amie Fabry (37:59)
Yeah.
Hmm. Hmm. Yeah.
Absolutely. I totally agree, Amy. And I think sometimes when we can sit as comfortably in our uncomfortable feelings, you know, in front of other people, we can actually give them permission to do the same, you know. And I think with the children, you know, holding space for them.
Amy Chiu (38:30)
Yes.
Amie Fabry (38:36)
to just share and share more and say more about what they're experiencing and how they're feeling is so probably hard but so beautiful, you know, to give them that space to grieve the preschool, to talk about what's happening at home or, you know, the fact that they might not have a home anymore or a house to live in. These are huge events.
Amy Chiu (38:56)
you
Amie Fabry (39:00)
And what kind of resonated with me too is that you're acknowledging your own emotions in this process, right? And I can imagine that that's something that's different now because we hear children tell lots of stories and they have lots of diverse experiences anyway, but they're not our own experiences. And so when it is our own, suddenly we bring emotions to that conversation as well. And so I'm really...
Amy Chiu (39:29)
Yeah.
Amie Fabry (39:31)
really kind of processing that you're saying you're trying to hold yours back and not put them on the child, but actually just to create the space for them. I guess I just want to acknowledge that, you know, I hear how hard this is, how heavy this is, how human it is, you know, for you, for your, for your educators, for the children and families. And, you know, my heart goes out to all of you that you have to experience this. But I do.
What I love is that, you know, at the core of this experience is that beautiful humanness that is just coming through in everything that you've been talking about, listening, making space for each other. And I think sometimes as human beings, we forget to do that. You know, I think we are quite good at doing that as early childhood educators. But I guess as I listen to your story, what's really standing out for me is just the kindness of others.
Amy Chiu (40:19)
Thank
Amie Fabry (40:29)
Being able to connect and share this experience, make space and acknowledge the feelings, the grief that everybody is going through. And that is really beautiful.
Amy Chiu (40:40)
It is. It really is. It's heartbreaking, but it's beautiful. It's, you know, I wish we didn't have to go through this to experience what I'm experiencing now, of course. But I'm really galvanized by everyone's efforts, honestly. It's just really brought everyone out of the woodworks to be supportive instead of being critical. Of course, you know, I can't say the same for social media, unfortunately. You know, people
Amie Fabry (40:45)
Mmm.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Amy Chiu (41:09)
posts what they do without really knowing the situation and that's unfortunate. But that's noise to me. I cut that out. In fact, I really have to limit my social media consumption these days because people are just continue to show the devastation and some really, I'll say this one thing. I saw a quick video of someone doing a photo shoot in front of rubble. That to me, I just don't understand. I really don't understand that.
Amie Fabry (41:12)
Hmm.
Yeah.
Amy Chiu (41:40)
make it worse. You know, I think that's just unacceptable to me. But again, I think people just don't know that these are real people's lives that we're talking about. They're worldly possessions gone, their memories gone. I mean, their memories stay, but you know, it's life changing, right? And people shouldn't take advantage of that.
Amie Fabry (41:42)
totally.
Hmm.
Hmm.
Absolutely, yeah.
Hmm.
Yeah.
Absolutely.
No, they absolutely shouldn't. that's, that's horrific. I can't believe people do these things, you know, in the juxtaposition from this beautiful community of connection. Let's not talk about that.
Amy Chiu (42:18)
Yeah, right.
Mm-hmm.
Yeah,
forget that. Right. Don't do that. That's that's my only point.
Amie Fabry (42:27)
But yeah, that it is noisy. Yeah.
Yeah, not at all. gosh. I it's been so
Such an amazing conversation with you today. Yeah, my heart is heavy for you, Amy, but I love the message of hope and humanness and emotions and connection that are coming through for your community. And I wish you all the love and support in the world as you continue to navigate this and keep going with the.
the grace and the humaneness that you're showing to your community. Keep looking after yourself.
Amy Chiu (43:13)
Yes, thank you, Amy. I really appreciate it. And I'm actually very thankful for this opportunity to share this story because I really do think out of this tragedy, you know, we're going to be rebuilding. We're going to stay together and stay strong. And that's that's what I'm hanging on to. know, of course, I miss what we had, of course. But the people, we're still together. And that's really the most important thing we we
Amie Fabry (43:27)
home.
Hmm.
Yeah.
Yeah, yeah.
Amy Chiu (43:43)
We feel it's so important to stay together for our community. And whether we have to wait years before we are back in the Pacific Palisades, we are going to continue our program. We're gonna serve families wherever we land, and we're gonna continue having the same spirit that we have, the same mission. And I think that belongs to the people. That's not a part of the building.
Amie Fabry (43:47)
Mm.
Mm.
Yeah.
Absolutely, absolutely. And that's a beautiful story of hope, right? And that's what gets us through whatever life throws our way, you know, is having that hope and, having that, you know, that connection and it is about the people it's always about the people, you know. Thank you for sharing your story. Thank you for being so honest and open about it. Yeah, I it's heartbreaking, but beautiful at the same time and
Amy Chiu (44:18)
Thank you. It is. Right.
Thank
Amie Fabry (44:40)
You know, two things can be true, right? Looking towards the future with some hope whilst also grieving what you've lost. Yeah.
Amy Chiu (44:49)
Yeah. And
I think that is, you my heart's cracked open now and, you know, I'm feeling all of it. And in a way, I feel alive because, know, it's just all my humanity is just at the surface now. There's no hiding it. And I think that's great. And I think I want to be here for a while.
Amie Fabry (44:57)
Hmm.
Yeah.
Hmm. Hmm.
Amazing. that's so beautiful. So powerful. Thank you, Amy. What a joy to talk to you.
Amy Chiu (45:11)
Thank you, Amy.
My pleasure. Thank you.
