Equity Audit Toolkits
nurturing the spirituality of all Children
In June 2021, the Godly Play Foundation in partnership with the Diocese of Massachusetts was awarded a Becoming Beloved Communities Grant from the Episcopal Church, which has been used to facilitate an equity audit of several Core Godly Play stories and accompanying materials.
The Beloved Me, Beloved We Equity Audit is Godly Play Foundation’s commitment to a rhythm of reviewing its stories and practices, ensuring that each child encounters the felt sense of their belonging and worth in Godly Play environments and beyond. A greater hope is to intentionally expand the creation of sacred spaces in ways that center children, honor their uniqueness and capacity, and support them to fully engage in wondering and play.
A priority of this audit is to: Provide toolkits and workshops for practitioners to holistically engage their communities with the curriculum and material changes.
WHAT THE TOOLKITS OFFER
The process of auditing our materials is intensive as it pauses to review the scripts, wondering questions, and response time for each story. Because this is significant and intentional work, we understand the time needed to address all 90 stories. Our work has initially explored ten stories, offering toolkits that provide:
Adjustments to language in stories
Ideas for increasing the diversity of representation in your classroom
Ideas for adjustments to make to materials
While we systematically continue to add specific language and material changes, we invite you to do your own exploration of the stories and to make general adjustments where needed. For support in this work, email questions to info@godlyplayfoundation.org
Please note that at this time, the published story scripts themselves have not been modified. These free toolkits should be referenced for suggested adjustments to language and materials. See links to toolkits below.
SUPPORTING THE WORK
As you explore these toolkits and the suggested changes to stories, we would love your feedback! Fill out this form to help us learn from your experience engaging these story adjustments with children.
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Creation
February 2023. Volume 2 - Lesson 4, The Complete Guide to Godly Play, Revised and Expanded
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Circle of the Church Year
February 2023. Volume 2- Lesson 1, The Complete Guide to Godly Play, Revised and Expanded
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The Ark and the Flood
July 2024. Volume 2- Lesson 6, The Complete Guide to Godly Play, Revised and Expanded
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Exodus
June 2025. Volume 2-Lesson 8, The Godly Play Guide to Godly Play, Revised and Expanded
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The Great Family
July 2025. Volume 2 - Lesson 7, The Complete Guide to Godly Play, Revised and Expanded
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PARABLE OF THE GOOD SHEPHERD
February 2023. Volume 3- Lesson 9, The Complete Guide to Godly Play, Revised and Expanded
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Parable of the Good Samaritan
April 2023. Volume 3-Lesson 9, The Complete Guide to Godly Play, Revised and Expanded
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Parable of the Mustard Seed
July 2023. Volume 3- Lesson 13, The Complete Guide to Godly Play, Revised and Expanded
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Faces of Easter Enrichment
January 2024. This Toolkit is an enrichment lesson to the Faces of Easter found in the Complete Guide to Godly Play, Vol. 4.
HOW IT ALL STARTED
Examining our Godly Play Practice for Implicit Bias
In the winter of 2021, the Godly Play Foundation convened a group of 17 people to participate in a five-month process of exploring our organizational culture, training, curriculum, and materials through an anti-racism lens. The creation of the Beloved Me, Beloved We Initiative came out of that task force.
One of the priorities of this initiative is to audit our storytelling curricula and materials, identifying what terms, phrases, art, and materials “bump” people from different perspectives out of the circle. A primary goal is to update the language and materials for all 90 Godly Play stories so that everyone can feel their belonging and worth in a Godly Play setting. We commit to highlighting and increasing access to updated lessons and materials as they are released.
In the spring of 2021, the Foundation, in partnership with the Diocese of Massachusetts, was awarded a Becoming Beloved Community Grant from the Episcopal Church to begin this work. We convened a team of eight people to lead an audit of several of our stories as a beginning point to start this work. This work continues today. The Equity Audit team gathered again in person to spend time in the entirety of Volume 8 revisions set to go to to our publisher spring 2024. Some questions that were raised resulted in the creation of several brand new stories. Learn more HERE.