By Anne Levin

At the YWCA Princeton’s annual Stand Against Racism event last year, CEO Judy Hutton made a disturbing discovery.

“I was talking to Lynne Azarchi, the executive director of Kidsbridge, and she told me that bullying and racism actually can manifest itself at age 3,” Hutton said this week. “That blew me away.”

Hutton started to pay attention at the YWCA’s preschool classes, at which some 40 3-year-olds are enrolled. There are 84 children in the entire program, from infants to 5-year-olds.  “I saw that the teachers were working on this,” she said. “It’s real. So I told Lynne, we need to do a workshop on this for kids and for parents.”

The resulting collaboration with the Ewing-based Kidsbridge Tolerance Center will introduce an anti-bullying program to the YWCA’s preschool next month, for children and their parents. The program will include several interactive activities on how to prevent bullying, from drawing to listening skills. “We’ve always done anti-racism work here,” said Hutton. “It just makes a lot of sense.”

Kidsbridge, it turns out, has been a presence in Princeton for several years. Fourth-grade students in all four public elementary schools have been taking part in programs either at Kidsbridge’s headquarters or in the schools themselves.

“We either work with them here or in their classrooms, wherever they are comfortable,” said Azarchi. “I would like to do a lot more. It would be great to do preschool, second grade, fourth grade, sixth grade, and more.”

Collaborating with the YWCA’s preschool program on May 3, 10, and 17 is a big step forward, said Azarchi, who first learned about preschool bullying over a decade ago. “My point is that it’s really important to start bullying prevention and diversity training young,” said Azarchi. “Children naturally don’t see color till they are 5 or 6, but they are probably taught by their parents when they’re younger. You have to be carefully taught, as the song goes [from the musical South Pacific].”

The preschoolers can handle about half an hour of instruction at a time. “But they’re having fun while they’re learning about kindness, respect, and how to welcome everyone,” Azarchi said.

In a press release, Hutton said the YWCA’s celebration of diversity and Kidsbridge’s bullying prevention program are a natural fit. “YWCA Princeton takes pride in taking these preventative measures to ensure no child is bullied, nor will they become one. We know that early childhood is a critical period for learning, and socio-emotional learning is just as vital as academic learning in order to prepare our students to be well-rounded and kind members of our community.”

The YWCA is holding two fundraisers to help pay for the collaboration. Dance for a Cause Jazzercise is April 27 at the YWCA on Paul Robeson Place from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and costs $20. Creating for a Cause, a craft night at Cranbury Station Gallery, is May 8 at 15 Hulfish Street and costs $30. For information, visit www.ywca.princeton.org.

Hutton regards the program as a test, but expects that it to become a regular part of the YWCA curriculum. Kidsbridge facilitators will work with each class in small groups. “We have a very diverse culture here,” she said. “I thought, let’s bring this is and see what we can do.”