Why Anti-Bias Education Matters in Early Childhood Education

• In Event: Research in Progress Roundtable Session 2
  In Invited Roundtable: Early Care and Education: Equity, Engagement, Social and Emotional Learning, Language and Literacy (Table 6)

Abstract

Following the recent political changes, growing concerns exist about exacerbating societal divisions and marginalizing vulnerable groups, particularly in ECE. This underscores the urgent need for anti-bias education to mitigate inequity and all of the “isms” (such as racism, sexism, classism, and ableism). ECE is often seen as a challenging space to discuss critical topics such as race, class, gender, and sexuality. Children are considered too young and incompetent to engage in such topics. However, children begin to understand differences and similarities during their earliest years. Therefore, the research objectives for this paper are to understand the perspectives, emotions, and practices of ECE teachers regarding implementing anti-bias education and to identify effective support mechanisms for ECE teachers to implement anti-bias education.

Author

• Ahyeon Shin, Pennsylvania State University