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Anti‐racism in U.S. early childhood education: Foundational principles
Author(s) -
Escayg KerryAnn
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
sociology compass
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.782
H-Index - 31
ISSN - 1751-9020
DOI - 10.1111/soc4.12764
Subject(s) - racism , early childhood education , privilege (computing) , sociology , early childhood , critical race theory , white privilege , field (mathematics) , anti racism , critical theory , multicultural education , racial bias , multiculturalism , pedagogy , power (physics) , gender studies , epistemology , psychology , developmental psychology , political science , law , philosophy , physics , mathematics , quantum mechanics , pure mathematics
Abstract Multiculturalism and anti‐bias education remain a significant area of pedagogical practice and scholarly inquiry for early childhood researchers and practitioners. Yet much less attention has been paid to detailing anti‐racist components within the classroom, and also within the broader field of early childhood education, including its foundational knowledge base. This article addresses this gap by advancing a framework for early childhood education informed by specific tenets of anti‐racism theory. Drawing on an analysis of White power and privilege and systemic racism, it outlines three main principles of anti‐racist early childhood education. Next, it presents a critical exploration of these principles and how they can be used to transform the existing paradigm of U.S. early childhood education, so as to offer equitable learning opportunities for racialized children.