Excellence and Equity in the Early Childhood Field

 Podcast 

Cute or Racist? Overdue Curriculum Conversations in Early Childhood

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Thu, 17 Dec 2020

Episode 57 features returning guest Tina Wiggins Sykes and the podcast guest debut of Gloria McGinty. Tina Sykes and Gloria McGinty are Arizona based Early Childhood Professionals, ECE Coaches, Trainers, College Instructors, Equity Specialists, amongst their past or current roles. They are also long-time friends and colleagues of the host, Marissa Calderón. All are involved in equity work both personally and professionally and lend some powerful insights to this subject matter.

Gloria McGinty, the first speaker, believes that inequity conversations are long overdue, not only in early childhood but also in government. The essence of these conversations is to get others' perspectives and not look at things negatively. This conversation is not intended to be controversial but to educate, respect diversities and cultures and learn to accept others' opinions.

The issues of injustice for all cultures. More emphasis and care must be placed on learning and understanding the various cultures instead of being placed on holidays and traditions.

According to Tina Wiggins Sykes, the second speaker, "it is not just about race but, also political. However, race must be highlighted because people need to feel comfortable in their own skin." Tina believes that these conversations have been around and in private for decades. Because advocates and professionals have had these discussions on numerous occasions.

I have learned from the conversations that culture is not only race and ethnicity, and focus must not be placed on a dominant culture but all cultures in the classroom. Furthermore, the podcast highlighted certain classroom practices that are deemed racial such as this is how we do it around here; no one has ever complained; I am sorry if I have offended you, among other comments. However, not all practices are intentional; some are unintended. I have also discovered from the podcast, if teachers do not have an equity lens, there will always be bias and racism in the classroom.

Teachers should understand that being bias is not just the planning of the curriculum or activities but also the words used daily in the classroom. Besides, Tina highlighted that administrators and teachers need to up their game; they must be mindful of what they say or do in the classroom. How this will affect the children, who are entrusted in our care is vital. As professionals must be cognizant that when we are too comfortable, we are not growing. We need to improve and grow daily and do not take our students and their families for granted. Leadership plays a significant role in demonstrating the desired expectations, "walking the walk." Educators must be mindful that we have not yet reached perfection, and we do not need to be perfect but, there is always room for improvement. Also, educators must be honest to say I do not know, but I am willing to learn. Honesty with self and how we respond to situations are very crucial in the classroom.

Intents vs Impact

As educators, we most times have good intentions. But, how impactful are we? Are we impacting the lives of our students positively or negatively? Ponder these words, colleagues.

Global Initiatives

Socioeconomic issues in homes, communities and globally have placed great strains on the health and education sectors. Resulting in a continuous gap that must be addressed. According to reports, approximately, 200 million children worldwide have failed to maximize their full potential at their developmental stage by age 5. 

Proposed Guidelines for Center

• Coordinated strategies to support child development can multiply the effects of investments in child survival, health, education, and economic development.
• We need to protect children from significant adversity, in addition to providing them with enriched learning opportunities.
• The early childhood years are critical building blocks for lifelong health, not just school readiness.

Our Partners

Click on the links below to get a closer view of the sterling contributions from our partners over the years.
Brazil

Canada

Mexico

Across countries (Saving Brains)

Looking at the resources that I have been exposed to these past weeks. My understanding is deepened in that, I am aware that science is the driving force behind the movement in Brazil. Moreover, in Mexico, scaffolding is the strategy used to drive the program. In Canada, research is used to guide policymakers in making critical decisions related to early childhood education (ECE). Lastly, Saving Brains is the movement that seeks to improve the lives of millions of children living in poverty, with the first 1000 days being considered the most crucial. 

References

https://feed.pippa.io/public/shows/early-childhood-journeys

https://developingchild.harvard.edu/about/what-we-do/global-work/