Beginnings | Supporting Young Children's Understanding of Differences

BEGINNINGS | Supporting Young Children’s Understanding of Differences

A RESOURCE GUIDE FOR EDUCATORS

Developed by Eva C. Phillips, Ed.D.

3 | About Dr. Eva Phillips

4 | Statement of Why

How

to use this guide: Choose the audience for which you are educating, and select the appropriate section of the Abbreviated Annotated Bibliography of Resources.

Use the Resource Key, found on page 9, to explore specific subject matters and topics.

by Heather Rogers, President of Time Timer®

5 | Introduction

In addition to the Classroom Activities found in the final section of this guide, look for the apple icon in the Abbreviated Annotated Bibliography of Resources to identify resources with available classroom activities for children PreK - 2nd grade.

*The resources recommended in this guide are active and available at no cost at the time of publication. Original authors may choose to remove or change the resources without notice.

About Dr. Eva Phillips

Dr. Eva Phillips has dedicated a career to the teaching of and advocating for young children and early childhood educators. Eva graduated from Appalachian State University with a bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education. She later received her master’s degree from East Carolina University in Elementary Education and her doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Eva is an early learning consultant with over 30 years working with and supporting those that work with young children. Her professional career includes serving as a NC kindergarten teacher leader with Johnston County Schools, a Title I Pre-K and Kindergarten education consultant in the Office of Early Learning at the NC Department of Public Instruction, an adjunct instructor with UNC-Greensboro School of Education, an assistant professor and program coordinator for the Birth through Kindergarten Education Program at Winston-Salem State University and the program manager for Early Learning and Ready Schools for the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools.

She has collaborated on projects supporting developmentally effective practices for over 20 years including North Carolina Foundations for Early Learning and Development, The NC Guide for the Early Years, the NC K-3 Formative Assessment Process including the NC Kindergarten Entry Assessment and the Power of K state position paper on high quality kindergarten programs. Dr. Phillips was a co-creator and co-facilitator of The NC Power of K Teacher Leader Initiative while at the NC Department of Public Instruction, which she also brought to the local level in the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools. She co-authored the National Association for the Education of Young Children’s (NAEYC) book entitled Basics of Developmentally Appropriate Practice: An Introduction for Teachers of Kindergartners. She also served as president of the NC Association for the Education of Young Children from 2009-2013 and currently remains active in the work of the association.

Upon retirement from the state of NC in 2017, she began an early learning consulting business, Eva C Phillips Consulting, LLC which supports a variety of teachers, schools, and school districts. Through a joint venture with colleagues, Good Things for Young Children™, she leads summer institutes and professional development across the state for PreK and Kindergarten teachers. Since the summer of 2020, she has also developed and facilitated virtual sessions for groups of early learning educators in which they discuss what they know about young children’s development and learning and plan ways to adapt key practices related to building relationships and providing play-based opportunities for children in the ever-changing context of in-person and virtual learning experiences. She also continues to actively support early learning initiatives in NC and other states across the nation.

She lives in Winston-Salem, NC with her wife, their son, their dog, and cat.

“Early childhood educators are well-versed in building community, but even so, it is often not easy to know where or how to start conversations specifically about race and social justice in addition to inclusion. This guide is meant to support and encourage educators to start the conversations with not only their students or children in their care, but also their administration and even each other. While it is a very good thing to bring social justice conversations into the forefront, we recognize it can also be a very challenging and emotional effort at the same time.

All of us at Time Timer® hope this resource makes the journey a little easier and supports parents’ and educators’ efforts to shape today’s children into kind and inclusive global community members of the future.

”Heather L. Rogers, President, Time Timer® 2023

Intuitive Assistive Technology

Time Timer® believes in creating products that truly help people of all ages and abilities to conquer time – in the classroom, in the home, and in the office. While time can be a challenge for everyone, we aim to provide intuitive and innovative solutions that make a real difference.

Time Timer® is clinically proven to increase self-regulation.

A study conducted by the Department of Exceptional Student Education at Florida Atlantic University found that children ages 2-4 years old showed a significant increase in self-regulation skills when the Time Timer® was used to facilitate their activity.

This guide is a collection of resources for educators and other adults to support the development of compassion and empathy within young children which can lead to a deeper understanding of the challenges inherent in social justice and living in community with others. These deeper understandings can lead to a foundation of equity and the celebration of the diversity of people and cultures within our world.

The experiences during the early years serve as the foundation for success in all areas of a child’s life, including the development of empathy and the understandings around diversity, equity, and social justice. What happens during these years is critical for the formation of underlying ideals related to respect for others. These ideals begin with a child’s understanding and acceptance of likenesses and differences. The resources found within this document serve several purposes and are meant to provide some beginning steps in first, reflecting on your own understandings of diversity and equity. Then there are resources specifically for adults who work with or on behalf of young children PreK-2nd grade as well as resources for families of young children. This guide also includes resources to be used directly with young children in the classroom and at home. A glossary of key terms, age-appropriate picture book lists and links to additional resource collections for further study. In addition, you will find a few suggestions for using some of these resources to get your conversations started!

In addition to helping young children to learn literacy, math and science concepts and skills, early childhood teachers also use a variety of strategies to teach young children about likenesses and differences, fairness, respect, working and playing cooperatively with their friends and solving problems in positive ways. These essential skills lead to children’s understanding of equity and social justice. Young children learn best in safe, nurturing and play-based environments where they interact with diverse people and materials while being engaged in meaningful experiences. These environments are built on strong, positive, and trusting relationships between and among children, teachers, and families. Being together in a space where everyone is welcome and where everyone belongs is the place to begin to see social justice in action.

Social justice can be defined as fair and compassionate distribution of the fruits of economic growth.¹

Social Justice promotes fairness and equity across all aspects of society.

Racial identity and attitudes begin to develop in children at a young age, and 2- and 3-year-olds become aware of the differences between boys and girls, may begin noticing obvious physical disabilities, become curious about skin color and hair color/texture, and may also be aware of ethnic identity. By the time they’re 5 and entering kindergarten, children begin to identify with an ethnic group to which they belong and are able to explore the range of differences within and between racial and ethnic groups. In terms of bias, by age 3 or 4, white children in the U.S., Canada, Australia, and Europe show preferences for other white children. Further, current research suggests that children as young as 3 years old, when exposed to prejudice and racism, tend to embrace and accept it even though they might not understand the feelings.²

The resources and strategies found within the guide have been collected from a variety of well-respected organizations. You will find an abbreviated annotated bibliography of books, articles, videos, webinars and websites that not only focus on helping you, the teacher, to understand the complexities of social justice, it also focuses on using “young children’s understanding of differences to teach social justice through age-appropriate literature, news stories, anti-bias lessons, familiar examples, and problem-solving”.³ Within these resources you will find a variety of strategies to support you as you “get the conversations started” with young children, their families, and your colleagues.

Remember, this is just the beginning – a place to start- as you continue your own learning while sharing those understandings with the children in your learning community through appropriate resources. Building a community of learners that accepts and celebrates each other as people and learners is the goal. These experiences will carry over into later school years as well as into adulthood.

George Lucas Educational Foundation | edutopia

[2] [3] Spiegler, Jinnie. “Teaching Young Children About Bias, Diversity, and Social Justice.” Edutopia. George Lucas Educational Foundation, June 16, 2016. https://www.edutopia.org/blog/teaching-young-children-social-justice-jinnie-spiegler

Early Learning and Equity: Where Do We Begin?

In a world where diversity is growing by leaps and bounds, all people must learn to live together in peaceful and positive ways. But where do we begin? This collection of resources offers some ideas for doing just that...getting started. It is not easy. It takes intention. It takes persistence. It can be uncomfortable. It can challenge one’s thinking and beliefs. It can make the world a better, safer, and happier place to live for everyone.

We all want to belong. We all want to be appreciated for what we bring to our community. We all want to be loved. We all want to see ourselves in our surroundings. We all deserve respect. We all deserve opportunities to grow and learn in an atmosphere of trust and safety. No matter our circumstances or backgrounds or culture or the color of our skin or what our hair looks like, or what we do well or those things that we struggle to do, we all deserve an equitable chance to grow, to shine and to become our best selves.

The National Association for the Education of Young Children, the world’s largest early childhood education professional association, defines developmentally appropriate practice as “methods that promote each child’s optimal development and learning through a strengths-based, play-based approach to joyful, engaged learning”. When children experience appropriate and effective practices diversity is valued and celebrated, individually, developmentally, and culturally. Effective early learning and equity practices are woven within relationships, the classroom community, the learning environment, the curriculum and assessment, and family connections deeper understandings and actions are developed.

As a teacher of young children, one of the most important roles you have is to support a diverse group of children through developmentally appropriate practices. They will thrive as a loving, supportive, caring community of learners within your classroom where everyone does belong, and everyone sees themselves represented. The relationships within this special community are the foundation to success...in the classroom, in future classrooms and in life. And, yes, academic success is extremely important, but before that can occur, a student must develop the social and emotional skills necessary to build self-confidence, try new things and to be able to get along well with others.

Photo by Anna Shvets from Pexels

Effective early learning teachers, alongside each child’s family, dedicate their time and energy to supporting the positive development of the whole child, including their social and emotional skills. The most significant way that young children develop these social and emotional skills is by watching others, both adults and their peers, and having meaningful opportunities to practice with guidance from the adults in their world. Young children do not automatically know how to express themselves effectively or how to solve problems that may arise. They are learning how to “be” in the world. They are learning to share. They are learning new vocabulary and how to have conversations with others. They are learning what it means to be in a classroom with other children. They are learning about the world. They need support to do so effectively. They do it best within a caring, engaging, and appropriate environment.

The first step in creating this appropriate environment is for teachers to get to know the children and their families. Finding creative ways to connect to families is something that teachers of young children do best. Effective strategies could include mailing a post card to each child (and family) welcoming them to their new classroom, inviting families to visit the school and classroom during an Open House, making a home visit in person or virtually, meeting a family in a park or at a playground, or making a phone call just to say hello. These first introductory times are crucial in building strong and positive relationships with children and their families. These essential relationships will be the foundation for all that comes ahead.

For more information on effective early learning practices, a good place to begin is with the National Association for the Education of Young Children and its state and local affiliates.

www.naeyc.org

Within this guide, teachers will find numerous resources for building relationships and community with young children as well as many strategies for helping children to understand the similarities and differences found within the many people they will encounter throughout their lives. Understanding the value in diversity, whether it is by race, culture, gender, family composition, circumstance, or ability, is key to living in a world where we can all celebrate those differences and live together peacefully. As a teacher of young children, it is your responsibility to model and teach the essential ideals of equity and social justice through respectful, inclusive, and culturally responsive practices and policies. Building the foundation for learning and success starts in the early years. Adding a brick or two for the development of equity and social justice will be paramount in our children’s ability to be and to grow into caring, respectful, adults who value and appreciate all of our similarities and differences.

Photo

As you search for relevant resources, use this key to hone in on the subject matter.

Resources with links to activities and/or lesson plans for educators

*The resources recommended in this guide are active and available at no cost at the time of publication. Original authors may choose to remove or change the resources without notice.

ABBREVIATED ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY OF RESOURCES

Resources For Educators Working with Young Children

Armstrong, A. (2018). Building a Supportive Classroom Community in Early Childhood. Edutopia.

https://www.edutopia.org/article/building-supportive-classroom-community-early-childhood

This article shares ideas for developing a supportive classroom community that is safe for all children. It offers three tips along with additional links for other resources and books to use with young children. This article also connects the building of community to the prevention of bullying.

DAP: Building a Caring, Equitable Community of Learners. (2021). National Association for the Education of Young Children: Washington, DC.

https://www.naeyc.org/resources/position-statements/dap/creating-community

It is necessary for teachers to engage in critical selfreflection to uncover implicit personal biases and assumptions. naeyc

https://www.naeyc.org/ resources/pubs/yc/nov2016/ culturally-responsive-strategies

From the Introduction: Because early childhood education settings are often among children’s first communities outside the home, the character of these communities is very influential in children’s development. Through their interactions, children learn how to treat others and how they can expect to be treated. In developmentally appropriate practice, educators create and foster a community of learners. The role of the community is to provide a physical, emotional, and cognitive environment conducive to development and learning for each child. The foundation for the community is consistent, positive, caring relationships between educators and other adults and children, among children, among educators and colleagues, and between educators and families. Each member of the learning community is valued for what they bring to the community; all members are supported to consider and contribute to one another’s well-being and learning. This resource provides guiding principles and strategies for creating an equitable and caring environment for young children.

See Resource Topic Key, pg 9, for details = Resource includes classroom activities

Kane, K. (2016). Back to School: Why Creating Classroom Community is So Important. National Association for the Education of Young Children: Washington, DC.

https://www.naeyc.org/resources/blog/why-creating-classroom-community-so-important

The author provides guiding principles to consider as teachers of young children work to create a classroom community where children can safely build relationships and strengthen their social and emotional development while learning new concepts and skills.

Church, E.B. (2021). Building Community in the Classroom. Scholastic: Early Childhood Today. Webpage.

https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/articles/teaching-content/building-community-classroom/

The author provides thoughts on 6 elements that can effectively help children to feel known and supported, and secure within a new community of learners. The elements include building community through identity, familiarity, warmth and beauty, trust, predictability, and family involvement.

PBS Education: PBS Teachers’ Lounge. (2019). Strategies to Create a Community in Your Classroom. Blog by Michelle Garmon.

https://www.pbs.org/education/blog/strategies-to-create-a-community-in-your-classroom

This teacher author offers 10 ideas for creating community within your classroom. There are additional links to more resources on the topic.

University of Southern California: Rossier School of Education

https://rossieronline.usc.edu/blog/ creating-gender-inclusive-classrooms/

United States Department of Health and Human Services, Head Start Early Childhood Learning and Knowledge Center (2021). Webpage: Children with Disabilities

https://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/children-disabilities

The National Office of Head Start provides this website full of resources related to children with disabilities including information about IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) and services for children who do not qualify for IDEA, eligibility policies, and strategies for supporting interactions for children. In addition, this website provides an impressive collection of fact sheets, articles, videos, webinars, and policies to support those working with children with disabilities.

Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children (2016). DEC Recommended Practices with Examples

https://divisionearlychildhood.egnyte.com/dl/NRAghl7roM/

This is an extension of the 2014 DEC Recommended Practices which were developed to provide guidance to practitioners and families about the most effective ways to improve learning outcomes and to promote development of young children ages birth through age five. This extension includes examples for each practice to further explain the successful implementation of each practice. The categories include Leadership, Assessment, Environment, Family, Instruction, Interaction, and Teaming and Collaboration.

Joint Position Statement of the Division for Early Education (DEC) and The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). (2009). Early Childhood Inclusion.

https://www.naeyc.org/sites/default/files/globally-shared/downloads/PDFs/resources/position-statements/ps_inclusion_dec_naeyc_ec.pdf

https://www.naeyc.org/sites/default/files/globally-shared/downloads/PDFs/resources/position-statements/DEC_NAEYC_ECSummary_A.pdf

From the Introduction to the Position Statement: DEC and NAEYC recognize that having a common understanding of what inclusion means is fundamentally important for determining what types of practices and supports are necessary to achieve high quality inclusion. This DEC/NAEYC joint position statement offers a definition of early childhood along with recommendations for how the position statement should be used by families, practitioners, administrators, policy makers, and others to improve early childhood services.

“By fostering inclusive spaces that are free of gender bias and welcoming to everyone, all children benefit.

Frank Porter Graham (FPG) Child Development Institute at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, National Professional Development Center on Inclusion (NPDCI). Website.

https://npdci.fpg.unc.edu/

The National Professional Development Center on Inclusion (NPDCI) is working with states to ensure that early childhood teachers are prepared to educate and care for young children with disabilities in settings with their typically developing peers. The website includes Resources, Blogs and Discussions, and Fact Sheets.

Brillante, P. (2017). Every Child Belongs: Welcoming a Child with a Disability. National Association for the Education of Young Children: Washington, DC.

https://www.naeyc.org/resources/pubs/tyc/sep2017/every-child-belongs

This article speaks to the importance of supporting young children with disabilities and developmental delays in classrooms, remembering that best practices for young children are best practices for ALL children Topics include simple accommodations and modifications, as well as more specialized supports. The article provides a variety of strategies to try along with commonly used special education terms.

Isik-Ercan, Z. (2017). Culturally Appropriate Positive Guidance with Young Children. National Association for the Education of Young Children: Washington, DC.

https://www.naeyc.org/resources/pubs/yc/mar2017/culturally-appropriate-positiveguidance

Suggestions and principles for educators as work to support young children in positive, culturally appropriate ways, including ways for educators to increase their own cultural knowledge.

Photo by Artem Podrez from Pexels

Iheoma U. Iruka, Iliana Alanís, Susan Friedman (2021). Advancing Equity and Embracing Diversity in Early Childhood Education: Elevating Voices and Actions.

https://www.naeyc.org/resources/pubs/books/advancing-equity-embracing-diversity

This book showcasese voices across the field of early childhood education to advance the profession toward a more equitable educational experience, system, and practice for all children.

Tominey, S.L., O’Bryon, E.C., Rivers, S.E., and Shapses, S. (2017). Young Children Vol 72 No 1. Teaching Emotional Intelligence in Early Childhood. National Association for the Education of Young Children: Washington, DC.

https://www.naeyc.org/resources/pubs/yc/mar2017/teaching-emotional-intelligence

As teachers work to support a young child’s growing sense of how to express their emotions, it is important for them to model how they manage their own feelings. Being able to do that effectively calls for the adults to think how their own moods may impact their teaching and thus, the experiences of the children within their care. Supporting a child’s emotional intelligence is another step in building a strong and empathetic community of learners within the classroom and beyond. Children who exhibit higher emotional intelligence are shown to be more empathetic and have more positive relationships. This article offers practical strategies for teachers.

Price, C.L. & Steed, E.A. (2016). Culturally Responsive Strategies to Support Young Children with Challenging Behaviors.

National Association for the Education of Young Children: Washington, DC.

https://www.naeyc.org/resources/pubs/yc/nov2016/culturally-responsive-strategies

The five culturally responsive strategies described in this article can guide teachers in creating a classroom atmosphere that not only responds to children’s challenging behaviors but also anticipates their needs. Implementation of these strategies helps teachers initiate sustainable relationships and nurturing classrooms where all children are valued and have opportunities to grow and develop. The more children get together and engage in prosocial interactions with teachers and peers, the happier everyone will truly be.

Photo by Phil Hearing from Unsplash

Feeney, S., Freeman, N.K., and Schaffer, K. (2019). Young Children. Vol 74 No 5. Focus on Ethics: Gender Expression and Identity. National Association for the Education of Young Children: Washington, DC.

https://www.naeyc.org/resources/pubs/yc/nov2019/gender-expression-identity

In this article, there is a conflict between a family’s request that its son not be allowed to engage in stereotypically feminine activities in school and a teacher’s belief that it is best for children to be encouraged to choose the activities that are most meaningful to them. The authors provide suggestions for determining if this may be an ethical responsibility by considering the NAEYC Code of Ethics’ Guidance and Principles. It also includes further resources on the topic.

Solomon, J. (2016). Gender Identity and Expression in the Early Childhood Classroom: Influences on Development Within Sociocultural Contexts. National

Association for the Education of Young Children: Washington, DC.

https://www.naeyc.org/resources/pubs/yc/jul2016/gender-identity

Gender is an element of identity that young children are working hard to understand. It is also a topic that early childhood teachers are not always sure how best to address. The author says that “I have observed young children as they develop ideas about gender identity. I soon came to understand gender expression as a larger social justice issue, realizing how external influences were already at work inside the preschool classroom, impacting children’s interaction and choices for play and exploration”.

Photo by Taylor Heery from Unsplash

University of South Carolina (2020). How to Create Inclusive Classrooms for All Students

https://rossieronline.usc.edu/blog/creating-gender-inclusive-classrooms/

This resource provides action steps for educators as they strive to create inclusive classrooms for all children.

Kroeger, J., Recker, A., and Gunn, A. (2019). Tate and the Pink Coat: Exploring Gender and Enacting Anti-Bias Principles

https://www.naeyc.org/resources/pubs/yc/mar2019/exploring-gender-enacting-anti-bias

https://www.naeyc.org/resources/

pubs/tyc/apr2019/developing-empathy-inclusive-classrooms

This article explores the ideas around gender identity and offers a variety of recommendations and strategies for early childhood teachers to positively support young children’s gender exploration. The authors say, “We hope that after reading this article, teachers will be better equipped to work through their own biases before responding to young children who are exploring gender in nontraditional ways”.

Friedman, S. (2019). 8x. Developing Empathy to Build Warm, Inclusive Classrooms. National Association for the Education of Young Children: Washington, DC.

https://www.naeyc.org/resources/pubs/tyc/apr2019/developing-empathy-inclusiveclassrooms

Supporting the development of empathy in young children starts with building empathy in ourselves. The author offers 8 tips for considering your own assumptions, biases, and expectations in order to better understand and develop your own empathy as well as the children’s.

Modeling and teaching empathy - concern for others’ feelings - is an important part of being an effective, culturally competent teachers.

Susan Friedman

Ho, J. and Funk, S. (2018). Young Children Vol 73 No 1. Promoting Young Children’s Social and Emotional Health. National Association for the Education for Young Children: Washington, DC.

https://www.naeyc.org/resources/pubs/yc/mar2018/promoting-social-and-emotional-health

This article illustrates the importance of supporting the development of social and emotional skills in young children and how it can lead to more empathy, care about others, manage their own emotions, express their ideas clearly and the ability to cooperate and compromise with others. The authors offer several strategies for intentionally supporting children’s development which include building trusting relationships, sharing oneon-one time with each child, using children’s books, coaching, and modeling appropriate behaviors. It also contains a list of appropriate picture books and activities to use with children, as well as an extensive Reference section with additional resources.

Nemeth, K. (2016). Extreme Diversity in Cities: Challenges and Solutions for Programs Serving Young Children and Their Families,

National Association for the Education of Young

Children:

Washington, DC.

https://www.naeyc.org/resources/pubs/yc/nov2016/extreme-diversity-cities

From the author: Cities have traditionally been centers of diversity. While urban schools may face complex challenges in providing effective education for children who speak many languages, they also have access to resources and supports not found in suburban and rural areas. Even though each city is unique, cities have a lot to learn from each other about how they support children and families from many different cultural and linguistic backgrounds, and the breadth of their experiences can be informative for nonurban communities as well.

Photo by Tina Floersch on Unsplash

Colorin Colorado! A bilingual site for educators and families of English language learners.

https://www.colorincolorado.org/create-welcoming-classroom

From the Introduction: Colorin Colorado is a national multimedia project that offers a weather of bilingual, research-based information, activities, and advice for educators and families of English language learners (ELLS). An important first step in helping English language learners succeed is building their confidence and comfort level by making them feel welcome in the classroom and building positive relationships with students. This resource provides resources with strategies for creating a welcoming classroom. Topics include but are not limited to the following: Creating a Welcoming Environment for ELL and Immigrant Students, Getting Students Name Right, What It Feels Like to be a Language Learner, and How Schools Can Create a Safe Environment for Muslim Children.

Spiegler, J. (2016). Teaching Young Children About Bias, Diversity, and Social Justice. Edutopia.

https://www.edutopia.org/blog/teaching-young-children-social-justice-jinnie-spiegler

This article provides a practical overview of the why and how of teaching young children about social justice. It gives a brief description of a child’s development based on research with additional links to further studies.

Burnett, J.H. (2012). Racism Learned. Boston

Globe.

https://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2012/06/09/harvard-researcher-says-children-learnracism-quickly/gWuN1ZG3M40WihER2kAfdK/story.html

This brief article explains the former and current thinking around children’s understandings of race and racism. Based on a study of over 200 children, the author proposes that that young children learn about these topics even earlier than originally thought. It also states that bias can be unlearned if the adults in their lives work toward that goal.

https://www.naeyc.org/resources/ pubs/yc/nov2016/extremediversity-cities

Successful parent engagement, especially with large groups of vocal families, depends on navigating these interactions with respect and openness. naeyc

Martínez, C. (2021). Educating the Whole Child: Recognizing and Celebrating Diversity. Blog post. Teaching Strategies

https://teachingstrategies.com/blog/educating-the-whole-child-recognizing-andcelebrating-diversity/

This blog post by staff at Teaching Strategies discusses diversity and offers suggestions for creating a learning environment that intentionally celebrates diversity each adn every day.

National Association for the Education of Young Children (2019). Advancing Equity in Early Childhood Education: A Position Statement.

https://www.naeyc.org/resources/position-statements/equity

In 2019, the National Association for the Education of Young Children published this position statement as one of five foundational documents they have developed in collaboration with the early childhood profession. With its specific focus on advancing equity in early childhood education, this statement complements and supports the other foundational documents that define developmentally appropriate practice, set professional standards and competencies for early childhood educators, define the profession’s code of ethics and outline standards for early learning programs. This statement has been endorsed by over 100 organizations, all of which are dedicated to equity in early childhood education. The position statement outlines steps needed to:

1. provide high-quality early learning programs that build on each child’s unique individual and family strengths, cultural background, language(s), abilities, and experiences and

2. eliminate differences in educational outcomes as a result of who children are, where they live, and what resources their families have.

In addition to the statement itself, NAEYC has offered additional resources to support the position statement, including equity recommendations for educators and policy makers, definitions of key terms, and equity resources for “living the statement”.

https://www.naeyc.org/resources/position-statements/equity/recommendations-ECE

https://www.naeyc.org/resources/position-statements/equity/definitions

Photo by Artem Kniaz from Unsplash

Obrien, A. (2011; 2013). Bullying Prevention: 5 Tips for Teachers, Principals, and Parents. Edutopia

https://www.edutopia.org/blog/bullying-prevention-tips-teachers-parents-anne-obrien

This resource offers suggestions for those working with children on how to prevent bullying. Principals are encouraged to model and create an anti-bullying culture with their school. Teachers are encouraged to create a safe, bully-free zone in their classrooms. Parents are recognized as a school’s best allies and are encouraged to listen and talk to their children and to help children develop healthy anti-bullying habits.

No single factor puts a child at risk of being bullied or bullying others. Bullying can happen anywhere—cities, suburbs, or rural towns. Depending on the environment, some groups—such as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgendered (LGBT) youth, youth with disabilities, and socially isolated youth – may be at increased risk of being bullied.

Children’s Safety Network

https://www. childrenssafetynetwork. org/resources/csn-bullyingprevention-resource-guide

Snow, K. (2014). Bullying in Early Childhood. National Association for the Education of Young Children: Washington, DC.

https://www.naeyc.org/resources/blog/bullying-early-childhood

This blog post offers ideas as well as links to other articles focused on the definition of bullying, current research on bullying, and strategies for preventing and responding to bullying in young children. It discusses the general consensus from the research that bullying is in part driven by children’s developing social skills along with their emotion and behavior selfregulation skills.

Donato, I. (2013). Teaching Social Skills to Prevent Bullying in Young Children. stopbullying.gov

https://www.stopbullying.gov/blog/2013/01/03/teaching-social-skills-to-prevent-bullying-inyoung-children

This particular resource offers strategies for dealing with bullying incidences as well as creating an environment that supports respect and kindness, where bullying is not accepted or tolerated. www.stopbullying.gov has many resources to support the prevention of bullying.

Resources For Families and Educators

Sesame Street and Autism (2021)

https://sesamestreetincommunities.org/topics/autism/

Sesame Street and Autism: See Amazing in All Children is a nationwide initiative aimed at communities with children ages 2 to 5. Developed with input from parents, people who serve the autism community, and people with autism, See Amazing in All Children offers families ways to manage common challenges, to simplify everyday activities, and to grow connections and support from family, friends, and community.

Anti-Defamation League (2021). Talking to Young Children about Bias and Prejudice

https://www.adl.org/education/resources/tools-and-strategies/talking-to-young-childrenabout-prejudice

This article (Excerpted from an article by Caryl Stern which originally appeared in Our Children, February 2000. Reprinted by permission) discusses that hate is learned and can be unlearned. It includes information about important issues which should be considered when talking with young children about prejudice and discrimination.

Embrace Race (2021). 16 Ways to Help children become thoughtful, informed and BRAVE about race.

https://www.embracerace.org/resources/you-can-do-it-talking-to-young-children-about-race

This action guide offers tips and strategies for helping children to have a deeper understanding of race. There are also links to additional resources.

Nickelodeon Parents Anti-Racism Resources for Parents and Families

https://www.nickelodeonparents.com/anti-racism-resources-for-parents-families/

This is a collection of articles, blogs, books, toolkits, and organizations to support families as they talk with their children about racism and bias.

Parlakian, R. (2017). Racism and Violence: Using Your Power as a Parent to Support Children Aged Two to Five. Zero to Three: Washington, DC.

https://www.zerotothree.org/resources/1598-racism-and-violence-using-your-power-as-aparent-to-support-children-aged-two-to-five

This resource provides thoughts and guidelines for talking about the complex issues of racism and equality in age-appropriate ways with children aged two to five years of age.

“

Children learn biases from important adults in their lives, from the media, from books and from peers. Parents and adult family members need to talk to their kids-to give them accurate information.

Caryl Stern, Our Children, February 2000

https://www.adl.org/education/resources/ tools-and-strategies/talking-to-youngchildren-about-prejudice

Photo by Austin Pacheco from Unsplash

Resources To Use With Children

Sesame Street in Communities YouTube Channel

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuEgW3r4ytXwd9UfQySv_Nw

This channel includes lots of short video clips for young children on a variety of topics including Racial Justice, Autism, Health Emergencies, Community and Gun Violence, and Heroes for Health.

Sesame Street

https://www.sesamestreet.org/

Sesame Street by Sesame Workshop provides a multitude of appropriate and engaging resources for young children focused on a variety of topics. Exploring this website to find games, videos, art and much more.

Down Syndrome Association of Greater Cincinnati (2017). More

Alike Than Different.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jaFckI3PG3c (8:17)

In an effort to help others understand their uniqueness, this 8-minute video gives the viewer a glimpse into the world of a child with Down Syndrome. Perspectives are given by families, teachers, principals, classmates, friends, and the children with Down Syndrome themselves.

Sesame Street (2017). Meet Julia

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKCdV20zLMs (10:07)

Julia has autism...and she and Elmo share an amazing friendship. Watch as the kids on Sesame Street introduce her to Big Bird and they all learn that we are all unique.

Photo by Kampus Production from Pexels

https://www.inc.com/geoffreyjames/45-quotes-from-mr-rogersthat-we-all-need-today.html

Timmons, V., Breitenbach, M., & MacIsaac, M. Educating Children About Autism in an Inclusive Classroom. University of Prince Edward Island.

https://www.princeedwardisland.ca/sites/default/files/publications/eelc_educating_children_about_autism.pdf

From the authors: The purpose of this project was to contribute to the knowledge and implementation of best practices for children with autism. The study identified current teaching and parenting practices in Prince Edward Island which address the educational challenges and individualized needs of children with autism spectrum disorders in included settings. This resource contains introductory information about Autism including 9 lesson plans for a variety of grade levels as well as Class Project. It also includes an extensive Appendix of additional resources.

Reading Rockets. (2021). Autism and Asperger’s.

https://www.readingrockets.org/reading-topics/autism-and-asperger-s

From the introduction: In this section, you’ll find information on how to help children with ASD succeed in the K-3 classroom, books for children that feature characters on the spectrum, links to PBS autism awareness programming and resources, and much more.

Mack & Moxy. (2010). Mack & Moxy Sing-along: A Spectrum of Possibilities. YouTube

https://youtu.be/luc2yXM_yGw

From the Mack & Moxy Youtube Channel: “Mack & Moxy and Trooper Charlie, a boy living with autism, land high atop a colorful tree and see a Little Bird building his nest nearby. Confused as to why their new friend won’t look at or talk to them, Trooper Charlie recognizes that Little Bird also has autism. Once they all celebrate the joys of being true to yourself, Little Bird’s unique talents help them find their way to the Great Helpee!” Sing-along with these friends as they celebrate that each of us is different and that they “like it that way”.

We all have different gifts, so we all have different ways of saying to the world who we are.

Fred Rogers

Photo by Gautam Arora from Unsplash

TEDxWestVancouverED (2017). We Are All Different – And That’s Awesome

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQuM5e0QGLg (4:39)

From the Introduction: Cole Blakeway, a messy ten-year-old teaches us the value of celebrating differences as he describes his beautiful friendship with Steven, a 44-year-old man with Autism. In a world that gravitates to being the same, Cole Blakeway reminds us that we are all different and that’s AWESOME! This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community.

Connor, R. (2020). Literacy and SEL: Bringing SEL to Life for Young Students Through Picture Books. Center for Responsive Schools.

https://www.crslearn.org/publication/feburary-2020-literacy-and-sel/bring-sel-to-life-foryoung-students-through-picture-books/

From the Author: There are many high-quality picture books that can bring Social Emotional Learning to life in the early elementary classroom. The following recommendations are developmentally appropriate for kindergarten through second grade students. Topics include cooperation, assertiveness, responsibility, empathy, and self-control. This resource also shares research supporting the use of picture books with young children.

Sesame Street: Challenges and Strategies

https://sesamestreetincommunities.org/activities/challenges-strategies/

Young children face new challenges at every age and stage — that’s why it’s so important to help them build the skills they need to become resilient. With self-confidence and the ability to express themselves, little ones will be able to handle whatever may come their way…and will just keep getting stronger.

Photo by Alireza Attari from Unsplash

Photo by Kampus Production from Pexels

Not In Our Town (2016). Our Family: A Film About Family Diversity

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTqC4U_98Xo (7:30)

This short film is a collaboration between Our Family Coalition and Not In Our Town to encourage conversation about the many diverse family constellations, to give children the opportunity to see and appreciate their own families, and to be open and respectful to those who are different from them.

PBS. (2021) Life’s Little Lessons: A PBS Kids Learning Kit with Daniel Tiger

https://pbskids.org/learn/lifes-little-lessons/alike-and-different/

In this set of resources, we will use videos from Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood to focus on how teachers can help children value and appreciate ways in which we are alike and ways in which we are different. Resources include video clips, teacher tips, activities, and family letters and activities. In both English and Spanish. Additional links are also available.

Sesame Workshop (2021). Coming Together: Celebrating Every Child’s Race, Ethniciy, and Culture

https://www.sesameworkshop.org/what-we-do/racial-justice

From the Sesame Workshop Team: Coming Together is Sesame Workshop’s commitment to racial justice. We believe in a world where all children can reach their full potential and humanity—and do so in celebration of their races, ethnicities, and cultures. Together with experts, we’ve designed developmentally appropriate resources to help you guide your child to be smarter, stronger, and kinder—and an upstander to racism. The website includes sections entitled Don’t Know Where to Begin? Start Here, The ABCs of Racial Literacy, Watch Together, The Power of We Club, Coming Together Books and Coming Together: Standing Up to Racism.

Photo by Thiago Cerqueira from Unsplash

Jinnie Spiegler

Director of Curriculum, Anti-Defamation League

https://www.edutopia.org/blog/ teaching-young-children-socialjustice-jinnie-spiegler

Sesame Street in Communities (2021) Explaining What is Race?

https://youtu.be/Dk_HYAiS26I (3:08)

From Sesame Street in Communities – “When Elmo notices that some of the leaves in the park match his red fur and some match his friend Wes’s brown skin, he wonders how skin gets its color. Wes’s dad Elijah explains it’s from melanin—something everyone has in their bodies that gives us our skin, eye, and hair color. These things make us who we are, and many people call this race. But like the leaves on a tree, the colors are most beautiful when they are standing together!”

Parents/Teachers can sign up to receive newsletters at the following link:

https://sesamestreetincommunities.org/?nl=success

PBS Kids and Sesame Street. (2021). The Power of We

https://pbslearningmedia.org/resource/the-power-of-we-media-gallery/sesame-street/ (21:40)

Elmo and friends plan a virtual community singalong as they stand up against Racism. Children learn about racism and how important it is to stand up for what’s right and being an “Up Stander” – standing up against racism. We have the power to make things better.

Sesame Street (2010). Same and Different. Video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uATf5EhLebM (1:53)

Photo by Kampus Production from Pexels

The good news is that bias can be unlearned or reversed if we’re exposed to diversity in a positive way. Harnessing young children’s desire for fairness and using it as opening to discuss bias and discrimination is not a hard leap, but one that needs to be made explicitly and with instruction.

RESOURCE COLLECTIONS

The following links connect to several compilations of resources

United States Department of Education (2021). Individuals with Disabilities Education Act: Parents and Families Resources

https://sites.ed.gov/idea/parents-families/

The Parents and Families Resource page brings together U.S. Department of Education-funded centers, department programs, and additional information of interest for parents and families.

Center for Parent Information and Resources (2017). Resources Especially for Child Care Providers and Preschools.

https://www.parentcenterhub.org/childcare/

A collection of resources for families, childcare providers and preschool educators working with children with disabilities. Resources are focused on disability definitions, legal issues, working with diverse families, helping children transition to new settings, and early care and education.

University of Washington (2014). Disabilities, Opportunities, Internetworking, and Technology (DO-IT). National Resources for Parents of Children and Youth with Disabilities

https://www.washington.edu/doit/national-resources-parents-children-and-youth-disabilities

An extensive collection of resources can be found within this website.

Photo by Erika Fletcher from Unsplash

Human Rights Campaign (2021). Resources on Gender-Expansive Children and Youth

https://www.hrc.org/resources/resources-on-gender-expansive-children-and-youth

This resource includes an extensive list of resources including organizations focused on gender-expansive children and youth, resources for families, guardians, and friends of gender-expansive children and youth, resources for educators, and books for children and adults on this topic.

National Association for the Education of Young Children (2022). Advancing Equity Initiative.

https://www.naeyc.org/our-work/initiatives/equity

This content provided by the NAEYC is an extensive collection of guides, books, articles, reports, and real-life examples which are focused on “creative equitable learning opportunities for young children.” A must-see collection for anyone teaching young children about equity.

Trying Together

https://tryingtogether.org/community-resources/anti-racism-tools/

Numerous resources for adults, educators, and resources for discussing racism and violence with children along with lists of children’s books and resources for social/emotional development.

National Equity Project Free Resources for Educators

https://www.nationalequityproject.org/resources

The National Equity Project is a leadership and systems change organization committed to increasing the capacity of people to achieve thriving, selfdetermining, educated, and just communities. This website includes links to articles, blogs, frameworks, webinars, tools, videos, podcasts and research.

Recently, several prominent national education organizations—including the NEA, AERA, AFT, and NCTE—have called for addressing equity in schools and society, specifically recommending that we highlight systemic patterns of racism and educational equity that impact students, and that educators and school leaders need training and support to do that. We need to begin this process with our youngest hearts and minds in order to have a lasting impact.

Jinnie Spiegler

https://www.edutopia.org/blog/ teaching-young-children-socialjustice-jinnie-spiegler

Vermont Agency of Education. (2021). The Right Stuff: Resources to Help Realize the Promise of Each Vermont Child – Culture, Diversity, Equity & Expression Resources

https://education.vermont.gov/sites/aoe/files/documents/edu-culture-diversity-and-equityresources.pdf

This resource collection is provided by the Vermont Agency of Education.

Colorin Colorado! (2021). How to Address Bias and Bullying: Resources for Schools.

https://www.colorincolorado.org/teaching-ells/creating-welcoming-classroom/how-addressbias-and-bullying-resources-schools

This resource collection provides a number of tools for addressing bullying and bias, as well as for exploring bigger topics in the classroom. Links to related lesson plans and booklists are included. Colorin Colorado! is a bilingual site for educators and families of English language learners.

Children’s Safety Network (CSN) (2021). Child Safety Topics: Bullying Prevention.

https://www.childrenssafetynetwork.org/injury-topics/bullying-prevention

This link provides a variety of resources for families to support the prevention of bullying.

Photo by Kampus Production from Pexels

Children’s Safety Network (CSN). (2020). Bullying Prevention Resource Guide.

https://www.childrenssafetynetwork.org/resources/csn-bullying-prevention-resource-guide

This guide provides links to a multitude of bullying prevention resources available to you. It is divided into six sections: (1) Organizations and Websites; (2) Data and Data Sources (3) Programs, Campaigns, and Resources; (4) Policies, laws and Legislation; (5) Publications; (6) At Risk Populations. A download of the guide is available in PDF format.

Learning for Justice Bullying Help: Resources and Partners (2021)

https://www.learningforjustice.org/professional-development/bullying-helpresources-and-partners

This site contains a list of resources and organizations which support schools in the prevention of and responses to bullying.

Fred Rogers

https://www.inc.com/geoffrey-james/45quotes-from-mr-rogers-that-we-all-needtoday.html

Photo by Rodnae Productions from Pexels

“

As human beings, our job in life is to help people realize how rare and valuable each one of us really is, that each of us has something that no one else has- or ever will have- something inside that is unique to all time. It’s our job to encourage each other to discover that uniqueness and to provide ways of developing its expression.

CHILDREN’S BOOK LIST

Bologna, C. (2018, 2021). 17 Children’s Books That Promote Understanding of Autism. Huffpost.

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/17-childrens-books-that-promote-understanding-of-autism_n_5ade4580e4b036e7aeb58a64

From the website: In honor of Autism Awareness Month, we compiled a list of children’s books that feature characters on the spectrum and tackle issues related to autism. While some speak from the perspective of a child with autism, others show the perspective of a neurotypical sibling or friend. All promote understanding and acceptance for kids on the spectrum.

Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Foundation’s Welcoming Schools (2022). Creating Gender Inclusive School Booklist for Elementary

https://hrc-prod-requests.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/welcoming-schools/documents/WS-Creating-Gender-Inclusive-SchoolsBooklist-for-Elementary.pdf

This book list includes picture books for young children with titles that include Annie’s Plaid Shirt, Be Who You Are, Jacob’s New Dress and It’s OK to be Different. Lesson plans are included with some books. This is the lesson plan to accompany Jacob’s New Dress (K-2):

https://hrc-prod-requests.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/welcomingschools/documents/WS_Lesson_Jacobs_New_Dress_Gender_Expression.

pdf?mtime=20200713131936&focal=none

Moran, K. (2021). We Are Teachers. 50 Must Have Children’s Books That Teach Social Skills.

https://www.weareteachers.com/15-must-have-picture-books-for-teaching-socialemotional-skills/

This resource includes a list and descriptions of pictures books about managing fear and anxiety, risk-taking, friendship, identity, overcoming challenges, kindness, grief, feelings, honesty, self-control, resiliency. It also includes a suggested 4-step process for reading books that teach social and emotional skills with young children.

Photo by Artem Podrez from Pexels

Human Rights Campaign. (2017). Six Children’s Books That Celebrate Family Diversity.

https://www.hrc.org/news/six-childrens-books-that-celebrate-family-diversity

From the website: By showing a wide variety of diverse family structures through your choice of books, you can help your child develop pride in their own family at the same time you expose them to the diversity of the world around them. Books like these help your child understand the common theme that runs through all families: love.

US Department of Health and Human Services, Head Start/ECLKC. (2020). Children’s Books That Include Diverse Family Structures.

https://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/publication/childrens-books-include-diverse-family-structures

From the website: This resource is part of a series developed to support programs in partnering with parents/ guardians who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, and/or transgender (LGBT). Find information and strategies to create an early childhood setting that is welcoming for all children and families. Recommended for directors, teachers, providers, and parents.

(2022).

All Families Booklist for Elementary.

https://hrc-prod-requests.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/welcoming-schools/documents/ WS-Embracing-All-Families-Booklist-for-Elementary.pdf

This resource offers a variety of book lists within several categories including diverse picture books with two dads and two moms, diverse LGBTQ inclusive picture books, immigrant children and families, books that celebrate adoption, and bilingual books and Spanish editions. There is a link to lesson plans, as well.

Photo by Kindel Media from Pexels

Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Foundation’s Welcoming Schools

Embracing

Photo by Kampus Production from Pexels

naeyc

https://www.naeyc.org/ resources/pubs/tyc/sep2017/ every-child-belongs

What Do We Do All Day (2015) Picture Books That Teach Kids to Combat Racism

https://www.whatdowedoallday.com/picture-books-that-teach-kids-to-combat-racism/

According to the author, “books are a great teaching tool, especially when it comes to talking to kids about tough subjects. Many parents might struggle with talking to their kids about institutionalized racism and prejudice and I hope these pictures books about racism will help, because an open and honest dialogue is the only way our kids can work to combat the problem so they that and their friends can live in a better society”.

Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s Welcoming Schools (2021) Understanding Racism: PreK-8 Books that Inspire and Challenge Race.

https://assets2.hrc.org/files/images/resources/Understanding-Racism-Booklist.pdf?_

ga=2.251064518.1172744596.1618536023-1078710264.1618536023

This book list includes a variety of books for young children on topics including Anti-Black Racism, Black History, Skin Color, Self-Esteem and Anti-Asian, Indigenous Peoples and Latinx Racism. PreK-2 titles include Freedom Summer, Let’s Talk About Race, The Other Side, Juneteenth for Mazie, We March, Skin Like Mine, I Am Enough, I Am Perfectly Designed, M is for Melanin, and The Name Jar.

Levin, V. (2021). All About Me Books for Preschool and Kindergarten.

PreK Pages

https://www.pre-kpages.com/all-about-me-books/

From the author: “Me” is a topic that preschoolers are always interested in learning more about. There’s nothing young children like more than talking about themselves. In an All About Me theme, kids can think about their interests and the things they can do. They can think about how they are like people around them and how they are different. These books will be a big help to you when planning for an All About Me theme in your classroom. This webpage also offers additional tips, activities, and links to other book lists.

“To be an effective teacher, remember that regardless of individual needs, children are first and foremost children—and best practices for young children are best practices for all young children.

We Are Teachers (2019). 23 Must-Read Anti-Bullying Books for Kids

https://www.weareteachers.com/14-must-read-anti-bullying-books-for-kids/

As the author states, “sometimes a book can change a heart”. This resource provides a list of ageappropriate picture books to read with children in grades PreK-3 and beyond. Some of the titles include You, Me and Empathy, I Walk With Vanessa, The Juice Box Bully, Chrysanthemum, and Stick and Stone.

Doing Good Together. (2021). A Growing List of Picture Books About Bullies, Bystanders and Being Kind.

https://www.doinggoodtogether.org/bhf-book-lists/picture-books-about-bullies-bystanders-and-being-kind

This resource provides a number of picture books to share with children along with plot descriptions, conversation starters, and ideas for talking about the issues with young children. These resources can help teach children how to be “upstanders”.

Photo by Charlein Gracia from Unsplash

Photo by Melvin Thambi from Unsplash

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ACTIVITY #1

All About Me Booklet

GETTING TO KNOW OUR COMMUNITY: LIKENESSES AND DIFFERENCES

OBJECTIVE:

To build a caring community of learners. To foster awareness, acceptance, and respect for one another. To illustrate each child’s characteristics, likes and dislikes. To gain a deeper understanding of how we are all alike and how we are all different.

MATERIALS NEEDED

❑ Paper or construction paper

❑ Crayons, colored pencils, and/or washable markers

❑ Glue, string, and/or staples

❑ Scissors

❑ Picture books (see suggestions on next page)

SMALL GROUP OR INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY: PRESCHOOL — 1ST GRADE

Depending on the age of the children, this activity can be done individually (at school or at home) or in a small group with each child working on their own book.

Photo by August de Richelieu from Pexels

FOLLOW UP

Follow up the discussions with picture books such as:

(see Book List section)

I Like Myself!

- by Karen Beaumont

What I Like About Me

- by Allia Zobel-Nolan

I Like Me

- by Nancy Carlson

ABC I Like Me

- by Nancy Carlson

Only One You

- by Linda Kranz

Be Who You Are

- by Todd Paar

It’s Okay to Be Different

- by Todd Paar

The Skin You Live In

- by Michael Tyler and David Lee Csicsko

Shades of People

- by Sheila M. Kelly

LEARN ABOUT YOURSELF

To be used as a starting place for children to get to know each other as well as to compare likenesses and differences, each child creates an All About Me booklet. There are several options for the format of this book from plain white paper stapled together into a booklet to a pre-made fill-in-the-blank type booklet with spaces for children to draw and write. Be creative. The more children can help with the creation of these booklets, the better!

CREATE BOOKS

Children create their own books. This will be an activity that lasts for several days. Different children will need different levels of support to complete this task. Topics for each page could include but are not limited to:

• a self-portrait,

• a place to print their name,

• a place to write their age,

• their characteristics such as hair color, eye color, skin color

• a drawing of their family,

• a variety of favorites: food, color, game, place, animal

• things they like to do (sing, dance, play, run...the list is endless)

SHARE

Children take turns sharing/reading their books to their friends. This can be done during a whole group Sharing Time (a few each day of the week), with a partner, or within a small group setting. After a book has been shared, it is placed within the classroom Reading Area for all to enjoy.

WE’RE ALL UNIQUE

Introduce the word UNIQUE to the children. Describe what it means. Show them how each of them is unique and that’s good!

DISCUSS

Use these books as catalysts for ongoing discussions about how special each of us are, likenesses and differences and how this makes our world beautiful.

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Family Connections

OBJECTIVE:

To answer the following questions: what is a family? who are in a family? what are some different types of families? what makes a family? how are our families alike and different?

MATERIALS NEEDED

❑ Paper

❑ Crayons, colored pencils, and/or washable markers

❑ Printable Venn Diagram

❑ Picture books (see suggestions on next page)

SMALL GROUP ACTIVITY:

PRESCHOOL OR KINDERGARTEN

No more than 6 children in the group (consider how to ensure diversity within each small group)

Photo by William Fortunato from Pexels

FOLLOW UP

As a follow-up activity, ask children to bring a photo of their family to school. In anticipation of some children not having a photo to share, plan to take photos of each family during an Orientation Event or Home Visit, with permission, of course! Using the photos, create a class book called “Our Families” to be kept in the Reading Area for all to enjoy.

Activity Directions

Ask each child to tell the group who is in their family and have them draw a picture of their family members...labeling them with their names. Depending on the child’s developmental level, teachers may need to write the names for the child.

SHARE AND DISCUSS

Ask the children to share their drawings with a partner and tell each other about their family. Ask them to talk about what things are alike about their families. Ask them to talk about what is different about their families.

3

LIKENESSES AND DIFFERENCES

Create a Venn Diagram showing how all of our families are alike and different. Pairs of children could complete a Venn diagram on just their two families and/or this could be done as a whole small group. Display the Venn diagram(s) in the classroom where children can see them.

4

READ AND DISCUSS

Read the picture book: The Family Book by Todd Paar. Discuss all the ways that the author describes families. Ask questions:

• Can you think of any other types of families there might be?

• Do you see a family in the book that is similar to yours?

• Do you see a family in the book that is different than yours?

5

DISCUSS

Throughout the week, read a variety of books related to families. See links for additional, age-appropriate books such as:

• https://www.hrc.org/news/six-childrens-books-that-celebrate-family-diversity

• https://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/publication/childrens-books-include-diverse-familystructures

Photo by KoolShooters from Pexels

This is my family!

Activity Directions

WATCH

Watch the 4-minute video together.

ACTIVITY #3

Being Different is Awesome

IT’S AWESOME TO BE UNIQUE (AUTISM)

OBJECTIVE:

To support children’s deeper understanding of the differences and similarities within people. Use the following video as a catalyst for talking about differences. TEDxWestVancouverED (2017). We Are All Different – And That’s Awesome

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQuM5e0QGLg (4:39)

WHOLE GROUP OR SMALL GROUP ACTIVITY: PRESCHOOL — 1ST GRADE

JOURNAL

Give students a few minutes to draw and/or write in their journals (or a piece of plain paper) to record their thinking about this video with prompts such as:

• What did you learn while you were watching this video?

• How did this video make you feel?

• What did you like about the video?

• What questions do you have?

DISCUSS

Engage in a group discussion with the children about what they learned from this video. Additional questions that may help guide the discussion include:

• What was something you liked about this video?

• What is Autism?

• What kinds of things did Cole say he loves about his friend with Autism?

• What makes you unique?

• What makes you weird?

• What makes you awesome?

• What is different about YOU?

• What is something that you really like about one of your friends?

• What questions do you still have about this topic?

Photo by Sharon McCutcheon from Pexels

ACTIVITY #4

Beautiful Together

WHAT IS RACE?

OBJECTIVE:

To identify likenesses and differences. To begin the exploration of social justice by defining race. To value the things that make us who we are. To develop a deeper understanding of how we are more beautiful when we are standing together.

MATERIALS NEEDED

❑ Paper

❑ Crayons, colored pencils, and/or washable markers

WHOLE GROUP, SMALL GROUP, OR INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY: PRESCHOOL OR KINDERGARTEN

Activity Directions

WATCH

Watch the Sesame Street video, Explaining What is Race?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dk_HYAiS26I

Description of video: When Elmo notices that some of the leaves in the park match his red fur and some match his friend Wes’s brown skin, he wonders how skin gets its color. Wes’s dad Elijah explains it’s from melanin—something everyone has in their bodies that gives us our skin, eye, and hair color. These things make us who we are, and many people call this race. But like the leaves on a tree, the colors are most beautiful when they are standing together! When we stand together, we stand strong.

Photo by Islander Images from Unsplash

DISCUSS

Ask open-ended questions to engage the children in a discussion about the video. Use this as an opportunity to observe and take notes on what children know and are thinking including misconceptions and understandings. Use this conversation when planning next steps in your discussions of and activities pertaining to social justice.

DRAW

Utilize the lesson found within the Sesame Street in Communities webpage called Beautiful Me found at this link:

https://sesamestreetincommunities.org/activities/beautiful-me/

COLLECT

Collect all the drawings and put them together into a class book to be stored in the Reading Area for all to enjoy. Laminating the pages will help to keep them safe!

ACTIVITY #5

Be An Ally

BULLYING PREVENTION

OBJECTIVE:

To introduce children to the ideas behind kindness, friendship, being an ally, bullying and mean behavior, community, and strength in numbers.

MATERIALS NEEDED

❑ Paper or construction paper

❑ Crayons, colored pencils, and/or washable markers

❑ Glue, string, and/or staples

❑ Scissors

❑ I Walk With Vanessa

Picture book

WHOLE GROUP AND SMALL GROUP ACTIVITY: PRESCHOOL — 1ST GRADE

Activity Directions

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READ

Use the lesson plan from the Anti-Defamation League that accompanies the wordless picture book, I Walk with Vanessa by Kerascoët (Illustrators) which can be downloaded from this link: https://www.adl.org/i-walk-vanessa

ACTIVITIES

Use the extension activities available to continue the discussions related to these topics.

BULLETIN BOARD

Another extension opportunity is to create a bulletin board display entitled We Are Kind (or something similar) to document the many ways in which the children in your classroom show kindness. This can be documented through photographs, drawings, and stories written by children, etc. This could serve as an ongoing documentation of kindness throughout the year or at least throughout the beginning of the school year.

Photo by Annie Spratt from Pexels