It has been exciting to read the range of questions. Doing anti-bias education is complex and it calls on us to be thoughtful and intentional about our work—and that requires us to talk with each other. Thanks for recognizing that helping people feel okay about raising and discussing the kind of issues raised here is at the heart of effective anti-bias education work. We very much agree that tackling hard, complex and emotion-evoking topics in a ‘warm, respectful’ way—even when saying hard things—is key.

Of course all children growing up in the U.S. need to learn to speak, read, write and think in English. We couldn’t agree more. There are two questions that go with this statement. First, how do we most successfully achieve English fluency and literacy in children whose home language is not English. And second, does that preclude children being raised to be fluently bi-lingual and bi-literate - an increasingly important skill set for anyone who will be successful in our global world.
It is important to distinguish between children developing “school yard fluency” (being able to converse with other children and manage daily interactions in a language) and intellectual fluency (the ability to write, think, apply abstract concepts, deeply learn, etc.). In order to learn new concepts, young children need to connect rich language experiences with hands on, active learning. When young children’s home language (where they have the most fluency) is connected with their active experiences in early education, they learn quickly and deeply. There is a large body of research that shows us children learn best when they develop fluency and literacy in their home languages first – while being exposed to a second language. And that the transfer to the second language comes slowly – but then happens effectively. Learning complex ideas is hard enough when you are competent in the language of instruction. For children who do not have language competency, their understanding falls behind each year creating an achievement gap that is very, very difficult to bridge.
It is also important to remember that the emotional life of the child profoundly impacts their ability to learn. (Read Carol Lyons wonderful book “Teaching Struggling Readers” for a very understandable and fascinating look at the impact of feelings on learning). When children’s home language is treated as second-rate, when their language is not included into their early childhood program, children often internalize the message that there is something wrong, something to be ashamed of, something not good-enough, about them and their families.
This is not an either/or issue. We don’t have to say “either children will be taught only English or not at all in English”. The most effective way to teach for literacy and fluency is to help children richly develop their primary language with increasing exposure and education in English in each passing year.

The DAP focuses very much on the relationships built between teachers and young students. Relationships can be built, both strong and weak, with a language barrier. I have experienced a strong student/teacher relationship with a language barrier. Although, I could not imagine how much stronger it would be if that relationship would have focuses a bit on the development of the english language with the student. Page 66 of Chapter five really spurred this question. There is a little box titled, "Why Don't They Learn English?" and it caught my eye because of the that it was worded. I initially thought that it was a bias statement, because it usually is when referring to people who do not know English well, but it was not. The little blog about this topic was simply trying to say that it is good to develop a relationship that is NOT built upon language. This confuses thus had me ask the question stated above. The language that a teacher would speak would surely set a certain "environment" for the other children and if she was constantly translating for a student then the other students could get frustrated or even angry of the fact that the teacher spends more time with the student with language problems as opposed to them. There should be a separate school or class for students like this, unfortunately. As stated in the DAP it is the teachers job to set certain standards within a classroom one of which should be a primary language.

We agree that it IS pretty cool to be able to positively impact the way a child looks at the world. I can’t say it any better than did Carol Brunson Day in the foreword to Anti-Bias Education for Young Children & Ourselves: “What if someone told you that you could contribute in a small but significant way to making the world a better place? Would you want to do it?... a chance to make the world fairer and more humane for everybody[?]… and the chance to achieve that grand goal from a place where you have chosen to be—in your daily work with children and families[?] …. Should you choose to fully engage in the [anti-bias educator] journey your reward will be a renewed sense of hope that by your own hand, things really can change”.

Yes, that is exactly how you do it. When children in the program come from many varied backgrounds you have plenty material for the year for exploring how we are the same and different from each other. You want to make sure that all children are visible in your visual environment and teaching materials. This may mean you have to make some of your own teaching materials, with help from other staff and families. You also can build your curriculum around ABE goals 3 and 4 in relation to the children in the program—building connectedness and community, learning to play and work cooperatively across cultural and language differences, treating everyone fairly, intervening in and changing hurtful behaviors based on another child’s identity, and helpign children learn to identify and counter misinformation and stereotypes about themselves and others .

What you do depends, as in all early childhood issues, on the specific reasons underlying a child’s refusal to engage in learning another language. The first step is to try to learn from the child why she/he does not want to participate in the second language learning. Children may not want to learn a second language (be it English or another language) because they feel they cannot do it, or fear teasing when they do not speak “correctly. It is important to create a learning environment in which all languages, and communications styles are supported—including the child who needs time to speak. Always immediately intervene when a child in your program teases or rejects another child because of how she/he speaks. If an English-speaking child refuses to participate in learning another language, it may be that they have picked up the message (from thru the larger society or their family) that other languages are not as good as English. Your learning environment can counter this view. Conversely , when children ‘s home language is other than English, they may refuse to use that language at school because they have picked up the message that English is the language of power and that their language is not considered as good as English. In that case, supporting the value of the child’s home language, as well as English, by your behavior and learning environments, would be the approach to take.
As to your second question, English speaking parents who oppose early childhood programs introducing a second language ( most often when it is Spanish), because they feel it will undermining the learning of English, are not uncommon. In our experience, their concerns arise from one or more of the following sources. One is the lack of accurate information about how children learn language and children’s ability to begin learning a second language. Second, is their lack of awareness of how English is very well supported in our society and there is no reason at all to fear that children from English speaking homes will not learn English. They may benefit from ideas about how they can also support their child's best English language development at home. Third, the opposition to a second language frequently is related to which language is being introduced. There is a long tradition in American private schools serving wealthy children, to teach a European second language, such as German or French, and, in more recent years, an Asian language, such as Japanese. Parents in such schools do not worry about their children not learning English. The problem almost always seem to arise when a school introduces Spanish as a second language, or implements a dual- English/Spanish-language program. We believe that the widespread prejudice directed at immigrants and American citizens from Mexico and Central America is a frequent reason for people’s opposition to Spanish. However, even when prejudice underlies parental opposition to bilingual education, people do not usually voice this-but rather use non-prejudiced sounding reasons such as being worried that their child will not English. In such cases, offer families accurate information about children’s capacity to begin to learn a second language, as well as the several advantages. This includes improving cognitive development, preparing children for more job flexibility and advantages, and, to thrive in a multi-cultural, language society and world. See the website of the National Association of Bilingual education (www.nabe.org), as well as the resources about language from NAEYC. This information will often enable most families who initially object, to feel reassured and okay with bilingual education. Also make clear your program’s policy and reasons for bilingual education and your bottom lines about using this approach.
What are readers thoughts regarding Miriam’s question.

What to say to parents about a child whom the teacher observes engaging in a pattern of biased behavior is a challenge, requiring a thoughtful balance between being upfront about the undesirable/unacceptable behavior, while not treating either the child or family as the problem. (Not too different from what we say about working with children—treating inappropriate/unacceptable behavior as the problem, not the child). In chapter 5, we do briefly mention what the teacher says to the “offending child’s” parents: “After school, the teacher phoned Margaret’s parents, related what had happened, and described how she handled the incident. She set up a time for a conference with them to increase her own understanding of what was behind the family’s bias and to discuss the principles and practices she saw as vital to the program.” We do not spell out exactly what the teacher should say, because this will vary from situation to situation-depending on the specific communication styles of the teacher and her/his relationships with and understanding of the family. Hopefully the teacher has already built a relationship with them of mutual caring for Margaret. In the conversation re Margaret’s latest incident at school, the teacher can invite the parents to talk more about what lies underneath their prejudice Sometimes when people get to tell their story, this eventually leads to a lessening of what drives their prejudice. It is also important for the teacher to take the position that while she recognizes that the family has strong, negative feelings about people of Arab background, she (the teacher) cannot permit Margaret to make school unsafe for Miriam, and will continue to make clear to Margaret that hurtful behavior directed at Miriam is never permitted. . In addition, the teacher may decide to use stronger sanctions with Margaret, such as a time-out , she repeats her behavior.
We also want to make it clear that we are not suggesting that the teacher or director ask the family to leave. (Although, programs should have a policy about how to handle situations where a child’s ongoing behavior makes it unsafe for other children) If the family does not accept the teacher’s and school’s bottom line about Margaret’s behavior, it is the family’s prerogative to go to another school. That is when the director can help them find a school that is more compatible with their values-(i.e. does not use an anti-bias or other diversity education approach). However, we do not think the director needs to tell other directors about the family’s views.
It is a careful balance for those of us who oppose racism or any other kind prejudice and discrimination. We have the right and responsibility to create early childhood programs that foster appreciation of diversity and do not permit prejudiced and discriminatory behavior against children. Our written materials and initial meetings with families should make our policies clear. We also have a responsibility to open up conversations with families when their child exhibits the beginnings of prejudiced and discriminatory behaviors. At the same time, we do not have the right to insist families share our views if they want to be on our programs.
We invite blog readers to add their thoughts to this challenging question.

The “must knows” for working with colleagues (and families) on anti-bias education are about how to engage people over time to learn together about what and how to do anti-bias work. Content is not enough. Without an individual’s buy-in to the purpose, reasons, goals and principals of anti-bias education with children, it is unlikely that she or he will do much with new information. We suggest that you think through how you can set up a process and structure so that teachers who want to, can regularly meet together over as school year to: (1) read and discuss chapters of the ABE book, (2) do self-growth activities, such as talking together about the “Stop and think’ questions throughout the many chapters, and, (3) as they do work in their classrooms, report on specific activities , and reflect together on what they learned and what they want to do next. Through this approach, each teacher can choose what specific areas of anti-bias education to work on with her/his group of children and, together as a group, the teachers will no doubt address a range of issues.

Read or reread chapter 3--“Becoming an Anti-Bias Teacher: A Developmental Journey”—in the ABE book. Your first task will be to develop a presentation to all of the staff that will inspire them (or at least some) to join in such a yearlong process. Then, you will really be doing the work you want to do. As one of the contributors to the ABE book explained: “This work is as much about changing your own perspective as a teacher as it is about the activities you do in the classroom. If you’re not willing to make a commitment to the four anti-bias education goals yourself, the rest is not useful”. - Rita Tenorio

Family child care homes are one of the most important places where young children are cared for and educated, and how wonderful it is that you are sharing your home culture with the children in your home. It isn’t clear from your comments if the children in your care come from English speaking homes or from homes where a language other than Farsi or English is spoken. If the children come from homes where the dominant U.S. language, English, is spoken – then your exposing them to Farsi enriches their language development as long as you are also using English to help deepen their vocabulary and understanding. It would be wonderful if you could specifically teach some Farsi to the children – even if they never develop fluency or use the language outside your home. What you will have done is helped their brains “get” that there are many ways of saying things. That ideas and feelings can be expressed in more than one language. And you will be sensitizing them to appreciation of other languages (and speakers of other languages) that they will meet as they grow.
The issues are more complicated if the children come from homes where English is not the family language. These children already have two languages to learn and need to have their home languages honored and supported while they gain experience and skill with English. I’d still share some of your Farsi – after all it is your own language – and the children need to know and appreciate you for being who you are. But I think in this case I would limit the amount of Farsi I used, and would be very sure to include phrases and songs and terms in the children’s home languages as well. Read the chapter on Culture and Language to get some ideas about how to go about doing this.
Your second question is about divorce and a three year old. It is always troubling for a child when the family she has known changes. But you can help her know that it is still her family! Each of her parents still loves her. They are still her Momma and Daddy. Hopefully she still gets to be spend time and be cared for by each of her parents. It will help if you can help her parents be very reliable in whatever arrangements they have made – so that the child can predict when she will see each parent, and you can help her remember “Today your Momma will put you to bed but in two more days you’ll go to your Daddy’s house and he will put you to bed”. The child may want to dictate letters to her parents – about every day ordinary things she does – as a way of keeping them both in her mind. She may also need to do a lot of playing about people leaving and coming back.
Find out what the parents have told the child so you can use their words whenever possible. The parents may want your help to know how to best help their daughter – they’re probably having a hard time too. Key ideas are: We are still and always your Momma and Daddy. Nothing you did made us decide to get divorced. Each of us will always love you. We will always be your family.
There are some terrific books to help children with separation and with divorce. “You Go Away” by Dorothy Corey helps children who are worrying about separation. “Fred Stays With Me!” by Nancy Cofelt is a great co-custody book.

Thank you for doing the work you do. As no doubt you and colleagues do, we wish we could provide you with all the resources you and the families in your community need for your children. Sadly, you describe horrible realities that are the consequences of a long history of ill treatment by our society of Eskimo/Yupik students, other Inuit and Native American peoples—and will require intentional, sufficient resources and support from that society to change. As individuals, early childhood people can play their role in the political changes needed for this to happen.
As their early childhood teachers, you know the needs of children in your community better than we -- or outside evaluators do! Unfortunately, what you describe about your ECERS evaluator is not uncommon, i.e., not paying attention to realities in the community-be they geographic, economic or cultural. We know that, for the most part, standards for ECE programs were developed based on dominant culture, middle-class economic conditions and cultural criteria, and then other communities are judged according to how much they are like dominant culture, middle-class programs. This issue has been the topic of great debate and some change within NAEYC accreditation standards, which are attempting to take more account the cultural realities of communities. We still have a way to go to thoroughly do this-- as do other standards and accreditation systems. These dynamics make your job more difficult. Nevertheless, there is a great deal you can do for your children by honoring who they are, helping them become bicultural , able to negotiate effectively in their own and the dominant couture, adapting your program to the economic and cultural realities of their community (as you seem to be doing),and intentionally, thoughtfully fostering the children’s developmental and academic abilities . I (Louise) was a teacher in the Perry Preschool Project, whose children were the ‘cohorts” studied by the High Scope Research Project, and which found that children from low-income families who experienced preschool ended up much more successful in their lives than did children from the same community who did not go to preschool. The teachers in the Perry Preschool Program tried to follow many of the principles of anti-bias education (although we didn’t call it that then), as well as paying attention to the children’s cognitive development.
We invite other readers to contribute their experiences and idea about
ECE work in Native American communities.

It’s so hard when our children attend schools that do not reflect our deepest values. Like most parents, you don’t have any real options. This is the only school available. So here are a few suggestions.

First, think about some specific, small changes that could begin to broaden the school’s approach. (Maybe you could come in and teach a segment on Hanukkah and Kwanza. Maybe several families might want to talk about the different ways they celebrate Christmas.) make a date to talk to the teacher. Don’t go in telling her s/he has gotten it wrong and is hurting the children. Start by asking her what it is she hopes the children will learn in her curriculum. Look for ideas you can support. (It’s a lot of work to put together a Christmas party with gifts – clearly she cares about the children). Appreciate what you can. Then tell her what parts trouble you and offer some suggestions to vary the curriculum. Set yourself up as an ally who wants to support the school.

Most teachers feel so overwhelmed, that when someone comes in offering assistance they are eager to accept. Some teachers feel threatened any time a parent talks to them – and may become eve more doctrinaire. Either way – you have to try – for your son’s sake and for the sake of the other children.

Even small changes make a difference. And when teachers see what children learn with a broader approach – they become more open to trying new things.

Secondly –no matter what the school is teaching – you are in the powerful position of being with your child every day of his life. Teachers come and go – families are forever. So at home you can model what you think and believe. And you can help your child learn to think critically about what is being taught in school. You can ask him to think about the “boy – girl” gifts and talk about what is good about that idea – and why it might not be a good idea. (Don’t be surprised if he has trouble figuring it out – you can tell him what you think too!)

You can talk about “In our family we know that only some people celebrate Christmas, while other people celebrate Hanukkah and Kwanza, and Solstice and many other holidays. And some people don’t do celebrations at all.” You can read books that widen his horizons. You can take advantage of the wonderful availability of cultural information on the web. You can look for opportunities to take him on trips to more diverse communities – and talk to him about exactly what you are doing and why. Over and over you can find ways for him to experience a richer, more diverse world. And you can let him know what you are doing to make the world a fairer, most just place for everyone. “In our family we don’t think only girls like to play cooking or only boys like to play ball. We believe that both boys and girls like to do both things!”

Have fun growing with him. He’s lucky to have you for a Mom.

Thank you Peter for your long-term and on-going support of the anti-bias work within naeyc and in the early childhood profession. And thank you to naeyc for publishing the book, setting up the Q & A, supporting the Focus Groups that address these issues. We're all in this together - and for the long haul.

Thanks for asking! There are many infant/toddler caregivers who are committed to anti-bias values and provide an anti-bias program for their little ones. But, of course, it looks very different from the programs for play years children.

To quote Janet Gonzalez Mena “Babies are at the beginning of forming their identities. What they learn about themselves depends in part on what they see (and do not see ) in their environment as well as on the spoken and unspoken messages they receive from their caregivers”. The first goal of Anti-bias education is “Each child will demonstrate self-awareness, confidence, family pride, and positive social identities”. For little ones – this translates into finding their home culture and home people reflected in their care setting. This means creating an environment where children see simple, clear, images of families like their own depicted in pictures, books, and play objects. It means creating a consistency of care by reflecting the particular culture of touch, voice, food, holding, routines – specific to each infant. In doing this, a program transmits to infants that their home, their family, their very personhood, is valued and treasured.

The second goal is “Each child will express comfort and joy with human diversity; accurate language for human differences’ and deep, caring human connections”. We build this in infant/toddler programs by modeling our delight in, and providing words for, each child’s unique physical characteristics. We recognize how interested babies are in the human face and give words to how faces are different and the same. We make sure the children hear and see us talk with each of their family members with equal respect and warmth. And, most important, we build a community between the families and the staff where the everyone comes to appreciate the different values, struggles, strengths of each family.

Anti-bias work with infants and toddlers is foundation work. And everything rests on a strong foundation.

We agree that we need wonderful, clear materials for families to articulate anti-bias work and hopefully some of the ECE people from other programs will write in their best ideas. But no set of materials takes the place of open, comfortable communication between ECE staff and family members.

Early childhood teachers are often more comfortable talking with children than with adults, but both sets of skills are essential. As you indicated, the teacher’s unease kept her from finding out what the child really had in mind. I suspect it isn’t only because the teacher you described was worried about the parents, but that s/he was also uneasy about the topic itself. It would be important to provide staff development time for the teachers to talk with each other about the anti-bias issues so that they develop an easy vocabulary, clarify key concepts, and figure out their own discomforts and potential biases. This will go a long way to opening up the conversations with the children – and to supporting teachers to know that addressing bias issues is part of the school philosophy and practice. This will also reassure teachers that you have their back. You will support them in having the discussions and activities. You will support them when things don’t go the way they hoped, and celebrate with them when they do.

It is important that the school has spelled out their anti-bas philosophy in the family orientation and handbooks. Families need to know what to expect, and why this is a commitment of the program. It is always helpful to record the conversations and behaviors we see in the children and post them on a special bulletin board “Children wonder about…” or “Here’s something that came up in our classroom this week”. This creates the opportunity for adult conversations about how to address bias/anti-bias issues.

We have had wonderful results from parent meetings where staff and families shared conversations about gender/gender role; racial identity; economic class; culture and language, etc. Once these topics become open, it gets easier for everyone to have important discussions with the children. (You might want to use the “Stop and Think” questions from the various chapters in the Anti-bias book). There have been many articles in Young Children addressing the issues you raise – they make great handouts for parents. Consider using excerpts from the Anti-bias book, or sharing the wonderful chapters on Diversity or Gender from Janis Keyser's "Becoming the Parent You Want to Be". Collecting good articles (including those in newspapers and magazines) is always helpful. But nothing will replace having real conversations.

It is not easy to move into a new society and culture, for parents or for children. Good for you for wanting your children to be educated to your family’s beliefs and ways of doing things. The dilemma for your children is that they must live in more than one world, the world of their home, and the world of this new society you have brought them to. They will each develop their own relationship to both worlds (and each child may do it differently). At school and in the neighborhood they have to find ways to belong, to understand and be understood, to make friends and to succeed. Those ways may not be the same ones that work at home. Some children find it easier than others to incorporate both worlds.

During the elementary school years children become more and more interested in friends outside their home and in understanding the bigger world they live in. Do you know if your daughter has faced discrimination or other hurtful behavior because of her ethnicity? You might want to ask her how her school mates think about her ethnicity. She may need your help in feeling comfortable and proud about who she is outside of the home. You might want to talk to her teacher and find out what is going on at school that could be pushing her to resist your teachings.

It helps if you can find other families that share your culture and are friendly with children. Plan to do things with the other families that your child will particularly enjoy. Support her developing friendships within your cultural community (as well as outside of it). By all means use your home language with your children. Worship and live according to your beliefs. Show your children, by how you live, what it is that you value and care about in your culture.

In your question, the words you chose “should I rush and kind of force her” show that you recognize the danger of pushing children beyond where they are ready to go. No matter what, your children will grow up to live lives that in some ways will be different from yours. Like all parents, including those who have lived in this society all their lives, all you can do is live and model your values, present your ideas to your children with joy and conviction, and trust that in the long run, your love and pride in them will help them find a way to incorporate the parts of your culture they can use - into the world they will inherit.

Thank you Bahareh for letting us know the book was useful for you as a parent and as a teacher. And thank you for recognizing that our great diversity is a strength when we can address it with fairness and respect.

As a future professional, be sure to check your spelling and use of the correct form of a word before sending out notes to parents. Misspelled words and poor grammar can leave a negative impression on parents who may notice.

Congratulations on graduating, and welcome to our profession! It's wonderful that you are recognizing the importance of children learning the skills for living healthy, strong lives in a highly diverse, and still inequitable, society. You don't yet know where you will be working, but even if your classroom is one of the rare ones that is all one racial identity group, or one economic class, there will still be diversity (family structure, family cultures, abilities, gender, etc.) for you to name, celebrate and support. You begin with the children and families that are part of your program. You help children name how we are all the same and how we are all different. And you open up conversations and curriculum about those differences and support children in standing up for who they are and being open to who other people are. Then you begin to add in differences from in the wider community.
The idea is not that you must address every kind of difference that exists, but that you help children develop thinking skills that find human differences interesting, language for addressing differences, and recognition of "fairness" across lines of difference.
Take a look at the four anti-bias education goals - and think about how to support children in each of them. ChapterFour, on Learning Communities, will give you lots of ideas, including ideas about integrating families into your classroom.
The first year of teaching is always hard. There is so much to learn about the craft of teaching. But your vision of what you want to do will begin to unfold - and each year you teach you will get better and stronger at what you want to do. Welcome to the journey!

It is hard to answer your question in relation to the two specific experiences you describe-- yours and your friend’s—since we would need a lot more information about them. However, in general, it is very possible for children to become fluent in two languages—in another words, children are cognitively well able to do so. But, whether this happens depends on several factors. One is the attitudes of home, school and the larger society towards the child’s home language and the school language. If one is considered superior to the other, then children often do have problems with developing competency in both languages. Another factor is how they are taught. There is more than one effective method for supporting dual language development, but often teachers do not use these, because of insufficient training or because their school does not support what it takes to do effective bilingual education. A third factor is the relationship between school and home. If there is partnership between the two, then it much more likely that children will become fluent in two languages.

We suggest you look at the Research and resources sections on the website of the National Association for Bilingual Education (NABE)—www.nabe.org and also the NAEYC book, One Child, Two Languages: A Guide for Early Childhood Educators of Children Learning English as a Second Language (2d ed.), by Patton Tabors

Thanks Karen for sharing this information. Ongoing conversations and support from colleagues is an essential part of doing effective diversity and equity education work. They also nurture us to stay on the life-long journey this work requires

In the early childhood years, what is important is for the home cultures of each child to be supported in the daily learning environment and curriculum and for the children to be learning about and respecting their classmate’s home cultures... Culture is what each child lives each day. Young children are not cognitively ready to be learning about cultures as a whole or about cultural groups that are far from their experience. Limits about what cultures to address depends, first, on the home cultures of the children in your group, and, second , on the cultures of the families in their immediate communities and the children they will meet once they enter primary school. Thus, the question of which cultures to introduce and how many depends on who the children and families are in each class that you teach. Therefore, each year, you will no doubt have a somewhat different curriculum. The ABE book chapter about culture (5) addresses these issues in greater detail and has many suggestions about what to do.