For Immediate Release:
July 20, 2021

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NAEYC Publishes Book on How to Advance Early Education Toward More Equitable Learning Experiences

Washington, D.C.-- The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) announces the publication of Advancing Equity and Embracing Diversity in Early Childhood Education: Elevating Voices and Actions.

Advancing Equity and Embracing Diversity in Early Childhood Education: Elevating Voices and Actions is the latest NAEYC resource on the important topic of equity in early childhood education.

Envisioned as an extension of NAEYC’s “Advancing Equity in Early Childhood Education” position statement, this compilation of work from over thirty educators and professionals across the early childhood profession offers fresh perspectives on the evolving conversations of equity, race, and diversity.

In a time when issues of diversity, equity, inclusion, and access are at the forefront in education, this volume offers timely and critical recommendations for policy and practice. The coeditors bring together a stellar group of experts in the field that delineate how we can enact equitable and inclusive early childhood education founded on NAEYC’s “Advancing Equity in Early Childhood Education” position statement and its recommendations. A must-read for all early childhood educators.
—Sonia W. Soltero, Professor and Chair, Department of Leadership, Language, and Curriculum, DePaul University

This text is comprehensive in its approach to addressing equity and diversity in our field. The diverse group of contributors offers research-based expertise centering a variety of social identities. Regardless of role, this book provides useful information for improving practice.
—Toni Sturdivant, Assistant Professor of Curriculum and Instruction, Texas A&M University-Commerce

About the editors:

ILIANA ALANÍS
Iliana Alanís, PhD, a native of South Texas, is a professor of early childhood and elementary education in the department of interdisciplinary learning and teaching at the University of Texas–San Antonio. She taught children in bilingual first- and second-grade classrooms while earning a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction with a concentration in bilingual education from the University of Texas–Pan American.

IHEOMA U. IRUKA
Iheoma U. Iruka, PhD, is research professor in public policy and founding director of the equity research action coalition at the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Dr. Iruka is engaged in projects and initiatives focused on how evidence‑informed policies, systems, and practices in early education can support the optimal development and experiences of children who are from households with low income, ethnic minorities, and immigrants. She is focused on ensuring healthy development and excellence for young diverse learners, especially Black children, through classroom and family tools, the examination of nontraditional pedagogical approaches, public policies, and publications geared toward early education practitioners and policymakers. She is an author of several books, including Don’t Look Away: Embracing Anti‑Bias Classrooms (Gryphon House, 2020). Dr. Iruka serves or has served on numerous national boards and committees, including the Brady Education Foundation, the American Psychological Association’s Board of Educational Affairs Task Force on Racial and Ethnic Disparities, and the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine committees on Supporting Parents of Young Children and Applying Neurobiological and Socio‑Behavioral Sciences from Prenatal through Early Childhood Development: A Health Equity Approach.

SUSAN FRIEDMAN
Susan Friedman is senior director of publications and content development at NAEYC.

Email [email protected] for author interview availability.

Advancing Equity and Embracing Diversity in Early Childhood Education: Elevating Voices and Actions is available for purchase in the NAEYC online store. For more information on this book and other resources, visit NAEYC.org/resources/pubs. 

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NAEYC is the foremost professional membership organization committed to transforming the lives of young children and delivering on the promise of high-quality early learning. NAEYC represents 60,000 early childhood educators who care for, educate, and work on behalf of young children, birth through age 8. Learn more about NAEYC at www.NAEYC.org.