During the election season, and in the aftermath, we’ve heard from many teachers concerned about the intensity and tone of the rhetoric and conversations taking place in the media, in their communities, and in their programs. Teachers are looking for resources to guide them as they support the children and families with whom they work. In particular, early childhood educators are asking about anti-bias approaches, strategies to counter bullying, and ways to guide children’s behavior, to build positive classroom communities, and to support the range of diverse children and families in their programs.

With this in mind, we recently culled excerpts and articles from NAEYC’s publications and online content and are sharing them with you to support you in your teaching and interactions.

Anti-Bias Education: Now online you can read the first chapter of the book Anti-Bias Education for Young Children and Ourselves and find self-reflection exercises for teachers as well as additional Young Children and Voices of Practitioners articles on the topic.

Guiding Challenging Behavior/Anti Bullying: Read about positive guidance, building classroom community, and addressing challenging behavior; learn how powerful interactions with children can make a big difference.

The NAEYC Code of Ethical Conduct: Our online resources include this NAEYC position statement and the Young Children column Focus on Ethics, in which the authors of the Code help educators use it to think through difficult situations.

Supporting and Engaging Diverse Families: We share lessons learned from NAEYC’s Engaging Diverse Families project, as well as a selection of content from Young Children, Teaching Young Children, and families.naeyc.org, about supporting and involving families in your program.

Finally, as I was reviewing NAEYC’s resources on these topics, I came across Carol Brunson Day’s moving column “Tribute to the Power of a Teacher—The Ruby Bridges Story”, which looks back to 1960 to show the difference one teacher makes. As an early childhood educator, you too make an enormous difference in children’s lives. We hope you find these resources useful in your work with young children and their families. Please use and share them with other educators grappling with these issues.