“But, I don’t believe it’s about race’: Challenging fallacies of race and racism amongst early childhood educators in Ontario” in Journal of Curriculum, Teaching, Learning and Leadership in Education
There is the continued belief that children do not see race and that they are racially innocent. This belief is evidenced in early childhood environments and influences the practices of the instructors in these settings. However, research continues to show that children do see and react to varying markers of race. This research project focused on early childhood educators’ interpretations of children’s racially coded behaviours and interactions. The results revealed four central themes: racial evasiveness; racial dis-ease; parental role in promoting racism; and limited educational preparation. This study contributes to the growing body of research on children, race, and early childhood by examining how Canadian early childhood educators address race and racism in the classroom.
Beverly-Jean Daniel is an Assistant Professor in Ryerson University’s School of Child and Youth Care. Her areas of expertise include anti-Black racism; race-based identity development in children and youth; social justice and equity in education; and anti-oppression and critical anti-racism practices in education.
Other publications from this author include:
- “Re-imagining child and youth care practice with African Canadian youth” in International Journal of Child, Youth and Family Studies (2020)
- Diversity, Justice and Community: The Canadian Context (2016)
- “Introduction: Children, Race, and Racism: Global Perspectives” in Journal of Curriculum, Teaching, Learning and Leadership in Education, 4 (2) (2016)