Interrogating the “gold standard”: Play-based early childhood education and perpetuating white supremacy

Differences in Child Care Participation Between Immigrant and Nonimmigrant Families

“…Typical frameworks of multiculturalism remain rooted in Eurocentric norms, preaching tolerance and inclusivity of different cultures while still treating them as "other. " In contrast, a move toward the decolonization or unsettling of child care calls for reexamining and questioning normative practices and evaluation standards in early childhood education (Kinard et al, 2021;Souto-Manning & Rabadi-Raol, 2018). When culture is fully integrated into pedagogy, children are encouraged to enact and enrich their own cultural knowledge while simultaneously gaining competencies within the dominant culture (Massing et al, 2013).…”

Prison abolition literacies as Pro-Black pedagogy in early childhood education

“…According to Boutte et al (2021), Pro-Blackness intentionally counters anti-Blackness and, as reiterated by Kinard et al (2021), calls for “centering the humanity of Black people in classrooms day-to-day” (p. 6). Furthering Boutte’s definition of Pro-Blackness, Kinard et al (2021) suggests that “pro-Blackness [is] necessary for liberation from the white gaze and for addressing white supremacy…” (p. 5). As such, Pro-Black pedagogy utilizes a Black gaze (Campt, 2021) to center curriculum on the lives, spirit, language, and knowledge of Black people and culture (Johnson et al, 2019).…”

“…As such, Pro-Black pedagogy utilizes a Black gaze (Campt, 2021) to center curriculum on the lives, spirit, language, and knowledge of Black people and culture (Johnson et al, 2019). Through Pro-Black pedagogy and curriculum students are not only able to identify anti-Blackness within curricular spaces, but they are also equipped to resist, contend with, and speak against acts of anti-Black violence (Ferguson, 2000; Kinard et al, 2021). Additionally, Pro-Blackness empowers Black students to posit versions of Blackness which stand in direct opposition to anti-Black school policies.…”

“…cops) and their Black co-players as the bad guys or girls (i.e. robbers; Kinard et al, 2021). Rosen (2017) has proposed that when such negative inscriptions are placed on the bodies of Black children during play interactions with white children, they become affixed to Black children’s bodies, which become extremely difficult to interrupt at the end of those play interactions and experiences.…”

“…Therefore, teachers can help young white children examine language that may criminalize their Black peers as a way to push back against deficit labels that persist beyond play and the criminalization of Black bodies during play. Kinard et al (2021) has recommended the use of verbal mapping as a tool to challenge anti-Blackness and the criminalization of Black children during play. Verbal mapping is a “dialogic tool” (Kinard et al, 2021); that can be used to encourage young children’s meaning-making and critical reflection.…”