This article explores how the early childhood field can support capacity building around equity in the current workforce and build a more diverse, representative workforce at all levels. The authors explore hiring practices, strategies for equipping a diverse workforce, and the actions necessary to realize equity and inclusion through…

The learning that happens before school entry provides children with a strong foundation on which to build new conceptual understandings. In particular, mathematical skills predict later math and reading outcomes in elementary school. This article summarizes existing research on equity-based math instructional approaches and provides a rationale…

In efforts to promote equitable access to programs and services for young children and families, concepts and measures of quality rely heavily on the "counting" of both material and professional resources (e.g., facility and curricula, degrees and credentials). However, looking for high-quality practices in unexpected places--with people…

An exploration of equity and power in infant and early childhood mental health (IECMH) consultation and early childhood education (ECE) relationships requires the examination of diversity, anti-racist values, cross-disciplinary perspectives, and parallel process. Attaining the mission of the early childhood field to support the growth,…

This article highlights two competency-based coaching and mentoring models for the incumbent infant-toddler workforce, designed and implemented at two Illinois institutions of higher education. Each model has been intentionally developed with an antibias and equity lens, focused on cultivating a diverse workforce of practitioners through…

The complex concepts of ethics, diversity-informed practice, and reflective supervision intersect. In this article, the Diversity-Informed Tenets for Work With Infants, Children and Families (Irving Harris Foundation, 2018) provide a framework to explore the process of reflective supervision. The author uses a vignette to illustrate the…

This article explores the many ways in which states can and are addressing racial equity in problem solving and policymaking. The authors explore national data that make the case for addressing bias and advancing equity in state policy; share strategies and best practices for engaging families and communities; and provide examples of policies that…

This article explores the ethical obligation of those in the early care and education field to deconstruct ableism (and other -isms, such as racism, sexism, classism) and to reconstruct an understanding of social identity that is strengths-based and affirming. The authors describe the Dis/ability Studies and Critical Race Theory (DisCrit)…

ZERO TO THREE's (ZTT) mission is to ensure that all babies have a strong start in life. The mission is intentionally inclusive of "all babies," because ZTT envisions a society with the knowledge and will to support all infants and toddlers in reaching their full potential. In recognition of a "strong start," ZTT strives to…

The Birth-to-Three Equity Initiative launched in April 2015 as a multiyear systems change process to strengthen equitable access, services, and child and family outcomes in the "early intervention" system in Martin Luther King County, Washington. This article describes the training of agency leaders and "equity facilitators"…

Research suggests that early self-regulatory difficulties among high-risk newborns can lead to poor interactional difficulties and negative long-term cognitive and social-emotional outcomes if not identified and treated early. This article describes why an individualized, developmentally supportive, relationship-based program, such as the Newborn…