Children from very young ages internalize messages about power and privilege with regard to gender, race/ethnicity, class, sexual orientation, and language, which they perpetuate through their play and talk. While families are a critical piece in shaping children's values on such matters, classroom practices communicate and reinforce strong,…

Children's identities and sense of self are inextricably tied to their families. The experience of being welcome or unwelcome, visible or invisible begins in early childhood. The goal of early childhood professionals is to ensure that all children and their families are welcomed in early childhood settings and provided with quality care and…

Conversations play a significant role in early childhood antibias and multicultural education because they enable children to connect with others and to begin to see the implications of certain assumptions. However, engaging children in these conversations is not always easy. No matter what the question, children frequently resist answering…

In a summer program for school-agers 6 to 12 years old, the children devise a meaningful, real-life experience to alleviate the midsummer doldrums and hope to "make the world a better place." They collect, repair, and paint old children's bicycles to present, along with new helmets, to children at a nearby homeless shelter. In this article, the…

The Northern Ireland Pre-School Playgroup Association, now known as NIPPA--the Early Years Organisation, was founded in 1965. The history of NIPPA has been strongly influenced by the sectarian conflict between the Republicans and the Loyalists. NIPPA is an umbrella organization that provides a range of support to its 1,200 member groups. This…

Reviews the book, "Within Our Reach: Breaking the Cycle of Disadvantage," which takes a new look at research about and programs for disadvantaged young children and their parents. (BB)

Traces the changing views on the role and status of male early childhood education teachers in the forties and fifties (male prohibition), the sixties and early seventies (the macho image), and the late seventies and early eighties (the age of androgyny).

Speech delivered at NAEYC's National Institute for Early Childhood Professional Development explores changing perspectives on social needs, and suggests building a sense of community and improving teacher education as ways to support children and families in need. (HTH)

Based on one teacher's experiences with children's books that have caring themes, ways for teachers to nurture preschoolers' natural altruism are discussed. An annotated bibliography of books on caring for the sick, the disadvantaged, special friends, neighbors, siblings, parents and grandparents, people in distress, the environment, and animals…

Maintains that the reasons behind child care workers' low pay are inequitable wages for women, devaluation of children, and minimization of the skill involved in working with children. (BB)

Suggests that children's books can socialize children to cultural norms, including gender roles. Maintains that male images are more dominant in children's literature than are female images. Provides guidelines for analyzing children's books for sexism. Includes an annotated bibliography of books for 4- to 6-year-olds that break gender role…

Reviews two books on involving father figures in early childhood and on early education as a career choice for males: "Getting Men Involved: Strategies for Early Childhood Programs" (J. A. Levine, and others), and "Men in Child Care and Early Education: A Handbook for Administrators and Educators" (edited by B. G. Nelson and B. Sheppard). (TJQ)