ERIC Number: EJ1316496
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2021-Nov
Pages: 13
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1082-3301
EISSN: N/A
Beyond Invisibility: Early Childhood Teachers' Inclusion of Rainbow Families
Early Childhood Education Journal, v49 n6 p1099-1111 Nov 2021
Despite increasing understanding of the importance of including children and families from diverse backgrounds and family structures within early childhood education (ECE) programmes, little attention has been paid to how children and parents from Rainbow Families are included. This article draws on findings from two studies in Aotearoa New Zealand: the first was a national mixed-methods study focused on ECE teachers' perceptions and practices regarding work with children and families from diverse backgrounds, including those from Rainbow Families. The second study was a small qualitative research project that investigated four lesbian ECE teachers' experiences, and active disruption of heteronormative dominance within their ECE settings. Data from across the two projects reveal that there are risks for both parents from Rainbow Families and lesbian and gay teachers in being open about their family structures or sexual orientation and that there is silence, and thus a resulting invisibility, about Rainbow Families within ECE programmes. These findings have implications for ECE teachers' practice, particularly as teachers and teacher educators in many locations work to address issues of exclusion and bias and to create environments where children and their parents are welcomed and have a sense of belonging and inclusion.
Descriptors: Early Childhood Teachers, Inclusion, Foreign Countries, Teacher Attitudes, Classroom Techniques, LGBTQ People, Family (Sociological Unit), Sexual Orientation, Social Bias
Springer. Available from: Springer Nature. One New York Plaza, Suite 4600, New York, NY 10004. Tel: 800-777-4643; Tel: 212-460-1500; Fax: 212-460-1700; e-mail: customerservice@springernature.com; Web site: https://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2123/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Early Childhood Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: New Zealand
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A