From the point of view of development, since an infant begins its development we can notice the physical difference. After 6 months of life, the color of their skin is more noticeable and although it is too early to speak, we can notice the difference in their tone of voice. From 3 years of life the child begins to ask questions of similarities and differences. Both at home and in child care centers and day care centers. Parents and teachers will have many questions.
The purpose of anti-bias education is to actively address those messages, and to help children form accurate ideas about culture, race, ability, gender expression, and more.
“The differences in themselves do not create the problem. Children learn prejudice from prejudice, not from learning about human diversity. It is the way people respond to differences that teaches them prejudice and fear.”
– Anti-Bias Education For Young Children and Ourselves (p.4, Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2010)
How do we start this development in the classroom?
For example: (Precious Moment Child Care is a daycare where its policy is to provide safety to children in a healthy and safe environment. We do not accept discrimination for both the staff and the children and their families. Education begins from the moment the child enters the program. Precious Moment Child Care works with materials for activities for all ages, where the child begins to know the similarities and differences in the environment that surrounds them. Among the materials they have different books that demonstrate diversity. (it is important to make sure that all children feel represented in literature, photos, advertisements, through visitors who come to the classroom, and even through art supplies and band-aids. Commented Carmen Hernandez, teacher from Precious Moment Childcare.)
Language through reading books with multicultural contexts and diversity.
Classroom decoration where children can appreciate their photos and those of others giving them the opportunity to see similarities and differences between them.
Who is anti-bias education for?
When does prejudice increase in children?
According to their studies, prejudice increases steadily between preschool age and has a peak level between 5 and 7 years of age, decreasing with increasing age, reflecting normal cognitive development in children.
Why do children adopt the prejudices of their family environment?
This happens because at first the child adopts the prejudices of their family environment, since that is where they begin to create their social beliefs, but in the end when they grow up and know other environments they are given the ease of differences.
How to combat stereotypes and prejudices of children?
The wolf is always the bad guy in the story, boys like the color blue and girls like pink, a teenager knows social networks very well… These are some examples of stereotypes and prejudices that society is marking or accentuating. Educating children to enhance their critical thinking is the only way to combat them.
What is the game of stereotypes and prejudices?
The game of stereotypes and prejudices. An activity to promote critical thinking in children. The wolf is always the bad guy in the story, boys like the color blue and girls like pink, a teenager knows social networks very well… These are some examples of stereotypes and prejudices that society is marking or accentuating.
Courtesy of Precious Moment Child Care
