Strategies to Foster Healthy Ethnic-Racial Identity in Infants and Toddlers
You are here
The themes of identity, inclusion, and belonging are becoming increasingly elevated within the field of child development (NAEYC 2019, 2020; Meek et al. 2022). Children are born actively observing and making sense of the variations they see in the world, and it is the responsibility of the adults in their lives to offer meaningful guidance (Wood 2010; Hooven et al. 2018; Buchanan et al. 2020; Braveman et al. 2022). However, disparities based on ethnicity and race continue to be perpetuated because of historic and current injustices that are embedded in social systems—including early care and education (Iruka et al. 2020; Sykes 2022).
Early childhood educators must be aware of this reality and equipped with the knowledge and tools to address it (Curenton & Iruka 2013; Durden & Curenton 2021). Dr. Eddie (the first author) initially developed the framework introduced in this article as a doctoral student at Michigan State University. Her coauthors, also steeped in early childhood care and practice, collaborated with her to refine and strengthen it. The resulting I Can/You Can framework offers developmentally appropriate ways for educators and other adults to help our youngest children cultivate healthy ethnic-racial identities. These practices are aligned with the social and cognitive development of infants and toddlers and aim to disrupt the emergence of harmful biases.
Already a NAEYC Member? Log into your NAEYC Membership Portal to read the full article!
Not a member yet? Join now to read the full article!
Anissa L. Eddie, PhD, MSW, is founder and principal of Liminality Consulting in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Her research centers on justice-based ethnic-racial identity development and socialization in early childhood, promoting holistic wellness for children and families.
Claire D. Vallotton, PhD, is professor of human development and family studies at Michigan State University. She leads the Collaborative for Understanding the Pedagogy of Infant/Toddler Development (CUPID), authored Working Well with Babies, and coleads the Great First Eight curriculum.
Sarah N. Douglas, PhD, is an associate professor at Michigan State University in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies. Her work focuses on supporting children with disabilities, their families, and their educational teams with an emphasis on cultural adaptation to interventions to support implementation with diverse children and families. Prior to her work in academia, she was a special education teacher.
Holly E. Brophy-Herb, PhD, is a developmental scientist and endorsed infant mental health mentor studying infants’ and toddlers’ early experiences with emotions in the context of parent-child and educator-child relationships.