Jen Neitzel, Ph.D. Speaking Topics

• Building a Community of Belonging

  Belonging is a key element of human existence. We all want to belong to others, to ourselves, and to something bigger than who we are. We are living in a time of great challenge and change with increasing divisiveness that can be hard to navigate. Nurturing communities of belonging in early childhood and education is a key aspect of social emotional development for children. Before we can do this, we, as educators, must do the hard work of understanding who we are, our values, and how we show up in this world.

  This session provides educators with a background about what a community exactly is and how it must be grounded in the principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Communities of belonging help children no that they matter simply because they exist. Moving through our own assumptions and biases is an essential part of creating communities of belonging. These conversations can be uncomfortable; however, that discomfort is an opportunity for personal growth that then expands the ways in which we show up for children and cultivate communities of belonging.

• Moving Beyond Multicultural Education: Promoting Equity and Justice in Early Childhood

  The US Department of Education, Office of Civil Rights has been collecting data on suspensions and expulsions in K-12 settings for decades. However, in 2012, the first data were released regarding exclusionary practices in early childhood. Many educators were horrified knowing that Black children are up to 4 times more likely to be suspended or expelled from early learning programs. From 2016 to 2020, there was an increased interest in addressing this issue. After the murder of George Floyd in May 2020, there was massive interest and motivation to attend diversity, equity, and inclusion trainings. However, we are now in a period where we have returned to the status quo • that improving quality in early learning programs will improve outcomes and trajectories of young Black children.

  Yes, high quality early childhood education is essential; however, it will not eradicate the achievement gap that is in place at age 3 or the opportunity gap that begins before children are even born. Currently, early educators must push themselves to move beyond multicultural education and begin to focus on the root causes of the inequities. Addressing racial inequities in early childhood is a moral obligation that takes commitment and time. We must move beyond the way things have always been done and into the messiness of equity where we are having hard conversations about how racism shows up in ourselves, in our organizations, and in the work that we do with children and families. There is an urgency to this work that is pushing early educators to be bold and courageous so that we can achieve equity and justice for young children and their families.

Creating Culturally Responsive Early Learning Programs

Culture plays a key part in our lives and is uniquely intertwined with how children learn, grow, and develop. It influences our views, values, communication styles, and worries and fears. As early educators, it is critically important for us to understand the ways in which culture is more than just music, celebrations, and food. The cultural backgrounds of children influence how children show respect, interact with one another, and engage in play.

Creating culturally responsive early learning programs infuse children's cultural backgrounds into every aspect of the learning environment. This means that early educators must move past the superficial aspects of culture to the deeper elements of how children and families show up. This means understanding that some cultures are loud and boisterous in their communication styles and honoring that in the classroom. Culturally responsive early learning programs meet children and families where they are, rather than forcing them to conform to practices that weren't necessarily designed for them. Culturally responsive early learning programs nurture the learning and growth of young children by intentionally providing materials, books, pictures, and languages that represent the cultures of all children in the class. This communicates to children and families that they matter simply because they exist when they enter the classroom. This is at the heart of promoting the positive identity development of young children, which is a key aspect of social emotional health and well being.

What Does Equity and Justice Look Like in Early Childhood?

Currently, we are stuck in the space of doing what has always been done in early childhood education. We rely on punishment versus discipline. We focus on implementing a new curriculum or intervention when there are inequities. When that doesn't work, we move on to the next. We continue to provide practices that are based upon White European norms and values. We are focused on providing trauma-informed care; however, we continue our emphasis on building resilience when children and families experiencing trauma are highly resilient already. We need promote healing • from individual, historical, and racial trauma. In early childhood, we also continue to work in our silos rather than together, which would be bring about greater change.

It is long past time to dive into a deep commitment in early childhood to eradicating the inequities that currently exist for Black children and families. This means pushing past the status quo and moving into a space where we are addressing the root causes of the inequities that exist outside the early childhood classroom (e.g., food deserts, lack of access to high-quality health care/prenatal care). This means creating relationships and alliances across sectors • working together towards equity and justice in early childhood.

An appreciative inquiry framework can be used to guide the work of systems and communities to engage in deeper level work that is focused on eliminating the disparities between Black children and families. An appreciative inquiry approach builds on the current strengths of the community while allowing individuals to dream about what they want their community to look like for all children and families. It is a systems level approach that provides a space for individuals to work together towards the common cause of equity and justice in early childhood. This allows us to move past the status quo into a world where all children and families don't just survive, they thrive.