Racial inequities have long been present in our educational system. Recently, there has been a growing emphasis on the role of implicit bias in how programs discipline children, implement classroom practices, and establish teacher-child relationships. This session aims to support early childhood professionals in reducing implicit biases and using culturally responsive practices. Specifically, the session will focus on (1) identifying barriers to equity in early childhood environments for children of color (L7; E1); (2) defining implicit bias and its role in perpetuating inequitable practices (L7); (3) describing strategies for identifying and overcoming implicit bias (INS6); and (4) providing specific culturally responsive practices that can be used in early learning environments to promote equitable outcomes for children from culturally diverse backgrounds (E1; INS2; INS6). This session will actively engage participants in learning self-reflection and debiasing strategies, and how to use culturally responsive practices.
Participant Outcomes:
After taking part in this session, participants will be able to:
- Identify barriers to equity in early education, specifically related to the disproportionate number of Black children who are suspended or expelled from programs.
- Have a basic understanding of implicit bias and its role in early childhood education.
- Describe specific strategies for identifying and overcoming implicit biases.
- Describe the components of a culturally responsive teaching practices, including an emphasis on family involvement, how to view child development through a culturally responsive lens, and specific culturally responsive strategies designed to prevent challenging behaviors within early learning environments.
Presenters: Jen Neitzel, PhD; Megan Vinh, PhD; and Ebonyse Mead
Jen Neitzel, PhD, is a Research Scientist at the FPG Child Development Institute at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Dr. Neitzel’s work is focused on implicit bias, early childhood suspensions and expulsions, and racial equity in early childhood education.
Megan Vinh, PhD, is the Co-Director of the Early Childhood Technical Assistance (ECTA) Center, a co-PI of the Early Childhood Recommended Practice Modules project (RPM), and the evaluation lead for the Center for IDEA Early Childhood Data Systems (DaSy).
Ebonyse Mead is the Family Support Program Officer at the Smart Start of North Carolina. In her work, Ms. Mead focuses on implicit bias and its role in early childhood education, particularly related to families and their experiences within early learning environments.
Understanding Implicit Bias and Its Role in Early Learning Environments
This digital product provides access to one (1) archived Learning Deck webinar for one (1) individual purchaser. Once the order is placed, the purchaser will receive a link to download the webinar recording as well as any webinar handouts. The webinar can be watched on-demand at any time once downloaded. Note: Archived webinar purchases do not include certificates of attendance.
Copyright Notice
Please Note: Sharing a Learning Deck with one or more parties, without prior written permission from Division for Early Childhood, is a violation of copyright law.
Group Orders
If you would like to purchase a Learning Deck webinar for a group, please place an order here. Discounts are available for members and groups.
Division for Early Childhood Learning Deck Webinars are webinars presented by experts in early intervention, early childhood special education, and related fields. Each webinar lasts approximately one hour (unless otherwise noted) and includes access to the full recording and any webinar handouts. Archived webinar purchases do not include certificates of attendance.
