ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the recent history of American early childhood programs and critically analyzes how they specifically perpetuate deficit discourses related to low-income non-White populations. It explores the historical context of American early childhood programs and the rise of the term school readiness as a commonplace notion. The chapter also unpacks the relationship of early childhood education and its deficit context by reviewing the following: the theory of cultural deprivation, the anti-deficit ideology that critiques this theory and the rise of the standards and accountability movements, including the neoliberal school reform movement, that further shape this ideology. It contends that American early childhood programs have been designed to alleviate the stressors of poverty and changes the moral attitudes of poor people instead of designed to address the educational needs of the families they serve, especially low-income non-White populations.
