ABSTRACT

Bringing together scholarship and examples from practice, this book explores ways in which early childhood curriculum – including classroom practices and community contexts – can more actively engage with a range of social justice issues, democratic principles and anti-oppressive practices.

Featuring a stellar list of expert contributors, the chapters in this volume present a cross-section of contemporary issues in childhood education. The text highlights the voices of children, teachers and families as they reflect on everyday experiences related to issues of social justice, inclusion and oppression, as well as ways young children and their teachers engage in activism. Chapters explore curriculum and programs that address justice issues, particularly educating for democracy, and culminate in a focus on the future, offering examples of resistance and visions of hope and possibility.    

Designed for practitioners, graduate students and researchers in early childhood, this book challenges readers to explore the ways in which early childhood education is – and can be – engaging with social justice and democratic practices.

part I|2 pages

Voices of Children, Teachers and Families

part II|2 pages

Social Justice in the Classroom: Democratic and Anti-bias Practices

chapter 6|14 pages

“She doesn’t want to be a beautiful princess!”

Language, Power, and Teaching for Democracy in the Early Childhood Classroom

chapter 7|13 pages

Activism in Their Own Right

Children’s Participation in Social Justice Movements

part III|2 pages

Way Forward: Stories of Hope and Possibility

chapter 9|14 pages

Out and About

Practicing Hope Through Research

chapter 10|17 pages

“What’s Love Got To Do?”

Enacting The Beloved Community Through Early Childhood Education

chapter 11|16 pages

Social Justice in Early Education and Child Care

“What Is” and “What Ought to Be?”

chapter 12|16 pages

Equality and Democratic Education Evaluation

A Way Forward for Teachers 1

chapter |4 pages

Afterword