ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the author examines the issue of parental blame and how it impacts the lives of low-income Black families and in particular children. The factors included in this analysis are: the issue of parental involvement or non-involvement, low wage jobs and inflexible schedules, extended kinship networks, the value of education, late registration, unequal childhoods and the question of cultural capital and differing expectations between the teacher and the family. When a child starts school later, perhaps even just a few days late, it is harder for the teacher to complete all of the proper assessments on that child. Knowing and understanding the culture of the school is essential to navigating it and advocating for child. The theme of childrearing expectations that are based on dominant Western practices relates to Gupta's research on early childhood teachers and how they insert their own values and logic of childrearing in their teacher training and classroom practices.
