ABSTRACT
The Early Childhood Studies (ECS) Department embarked on a curriculum revision project to foster students’ sense of belonging and inclusion by learning about their ongoing interests and diverse needs while helping students become successful in their academic and career objectives. A secondary goal was to strengthen the department’s commitment to anti-racist practices by infusing this perspective in all courses. The revision project involved a threefold process. First, we met with students to discover their needs from the program. Second, we obtained feedback from the community to understand their needs. Third, an anti-racist consultant provided targeted training that informed our redesign and explored anti-racism in early childhood. Based on the information gathered, the department developed six different major options, including teaching and non-teaching, to help students meet their career goals. We revised program learning outcomes and course learning outcomes. Building student belonging is crucial for retention and success in higher education. This chapter showcases how a department underwent a curriculum revision project to increase a sense of belonging and community by centering the voices of students and community stakeholders to meet their needs while integrating anti-racist and linguistically and culturally responsive pedagogies.
