Dismantling Racialized Discourses in Early Childhood Education and Care

Racialized discourses have framed young children of color as deficit, whether through development, at-risk, or achievement gap narratives. This racialized construction of childhood/s has created countless injustices, from denying children of color basic needs to limiting access to an equitable education. As such, in this chapter, the author examines the social constructions of race and how racialized, deficit-based discourses have become engrained in the field of early childhood. Ways in which scholars and educators can disrupt and re-frame early childhood education and care are then discussed. Opening a space to theorize early childhood with the wisdoms and knowledges of the global south can foster the empowerment of young children of color.