Responding to Difference: Enacting Inclusive Early Childhood Education Through the Social-Relations Approach

Abstract

170 YOUNG EXCEPTIONAL CHILDREN Vol. 24, No. 3, September 2021 https://doi.org/10.1177/10962506211010719 DOI: 10.1177/10962506211010719 journals.sagepub.com/home/yec Article reuse guidelines: sagepub.com/journals-permissions © 2021 Division for Early Childhood Mr. Kyle is an inclusive preschool teacher at a public elementary school located within an urban community. He serves children and families who are workingand middle-class; represent various races and ethnicities, including Black, White, and Latino; communicate through a constellation of languages, such as African American Vernacular English, Spanish, English, and American Sign Language; as well as demonstrate a range of abilities across all developmental domains. During a recent anti-bias in-service training, the facilitator asked early educators to reflect on how they can honor all forms of difference that children bring to their classrooms. The facilitator emphasized that early educators can support children’s identities, social justice, and activism by intentionally creating opportunities for children to meaningfully engage in positive interactions with others as they learn about difference. Mr. Kyle and his colleagues discussed how they value the diverse constellation of children within their classrooms and indicated that they often prioritize content knowledge, such as literacy and math concepts, but less frequently consider social aspects of learning, such as learning about and from each other’s differences. Mr. Kyle thought, “Each 1010719 YECXXX10.1177/10962506211010719Young Exceptional ChildrenSocial-Relations Framework / Morgan et al. research-article2021