The 17th Annual State of Preschool, 2019 commentary transcript:
I was excited yesterday when the State of Preschool, 2019 Report was released. I figured this report would provide the evidence most needed to fight back effectively against cuts in Early Childhood Education and, I applaud the report for its vivid picture of the preschool landscape which impacts 1.6 million children.
Still, it saddened and surprised me to realize that in a 197-page document, there was not one mention of Black children, and not one mention of Latino children. The report scrubbed the discussion of race entirely, except for 4 mentions of American Indian/Alaskan Native children.
If the State of Preschool, 2019 Report discovered issues related to race had a P-value of .7, so race did not matter that should have ALSO been stated.
Many African-American, Latinx, Asian-American, and Indigenous preschoolers face the impact of decades of systematic resource and economic deprivation in their communities and institutional bias that impacts their well being in the educational system in specific ways.
Racial justice is never on the backburner. Even as we observe the disproportionate racial impact of COVID- 19 and the strain on the families of “essential workers,” who are likely to be people of color, justice for the most vulnerable children cannot be sidelined.
Black Preschoolers Matter, Water is Life, Si Se Puede, Ku Kia’i Maun, create a future where every child matters.
So let’s get started on THAT future for all kids. Hop on over to my blog Will Start Small. There I discuss this and other topics as we advocate for children!!
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Lark Sontag
Children’s Book Author, Early Childhood Education Specialist, Curriculum Developer, Peace Educator, and Social Justice Advocate for Children
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