Coaching Early Childhood Professionals to Implement Equity-Focused Policies and Practices

As early childhood learning environments grow more and more diverse, schools and programs must address inequitable practices and policies so that every child learns, belongs, and thrives. The practical solutions programs need are in this groundbreaking book, the first guide to coaching early childhood educators in Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Accessibility, and Belonging (DEIAB) practices.

Expertly converting theory into concrete action steps, this book is a reader‐friendly, step‐by‐step guide to launching transformative DEIAB work—or expanding the work your program or school is already doing. You'll discover how to coach early childhood educators in creating an equity‐focused classroom culture, providing them with guidance on instructional delivery, curriculum content, and teaching materials. You'll learn how to advance multicultural education by implementing big‐picture changes to program policies, hiring practices, and marketing materials. Throughout the book, an illuminating case study traces the progress and setbacks of a sample program as they use an equity‐based lens to enhance their learning environments and teaching practices.

An essential professional development resource for school and program leaders and an ideal textbook for early education courses, this timely book will help you empower educators to ensure equity, access, and belonging for all children and families.

Learn How To:

• Use the invaluable Anti‐Ism Scale to assess your program's current status and monitor growth
• Recognize your program's "hidden curriculum"—biases embedded in policies, practices, and materials
• Identify how the intersectionality of social identities influence each person's experiences, both positively and negatively
• Create an effective action plan to coach educators on a journey toward greater equality and inclusion
• Put your DEIAB plan into action through book studies, Equity and Diversity Workgroups, and other team learning opportunities
• Implement structural changes to support a multicultural curriculum, diverse staffing, and policies that uplift everyone
• Overcome obstacles to DEIAB work, from communication blocks to staff and community resistance
• Ensure continuous growth and improvement through ongoing assessment and reflection

Dr. Anni Reinking is an educator, author, researcher, mother, wife, aunt, daughter, step-mother, social justice advocate, and a current elected official (School Board member). She has been in the field of education for over 16 years. As a classroom teacher she taught in Mombasa, Kenya, the Southside of Chicago, Northwest Indiana, and Central Illinois. Upon leaving the PK-5 classroom learning environment, she worked in the social service field, as a college professor, and as a professional development provider. Anni owns Reinking Education Consulting, LLC (www.akreinking.com). In this work she focuses on facilitating the growth of organizations and schools to increase equity, diversity, and transform to a place of inclusion.

Laycee Thigpen MS. Ed. is an education consultant, poet, and researcher. She focuses her work on developing racially inclusive environments for early childhood children, families, and educators and combating biases and stereotypes in early childhood classrooms. Laycee has years of experience teaching in childcare and Head Start, directing a summer program, being a supervisor, instructor, and coach for both pre-service and in-service teachers. Laycee continues to challenge and motivate educators to establish environments where all people are valued and uses her poetry for reflection in DEIAB training. She currently lives in Central Florida with her husband and four children.