‘Why don’t we teach loving who you are?’ Exploring the need for a positive racial literacy programme for young children

Shaddai Tembo; Denisha Jones

doi:10.37291/2717638X.202563670

Authors

Shaddai Tembo Bath Spa University https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8821-5476
Denisha Jones Defending the Early Years https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1880-5355

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.37291/2717638X.202563670

Keywords:

Racial identity development, Early childhood education, Anti-racist pedagogy, Racial literacy, Practitioner reflections

Abstract

The early years setting is often where young children have their first solo experience of socialising, making friends and meeting unfamiliar adults. It can also be the place where they first experience racism. Further, while research highlights the presence of racial bias and exclusion in early childhood, there is limited understanding of how practitioners address these realities in everyday practice. This paper presents Proud of the Skin I’m In, a racial literacy development programme developed across Wales, England, and the United States to support conversations about race, identity and belonging in early years settings. While the program includes multiple components, this paper focuses on educator reflections gathered during a focus group exploring its feasibility and potential value. This qualitative study draws on a 90-minute online focus group with six early years practitioners from England, Wales, and the United States, which was analysed thematically to explore their perspectives. We find that practitioners welcomed structured opportunities to engage with race but expressed concerns around confidence, implementation, and the tendency for racial identity work to fall disproportionately to minoritised staff. We argue that supporting young children’s racial identity cannot be left to individual goodwill. It must be embedded into everyday pedagogy through intentional practice, shared responsibility, and sustained institutional support—ensuring all children are recognised, affirmed, and encouraged to take pride in their identity.

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