Publication: Racial Identity Development of Black Young Children: The Relationships of African American Early Care and Education ECE Teachers and African American Families
Date
2024-07-07
Authors
Sansbury-Scott, Amber B
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Abstract
Early care and education (ECE) often includes intensive family engagement constituting regular home visits, wraparound community and medical supports, child development classes for families, and advocacy opportunities for parents. This dissertation study prioritized family engagement by advancing how the field conceptualizes the race-related and cultural dimensions of family–school relationships for African American ECE teachers and economically vulnerable African American parents in ECE settings specifically. Study findings deepened qualitative understanding of relational processes in Black-majority programs and how, why, and in what culturally-grounded ways relationships between African American ECE teachers and African American families can serve as a vehicle for racial identity development. To realize this goal, African American families and African American ECE teachers can reflect on individual race-related experiences in their family history and passed down lessons for teaching and raising African American young children that developed intergenerationally. They must think critically about the collective values and beliefs that guide family-centered practices together, transmitting those values and beliefs to deepen home-school connection in joint support of African American young children’s early literacy, social and emotional growth, and positive racial identity.
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Keywords
African American families, early care and education, African American teachers, family engagement, racial socialization and identity development, family-teacher relationships