Anti-Bias Resources

Diversity Statement

Respect is, and always has been, at the heart of Beginnings. We strive to engage our community to recognize, name, celebrate and embrace diversity in all of its many forms. It is through our experience as educators and with the support of research that we understand the most pivotal stage of development in regards to implicit bias begins in infancy and lasts through early childhood. This window of opportunity is when children first notice difference, begin to categorize their environment and absorb the normalized social patterns of our society. We recognize our responsibility as early childhood educators to create a space for children in which they feel safe to express, question and challenge these evolving ideas. Our goal is to create a community that values inclusion, empathy, and advocacy for themselves, others and the world around them.

Anti-Bias Goals for Children

Each child will demonstrate self-awareness, confidence, family pride and positive social identities.
Each child will express comfort and joy with human diversity; accurate language for human differences; and deep, caring human connection.
Each child will increasingly recognize unfairness, have language to describe unfairness, and understand that unfairness hurts.
Each child will demonstrate empowerment and the skills to act, with others or alone, against prejudice and/or discriminatory actions.

~ (Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2010, p. xiv)