Interrogating the role of anti-Blackness in the early care and education experiences of Black children and families: A call for advancing equitable science and practice

Early care and education (ECE) was created to support the social, emotional, and academic development of young children. Yet, there are marked disparities and inequities in how Black children and their families are perceived and treated in ECE. The current review article seeks to document how anti-Blackness in ECE is detrimental to young Black children and their families. Following Black Critical Theory this paper will: (a) revisit a historical account of ECE, highlighting the role of anti-Blackness; (b) use the Racism + Resilience + Resistance Integrative Study of Childhood Ecosystem (R³ISE) model to document how anti-Blackness is endemic within ECE; and (c) discuss how to support ECE settings in the United States so that they elevate and integrate the cultural assets of Black children and their families. In documenting how anti-Blackness embedded within the United States ECE system leads to adverse early childhood outcomes for Black children, we push back against the disappearance of Black history and suffering from our consciousness and call on the field to acknowledge what is happening, provide support to Black children and their families, and organize together to create change.