Feb 10, 2025 Story by: Editor
Early care and education (ECE) programs are designed to foster young children’s social, emotional, and academic development before they begin kindergarten. However, a recent review published in Early Childhood Research Quarterly reveals significant disparities in how Black children and their families experience these programs.
The review, featured in a special issue on Racism in the Early Years, was co-authored by Courtney Zulauf-McCurdy, PhD (Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago), Olivia R. Nazaire (Loyola University Chicago), Tunette Powell, PhD (Arizona State University), and Iheoma Iruka, PhD (University of North Carolina).
The authors argue that anti-Blackness is a key factor driving inequities in early childhood outcomes for Black children and their families. They describe anti-Blackness as a specific form of racism that devalues, marginalizes, and discriminates against people racialized as Black. This includes cultural and structural racism, as well as interpersonal biases in teacher-student and teacher-family interactions. These biases often reinforce what the authors refer to as the “deficit perspective.”
“The deficit perspective is when Black children are perceived as having poor upbringing, for example, and so viewed as having underlying deficits as individuals, while the effects of social circumstances, such as poverty, are ignored,” explains lead author Courtney Zulauf-McCurdy, PhD, a clinical community psychologist, Early Childhood Research Lead at the Center for Childhood Resilience at Lurie Children’s, and Assistant Professor of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. “We need to change this narrative and focus on the unique resilience and strengths of Black children and their families. We need systemic changes and support for teachers to help them partner with families, which in itself is known to decrease expulsion.”
Research cited in the review highlights that Black children in ECE settings are more likely to have their behavior pathologized, leading to lower expectations, more punitive interactions, and harsher disciplinary measures. Although Black children make up only 19% of ECE enrollment, they represent 47% of children who are suspended or expelled. Additionally, they are 3.6 times more likely than their White peers to receive one or more suspensions. Black children are also less likely to be identified by their teachers as needing support and are less likely to receive necessary interventions. According to the authors, these disparities stem from anti-Blackness rather than any inherent traits of Black children or their families.
“The effects of anti-Blackness also contribute to the ‘cradle-to-prison pipeline’ or the disturbing national trend wherein Black children are placed on a negative developmental trajectory increasing the likelihood of entering the criminal justice system in the future,” said Dr. Zulauf-McCurdy. “We need to imagine a different future in which ECE honors the unique assets of Black children and families and becomes a place where all Black children can thrive.”
Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago is a nonprofit organization dedicated to ensuring all children have access to high-quality medical care. As the only independent, research-driven children’s hospital in Illinois, it plays a vital role in pediatric medicine, training future physicians, and advancing child health research through the Stanley Manne Children’s Research Institute. Lurie Children’s serves as the pediatric training hospital for Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and is consistently ranked among the nation’s top children’s hospitals by U.S. News & World Report. Source: News Wise
