Maintaining anti-racist practice in the Early Years

How the 3 Ps can help practitioners turn anti-racist reflection into action

Anti-racist practice can feel broad and, at times, overwhelming. There are many possible starting points, and many different aspects of practice, provision and policy that could be explored.

Our own thinking about this is informed by the understanding that we cannot meaningfully consider practice with children without also considering the personal, and any practice should be supported by effective policy if it is to be sustained over time. We structure each of our three sessions around these three Ps, supporting practitioners to explore anti-racism at every level of their work.

This framework begins by examining personal beliefs and biases, moves on to everyday pedagogy, and then considers how organisational structures can either reinforce or challenge inequity. This is intended as praxis, as a springboard for conversation, reflection, and action. 

Personal: Reflecting on bias

“It feels like a safe space with clear boundaries where questions can be explored without a feeling of judgement.”

Laurel - Forum Attendee (anonymised)

Anti-racist practice begins with us. To develop our practice, we must take time to reflect on our own experiences, assumptions, and understandings. None of us arrives at this work as a blank slate; we are shaped by our upbringing, education, and the social and historical contexts in which we have grown up.

Because our society has been shaped by a long history of racial inequality — including colonialism, the transatlantic slave trade, and discrimination in law, housing and education — these patterns can appear in our thinking and practice without us realising. 

For many white educators, recognising how privilege operates can be particularly challenging, not because harm is intentional, but because privilege is often experienced as the absence of barriers. This reflective starting point is less about blaming and more about awareness and responsibility. When we understand the forces that have shaped us, we are better equipped to create early years environments where every child and family feels genuinely seen, valued, and included.

Izzy from the forum coined the phrase “kick and cushion” to describe our approach: speaking honestly about inequity, even when it is uncomfortable, while also staying alongside practitioners with empathy and practical support. We believe people grow best when they are both challenged and held.

Our sessions start with everyone having a chance to reflect and express where they think they might be on their personal journey. Sometimes, this is facilitated by considering where we identify within a continuum of statements. These range from ‘I avoid hard questions’, to ‘I recognise racism is a present-day problem’, to ‘I educate my peers on how racism harms our profession’.

From there, we discuss the barriers we experience that deter us from recognising and speaking out about racism, such as ‘I’m scared of offending someone’ or ‘I work in an all-white setting’. This creates a supportive atmosphere where we often find people are struggling with the same issues.

We try not to dwell in the negative space but to push through to offering each other support and solutions through sharing experiences or recommendations for resources. The session ends with time to set personal goals geared towards tangible actions that support growth and understanding.

Practice: What anti-racist practice looks like in your setting

“From attending the forum, I’ve learned the power of reflecting, reflecting, and reflecting, e.g. when putting an activity or book out, I am asking myself, ‘what message does this pass to the children? And how about children who are from different cultures and backgrounds - what does that mean for them?’”

Sam - Forum Attendee (anonymised)

Every setting is different, shaped by its community, staff team, and environment. There is no single checklist or set of strategies that can be applied and then considered complete. This work requires ongoing reflection, a learning mindset, and a willingness to sit with uncertainty and the fact that there is no perfect response.

In the practice sessions, practitioners value the opportunity to share both successes and challenges. We often include a tour of the nursery setting in this session to share our journey and offer tangible examples of anti-racist resources and practices. Topics explored include mirrors and windows, and recognising teachable moments in everyday practice.

Mirrors, Windows and Glass Sliding Doors

Mirrors, Windows and Glass Sliding Doors is a concept, originally coined by Rudine Sims Bishop, that guides our practice decisions and allows us to provide a range of experiences that benefit all children in different ways.

• Mirrors
  We offer ‘mirrors’ to children, as they see their own identity and culture reflected in the resources, environments and practices they experience. This supports their development of self and identity, as well as affirming their belonging and acceptance in the setting. 
• Windows
  We offer ‘windows’ to children when they see or experience something different from their typical experiences.
• Glass sliding doors
  ‘Glass sliding doors’ are moments when children get to immerse themselves in different perspectives and cultures in tangible ways, rather than just through observation. Children learn to value the diversity of the world we live in and explore a different perspective, increasing empathy and inclusivity.

Teachable moments arise in everyday interactions and are part of a proactive approach. This can involve commenting on children’s differences in curious, positive ways that recognise difference as a valuable part of life, rather than waiting for a discriminatory incident to occur before addressing it.

Opportunities can be created through activities involving mirrors or discussions about our families but can also be instigated by observing children’s play and interactions. By staying alert to these moments, practitioners can affirm children’s identities, while challenging assumptions, and modelling respectful conversations about differences.

Policy: Supporting anti-racist practice through policy

“Because of the forum, we are thinking about how to develop our policies and pedagogy statements to make them more explicit on this theme (anti-racism) and joined up.”

Aisha -Forum Attendee (anonymised)

In the policy sessions, we reflect on setting values, ethos, and written policies, considering how these can support an anti-racist culture in practice, not just on paper.

Policies can provide shared language and clarity, empowering staff to respond consistently and confidently to discriminatory incidents. During sessions, we often use scenarios based on real experiences to facilitate discussion that can help unpick the nuances of the situation and how we might apply our policies to the ‘messiness’ of real life.

Such scenarios may include a discriminatory comment from a child or parent, or prejudice affecting a team member's actions. This can develop confidence and familiarity in everyday contexts that are often high-pressured and busy.

A setting’s ethos often offers families a first impression of what is valued, but this becomes meaningless if it remains only a statement on a website or wall. We encourage practitioners to reflect on how values are embedded through training, everyday practice, and clear, lived policies.

Reviewing policies through an anti-racist lens can be a powerful tool in identifying and dismantling practices that disproportionately affect minoritised groups. Small examples of blanket practices that might go unnoticed, such as ‘all children must wear a nursery sun hat in the garden’, can be detrimental if a range of shapes and sizes is not provided for different hair types.

Recognising discriminatory incidents is often the first challenge. It can feel easier to give the benefit of the doubt — “they weren’t trying to be mean” or “maybe that wasn’t about race” — but when incidents go unchallenged, they can become embedded in attitudes and behaviours over time (Jordan & Hernandez-Reif, 2009; Kaufman & Wiese, 2011). This is why it is important to have a clear policy on discriminatory incidents.

When developing the policy, it is important to hold both parties in mind. The person displaying bias does not need to be shamed, but the moment can be used to model inclusive language and challenge harmful behaviour. At the same time, practitioners must clearly support the child experiencing discrimination and counter any negative messages they may be internalising. Clear communication with both parents and carers is also key in supporting the affirming messaging you want to convey.

Overall, we believe that anti-racist practice is sustained not through having all the answers, but through a willingness to reflect, question, and learn together. Creating space to share experiences from different perspectives and sit with discomfort supports us to move beyond isolation and uncertainty into motivation that impacts our everyday.

When reflection is held within supportive, trusting communities, it becomes a powerful tool for change, helping us build confidence and take thoughtful action. 

For us, the 3 Ps have offered a way to keep this work connected: personal reflection, everyday practice and written policy all shaping one another. When these three areas are held together, anti-racism becomes less like an additional task and more like an ongoing way of thinking, noticing and acting within early years practice.