The language of race in the Early Years

Liz Pemberton (the Black Nursery Manager) is a former nursery manager and current anti-racist trainer. She highlights the harm of colourblind approaches, the importance of intentional language around race, and the need for anti-racist practice to be embedded continuously rather than tokenistically. Educators should endeavour to commit to a personal anti-racist learning journey, diversifying resources and recruitment, and embedding social justice conversations into everyday early years practice.

Key takeaways

• Adopt intentional, non-colourblind language:
  Practitioners should replace colourblind phrases such as "we don't see colour here" with affirming, race-conscious language, as a colourblind approach prevents acknowledgment of the real impact of racism on children.
• Embed anti-racist practice daily:
  Settings should treat anti-racism like safeguarding or first aid — a continuous, embedded commitment rather than a seasonal or reactive exercise, ensuring it becomes part of the tapestry of practice.
• Use the 4Es framework:
  Settings should implement the 4Es of anti-racist practice — embrace, embed, ensure, and extend — to co-create a culture of belonging with children, families, and practitioners, placing the child as the expert of their own racial, cultural, and religious identity.
• Diversify resources and representation:
  Settings should audit and expand their resources (books, dolls, materials) to reflect diverse racial and cultural identities, while recognising that resources are only as effective as the practitioners using them.
• Handle race-related incidents promptly and constructively:
  When children exhibit racially harmful behaviour, practitioners should intervene immediately, separate the behaviour from the child, have age-appropriate conversations, and follow up directly with the child's family.
• Broaden community engagement using technology:
  Settings should use technology to connect with diverse communities and other early years settings, including globally, to extend children's and practitioners' exposure beyond their immediate physical environment.