Issue Intensive C: Infants and Toddlers Face Racism Too: Science, Practice, and Policy

Overview

This Issue Intensive, facilitated by Kandace Thomas, PhD, will explore how racism affects America’s youngest residents–infants and toddlers. The first session will present the extant research on how infants and toddlers perceive race, particularly through facial recognition. It will also include a review of the research on how historical trauma due to race affects families of very young children and what this means for the development of infants and toddlers. The second session will entail an interactive discussion on current issues relevant to systemic racism and racial inequity in the US and the implications of these for the functioning of infants and toddlers. Early childhood practitioners will gain new insights about how racism shapes our lives from our earliest days.

Faculty & Competency Domains

Faculty: Cynthia García Coll, PhD, University of Puerto Rico; Iheoma Iruka, PhD, The Center for Early Education Research & Evaluation, HighScope Educational Research Foundation; Kandace Thomas, PhD, First 8 Memphis; Marva L. Lewis, PhD, Tulane University

P-5 Competency Domains:

• P-5 (5) Cultural and Linguistic Responsiveness
• P-5 (4) Health and Developmental Protective and Risk Factors

Presenters have affirmed that they do not have proprietary interest in products, instruments, devices, services or materials discussed in this event, and have confirmed that they have not been compensated in relation to this presentation.