Reba Early Learning Center serves a diverse population of students and families with respect to race, religion, ethnicity, socio-economic level, and ability. We are committed to helping young children grow in their understanding and acceptance of all people in addition to beginning to advocate for those people that need support. When facilitating the development of multi-cultural and anti-bias attitudes with young children, it is important to understand the child's developmental stage to be able to interpret their observations and comments and guide growth in these areas. To foster this growth, teachers keep in mind the following milestones of the ages of children we serve.
Around 2 years old:

• the child begins to define him/herself by physical characteristics including skin color, hair color and anatomy.
• the child can classify people by gender and may begin to use social "labels" for talking about ways that they are different from him/her.
• the child may become fearful or uncomfortable around people with unfamiliar physical attributes or needs ranging from facial hair to use of a wheelchair.
• It is important to answer the child's questions honestly and to talk openly about observed differences. The attitudes and comfort level of the adults in the child's life play a major role in what will be learned.

While being a 3 and 4 old year old:

• the child probably will not understand the consistency of gender, skin color, eye shape, etc. A girl may be heard to say, "When I'm a Daddy when I grow up…"
• the child's limited sense of time and inability to focus on one attribute at a time may cause him/her to deny, for example, that a classmate is a Native American because there was a Native American on T V that had war paint and a bow and arrow and the classmate does not.
• the child not only observes differences but wants to know why they exist. Why is that man so fat? Why is her nose big? Why is that boy's skin dark? Why is that girl in a wheelchair? Can she get out?

The way in which adults respond to these questions is critical. If a child is made to feel that s/he is being rude or behaving inappropriately by asking questions, s/he will learn to become silent and deny the uniqueness of individuals.

The five and six year old child

• is probably grappling with the concepts of real and pretend as s/he continues to try to make sense of the world.
• may be rule bound and exhibit rigid behavior as a part of this developmental stage.
• may be very concerned with fairness.
• may choose same gender and same race friends.
• will probably express aggression more often verbally than physically.

Teachers keep these stages and phases in mind as they respond to daily occurrences in the classroom and provide for authentic experiences that are integrated into the topics that are being explored. For example if a class is exploring the topic of firefighters, the children will discover through primary and secondary sources that firefighters can be men or women and of any race. As they explore the community they may discover that a business that they visit would be hard for a person in a wheelchair to visit. They may decide to write to the owner of the business owner to express their concern. In addition teachers:

• acknowledge all questions in a positive manner to encourage children to express their thoughts and concerns.
• clarify a child's questions to make sure they know what is being asked.
• address fears and anxieties by providing the children with accurate information.
• avoid being judgmental but do not ignore incidents that need to be discussed.
• self-reflect to become more aware of their own behavior, language, attitudes, stereotypes and expectations.