Research from the Nuffield Foundation reveals a decline in early childhood education and care enrolment during the pandemic, especially among ethnic minority children. The uptake of funded entitlement places among disadvantaged two-year-olds plummeted from 69% to 62%.
Between January 2020 and January 2021, ethnic minority and special needs children comprised the majority of dropouts among disadvantaged two-year-olds. Addressing this trend is crucial to re-engage minority families and mitigate potential developmental setbacks caused by non-inclusive practices.
According to guidelines from the Early Years Foundation Stage, early-years settings should promote anti-discriminatory practice to ensure that every child is included and supported. But what exactly does this entail, and how can it lead to better developmental outcomes for ethnic minority children?
Dr Shaddai Tembo, lecturer in early childhood studies at Bath Spa University, and an independent speaker, trainer and consultant through Critical Early Years, joins us on Tuesday 18 June 12:00-13:00 to explore the importance of anti-discriminatory practices in fostering positive developmental outcomes in the early years.
Join Nesta online as Dr Shaddai and Nesta’s Simran Motiani explore how to successfully implement anti-discriminatory practices in early years settings so that every child feels valued and supported.
Why you should come
This free online event is for early years practitioners, researchers and organisations looking to gain valuable insights and actionable strategies for promoting inclusivity within early years settings and for anyone who is interested in race equality within the early years sector.
Who is speaking
Dr Shaddai Tembo – Dr Shaddai Tembo is a lecturer in early childhood studies at Bath Spa University (UK and China), an associate lecturer at the Open University and an independent speaker, trainer and consultant through Critical Early Years. Shaddai is a trustee for the Fatherhood Institute and part of the steering group for the Men In The Early Years campaign.
Simran Motiani – Simran is an analyst for the fairer start mission at Nesta.
She joined Nesta from What Works for Early Intervention and Children's Social Care (formerly the Early Intervention Foundation). There, she conducted research on what works to support families experiencing parental conflict as well as how local authorities provide support to minority ethnic families. Prior to this, Simran worked as a research assistant on longitudinal and cross-sectional research projects within developmental and educational psychology. She also spent some time working as a primary school teacher in her home country.