This event took place on Tuesday 18 June. You can watch the recording below.

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, joined 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. 

Dr Shaddai and Nesta’s Simran Motiani explored how to successfully implement anti-discriminatory practices in early years settings so that every child feels valued and supported.

Why you should watch the recording

This recording 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.

The opinions expressed in this event recording are those of the speaker. For more information, view our full statement on external contributors.