Like many others in the Early Years sector, I’m a white woman who has never experienced racism on the basis of the colour of my skin nor my race. Despite this, I have been witness to hearing prejudice based on nationality and ethnicity, as I have Polish identity.
What does anti-racism mean to me?
Anti- racism moves beyond promoting equality and diversity and ‘not being racist’, and into actively opposing racism and raising your voice for personal, institutional, and systematic change. To be able to challenge racism and promote anti-racist culture, leaders and practitioners in our childcare settings need to understand every type of racism.
It is our responsibility, as a workforce, to share this responsibility and live and practise anti-racist leadership. All of us, in every single childcare, play and early years learning organisation/setting right across Wales, play a vital part in the work of leading the national vision and implementing the Anti-racist Wales Action Plan to make Wales an anti- racist nation by 2030.
Because of this, a special support pack has been created to help people in developing an anti-racist culture, which raises immediate questions about what culture actually is?
For me, culture is everything – from leadership to the environment, from our relationship with families to our practice. Developing an anti-racist approach takes time, reflection and commitment. It can feel overwhelming.
The support pack is not intended to be used as box ticking exercise. Rather, it should be used to help, guide and support the development of a whole-setting approach towards being anti-racist.
The advice is categorised as follows:
- Governance and Leadership
- Setting the floor/ environment
- Parents and Carers
- Professional Learning
- Early Childhood Play, Learning and Care; Curriculum, pedagogy and practice
The support pack also includes case studies from the sector, such as Cylch Meithrin Llanbedr, Gwynedd
Cylch Meithrin Llanbedr is a charity run by volunteers delivering nursery education and childcare through the medium of Welsh. The setting is located in a community hall with a large open air area, situated within a small rural village where approximately half of the local population speak Welsh. 97% of the local community is racially white. Every staff member has attended professional anti-racist learning and has given careful consideration to the resources used in the cylch.
This means that the children play with Black and Brown dolls; the children use ‘Colours of the World’ crayons when drawing pictures, and their displays contain pictures of children of different racial and ethnic backgrounds.
The parent notice board displays the ‘Cylch for All’ materials, and the Cylch Meithrin’s former leader- Jacqueline Hooban – presented anti-racist professional learning in Welsh on behalf of CWLWM.
This is only the beginning
Anti-racism is hard work that comes straight from the heart.
We all need to be part of the change,and ensure that everybody feels their own cynefin – their own personal sense of belonging in Wales and the world.
Published by Leanne Marsh, Mudiad Meithrin Head of Service Development
February 2025