Here you will find resources to support practitioners and settings with introducing, understanding and embedding anti-racist practice.
Welsh Government has a vision of creating a ‘More Equal Wales’, where Wales is a country that is proudly anti-racist and where everyone is treated as an equal citizen.
NDNA Cymru aims to support our members to provide quality early years, childcare and playwork opportunities which embed core values in relation to race, equality and diversity and impacts positivity on outcomes for children and their families.
Supporting resources:
Shifting Practice from Non-Racist to Anti-Racist FACTSHEET
This factsheet has been created to explore how we move from non-racist to anti racist. We have included a suggested team activity and reflective questions.
https://ndna.org.uk/product/shifting-practice-from-non-racist-to-anti-racist/
Race equity and racial literacy in the early years FACTSHEET
The factsheet explores what is Race Equity and Racial Literacy in the Early Years. It also touches on learned behaviours in the nursery environment and how this encourages young children to be generous, caring and respectful of others.
https://ndna.org.uk/product/race-equity-and-racial-literacy-in-the-early-years/
Race Equity and Anti-Racist Professional Practice FACTSHEET
This factsheets outlines the duty is to be positive role models, as we are among the adults from whom children observe and learn. The nursery environment should be one where children not only observe kindness and respect but are given occasions to be kind and respectful to each other.
https://ndna.org.uk/product/race-equity-and-anti-racist-professional-practice-factsheet/
Embedding Global Majority Voices in the Early Years Curriculum for Wales FACTSHEET
The factsheet outlines the Importance of professional learning as a high-quality early years setting is essential for children’s development. It includes a break down perceived barriers and myths when thinking about curriculum re-design along with reflective questions.
Developing Global Citizens FACTSHEET
This factsheet defines a Global citizen within the Curriculum for Wales. Sets out a series of discussion points for you to use with your early years children. Developing global citizens begins in the early years and encourages practitioners to reflect critically on their roles, evaluate their values, assumptions and biases, especially regarding culture, race, identify and global inequality.
Creating Change Through Shared Actions FACTSHEET
The factsheet gives you suggestions on how to talk about race in your setting touches on the Curriculum for Wales, and the stronger emphasis on learners being ‘citizens of Wales and the wider world’ and all that will entail within a world that is fast becoming a ‘global village’, thanks to technology. Along with the central principle of ‘Cynefin’ (belonging) which is based within the heart of the curriculum.
https://ndna.org.uk/product/creating-change-through-shared-actions/
Anti-racist Practice – Diversity, Language and Communication Opportunities for Change FACTSHEET
This factsheet has been created to support the childcare, playwork and early years sector to develop anti-racist practice. It explores how diversity, language and communication can be used as opportunities for change within your setting. Use this resource to reflect on your approach to inclusive language and consider practical ways to embed anti-racist practice in your everyday interactions with children, families and colleagues.
Anti-racist Practice – Creating a Sense of Cynefin: Working with Children, Families and Communities FACTSHEET
This factsheet it explores the concept of cynefin and how practitioners can work with children, families and communities to create a sense of belonging for all. Use this resource to reflect on your own practice and consider how you can promote inclusion and equity within your setting.
FREE: Embedding Anti-racist Practice – Wales online course
This FREE course will look at how anti-racism is about making consistent, intentional and conscious choices to challenge racism and disrupt the many ways that it occurs in our practice and its presence within the systems and structures of the childcare sector.
https://ndna.org.uk/product/embedding-anti-racist-practice-in-wales/
Guide to Good Practice Tackling Racism
NDNA Cymru factsheet supporting settings with addressing issues of racism and of promoting inclusion, equality and diversity within your setting.
Race Equity and Anti-Racist Professional Practice
NDNA Cymru resource to support early years leaders and practitioners to develop through individual professional learning, self-enquiry and collaborative thinking with their peers and working communities.
Bulletin: diversity and anti-racism factsheet
This NDNA Cymru bulletin outlines the requirements relating to diversity within the Curriculum for Wales and signposts to resources that can support practitioners with their daily practice.
‘The Colour of Us’: using books and stories to explore diversity and inclusion
This NDNA Cymru factsheet explores why using books and stories to explore diversity and inclusion is beneficial to children’s learning and development. It also includes questions and discussion ideas from ‘The Colour of Us’ book, which could support children to explore and discuss the concept of skin colour.
Diversity and Anti-Racist Professional Learning (DARPL) – Childcare, Play and Early Years (CPEY)
In Childcare, Play and Early Years Provision, we need to ensure anti-racist actions to safeguard the wellbeing of all. DARPL for Childcare, Play and Early Years provision in Wales supports professional practice in tackling racism, exploring commitment, actions and strategy at all levels of the workforce.
Creating an Anti-Racist Culture in Settings Guide – a practical toolkit for those working in Childcare, Play and Early Years in Wales
This toolkit, developed by DARPL and CWLWM, has been designed to help, guide and support the development of a whole-setting approach towards being anti-racist. The support pack is not intended to be used as box ticking exercise but to support ongoing reflective practice and improvement.
The toolkit includes guidance on:
- Governance and Leadership
- Setting the floor/ environment
- Parents and Carers
- Professional Learning
- Early Childhood Play, Learning and Care; Curriculum, pedagogy and practice
The toolkit also includes case studies from the sector, such as NDNA member CWTCH Childcare, Cardiff.
Rose Garden, Swansea’s journey embedding anti-racism practice
What is your journey and vision to ensure your setting embed anti racism practice?
Anti racism practice is something that is so very close to our hearts at nursery. The owners are both mixed race. We have an understanding of how it feels to not feel included and some of the challenges that people face on a daily basis.
We have always been an inclusive setting both staff wise and family wise. We pride ourselves on celebrating everyone’s differences. After attending a conference with the DARPL team it just really opened our eyes to the difference between not being a racist person and being anti racist.
We are currently in the middle of taking an audit at nursery of all the multi-cultural and diverse resources we have. We will then sit down and see what we can improve on etc.
Have all your staff attended training?
We have attended training. We have booked another Deputy Manager onto a course which will be delivered in June and July. We have two members of staff who have completed the training with DARPL. We then cascade the information and talk through scenarios with the staff.
How do you ensure all staff are aware of your anti-racist practice?
Anti racist practice is covered in our induction programme, staff meetings as well as day to day, if need be. We are currently looking to see if we need to make any changes to our policies and procedures, which all staff are required to read. The Policies and Procedures are available to our parents.
Our environment has a variety of books, dolls, paints, crayons, arts and crafts, dressing up, real items from different countries etc. We are currently performing an audit of all of the resources, to see where we can improve All staff are warm and loving and inclusive of every family at nursery. When we recruit, staff are chosen for their experience, and the way they are with the children and parents.
What’s your next step?
Our next step is to ensure that all staff have the chance to speak with the DARPL team and attend training. We are looking to do the yearlong training. This will be the DARPL Enhanced Leadership Series which we are hoping to start in September. It’s a mix of online learning, meetings and in person seminars in Cardiff Met. We continue our journey to embed anti racism practice within our setting.
Anti-racist practice at Nestlings’ Nursery
As a nursery we ensure that we embed anti racist practice throughout the nursery, throughout the year, not just in Black History Month. Here are just a few examples of how we do this:
- Staff training – We bring awareness and embed anti-racist practice within the staff team by providing suitable training, policies and procedures
- We have an Equality Action Plan – one of the areas in the plan is race & ethnicity
- We bring awareness and embed anti-racist practice within the playrooms by providing multicultural resources, activities and celebration events. We also include food from around the world in our menu
- We promote anti-racist behaviour by encouraging the staff, children and families to
support local and less-fortunate communities - Refugee programme – we offer one space a day free of charge for a refugee or asylum
seeking family. We liaise with a local refugee charity to determine who is more in need and will benefit the most - Ghana Link – we support a school on the outskirts of Accra, in Ghana. Fundraising to
support children to attend the school and in February I went to visit the school,
providing resources and tips and support for the teachers.
Lullabyz Nursery: how their journey is evolving
Lullabyz Nursery , Newport BLOG how their journey is evolving as they try to create an anti-racist setting, where all children feel special and feel seen.
Lullabyz Nursery Ltd Newport is a private day care nursery and holiday club. The nursery opened in 2012 and has flourished over the years.
The Responsible Individual is Nicola Reed and the Person In Charge is Louise Touhig. Nicola and Louise became friends at university, where they trained to be primary school teachers together. Between them they have over fifty years’ experience of working with children and are dedicated to providing the highest quality of care. They are assisted in their roles by an excellent team of staff who are highly qualified and highly committed to the nursery.
Lullabyz Nursery explains how their journey is evolving
It became very clear to us during our journey that knowledge and understanding were going to be Key to becoming an anti-racist setting. Staff need to be able to recognise racism, not only on an individual basis but on a systemic level too. We have all needed to understand ‘White privilege’ and what that means, in order to open our eyes to the levels of racism that some of our children, staff and families have and will encounter and recognise how we can start to change this behaviour.
We have continued to hold regular staff meetings designated only to Anti racism and all 33 staff have now completed the NDNA Embedding anti racism training.
I am also currently coming to the end of the Enhanced Leadership training through DARPL.
The more we can see, recognise and challenge, the thinking and behaviours of others – the further along this journey we will travel.
The children have responded openly and curiously to all discussions we have had and continue to grow in their own understanding and empathy.
We regularly purchase new resources to support this work and have really taken the time to source books that focus on Identities, Communities, Highlight biases and challenge the children. We have changed our ‘All About Me’s’ to include a ‘My Life’ section. This has encouraged parents to discuss their families, religions, cultures, celebrations and daily life with the staff at the earliest stages and encourages them to get involved and become part of our wider family. We talk about the language they use, Key words and phrases we could use, music that would be heard at home, the programmes which may be unfamiliar to us, along with their likes, dislikes and interests. This ensures that we can provide an environment where each child feels seen and heard as soon as the join Lullabyz.
We are still learning and still working to achieve our goals but the honest answer is that this work is ongoing and will take an extensive amount of time to become embedded. Just the other day something came up that none of us had even thought about until a parent informed us. Luckily, we have created an environment where she felt she could come to us and that gives us hope that we are heading in the right direction. Her little one attends our baby room and recently became fascinated with the farm animals and, in particular, the giant pig. Regular pictures had been sent home showing her little one enjoying nursery life whilst often holding on to his favourite pig.
One day mum asked us to discourage him from playing with the pig which confused us – Again a lack of understanding, the penny finally dropped. The family are Muslim and Islamic dietary laws consider pigs to be unclean animals. Something that we would never have thought of being an issue, again reminding us all that the more knowledge we gain, the bigger impact we can have.
The work doesn’t start with the children – it definitely starts with us
Louise Touhig, Lullabyz Nursery
Lullabyz Nursery case study: Creating an anti-racist culture in our setting.