Little Learners, Big Hearts
A Teacher’s Guide to Nurturing Empathy and Equity in Early Childhood
Embrace challenging conversations, confront biases, and shape learning from an early age with Little Learners, Big Hearts. This book equips early childhood educators with the necessary tools to become kind, caring forces, fostering meaningful connections with young children and families.
Hope for compassionate and just communities starts with early childhood education.
Discover the transformative power of early conversations on racial equity and cultural awareness with Little Learners, Big Hearts. This heartwarming teacher’s guide fosters empathy and equity in young minds. Grounded in heart centered learning, it seamlessly weaves principles of hope, self-education, acknowledgment, resolution, and responsive teaching to create an empowering antiracist foundation. Start shaping compassionate futures today.
Preschool and K–3 teachers and childcare providers will:
- Promote empathy for and understanding of backgrounds, cultures, and identities that are different from what students may be used to
- Use mindfulness and reflection to move past discomfort and engage in challenging conversations
- Engage in an ongoing process of acknowledging and confronting biases
- Shape young children’s learning in a way that allows them to draw their own conclusions
- Be kind, caring, and meaningful forces in the lives of all students and their families
Related Topics
InstructionSocial-Emotional Learning and Wellness
Additional Information
“Little Learners, Big Hearts is a must-read for all in the field of education and most especially for those in early childhood education. The structure of the book makes it very user-friendly and the contents immediately useful.”
“The authors have developed a tour de force, a guidebook for early childhood educators to help build capacity using heart-centered principles, acknowledging racism, helping overcome bias, and leading us to the future—a future of hope and optimism. Realizing that change must come, they have given us a road map—one honoring the agency and identity of each child and filled with practical examples and exercises. A must-read for all who care about our children, our future!”
“Little Learners, Big Hearts acknowledges the racial injustice that Black, Indigenous, and other students of color have faced in the educational system. This book provides a helpful guide to nurture the paradigm shift that must happen in early childhood programs to create antiracist school communities that foster empathy, equity, and healing in public school systems.”
“Little Learners, Big Hearts encourages practitioners to establish a culture of belonging and emotional safety for our youngest learners. As a former elementary principal, it is apparent that many of our students come to kindergarten with their school identity as a learner already established. Engaging preschool communities through intentional practices to address the basic principles of antiracism and social justice is a win for those working to better the outcomes for all students of all ages.”