The Miller Early Childhood Initiative of A WORLD OF DIFFERENCE® Institute

OVERVIEW
The Miller Early Childhood Initiative of A WORLD OF DIFFERENCE® Institute (The Initiative) of the Anti-Defamation League provides anti-bias training and resources for the early childhood community. The goal of The Initiative is to assist caregivers, educators, and families in creating and sustaining bias-free early childhood programs and homes that encourage children to appreciate diversity at an age when the seeds of prejudice can begin to take root. To achieve this goal, ADL's trained facilitators deliver workshops to early childhood caregivers, educators, and families while supporting them with additional print resources to use in early childhood programs and homes. Facilitator techniques such as small and large group discussion, role plays, videos, case studies, and goal setting increase participants’ understanding of bias and discrimination and provide ways to effectively interrupt acts of bigotry.

• For CAREGIVERS, EDUCATORS and AIDES of children ages 3-5, The Initiative provides up to ten hours of training which can be done over two or three workshop sessions. The initial workshop(s) provides an understanding of the impact of prejudice in an early childhood setting and introduction to The Initiative resources. A three hour Follow-Up Educator Workshop reunites the participants to reinforce and further develop anti-bias skills. CEUs are available to the participants. All workshop participants receive Bias-Free Foundations: Activities and Guidebook for Educators.
  
• For ADULT FAMILY MEMBERS of children ages 3-5, The Initiative provides a three-hour workshop which focuses on how parents/guardians are children's "first teachers" when it comes to developing a sense of identity and combating stereotypes and negative attitudes. All participants receive Bias-Free Foundations: Activities for Families.

RESOURCES
The resources participants receive in the workshops, created through collaboration between ADL and Sesame Workshop (producers of Sesame Street), include Bias-Free Foundations: Activities for Families, Activities and Guidebook for Educators, Early Childhood Poster, and Early Childhood Resources. The activities and guidebooks contain projects and advice to assist adults in creating bias-free programs and homes for children ages 3-5; topics include talking with children about bias, exposing them to diversity, choosing books that reflect the world, and creating environments that are inclusive of all children and sensitive to their differences. The resources booklet contains recommended reading lists, music and Internet sites to reinforce concepts introduced in the books and workshops, which the poster also highlights. The materials, written to be user-friendly, provide activities that easily integrate into daily routines.

RATIONALE
Research and experience show that by the preschool age, many children have begun to acquire negative feelings about themselves and others. These feelings need to be addressed so children can develop positive self-concepts and bias-free attitudes. When children have positive interactive experiences as part of their regular environments and activities, they develop a healthy appreciation of themselves, along with an appreciation of people who are physically and culturally different from themselves. The Miller Early Childhood Initiative workshops and materials train adults to provide these positive experiences. This is achieved by helping adults develop children’s abilities to understand and respect differences in themselves and others, to recognize and acknowledge inclusion and exclusion, and to practice effective skills to play, live, work, and learn together. The workshop activities and resources also assist educators and family members in developing awareness of their own biases and ways they transfer those biases to children.

GOALS
Caregivers, educators, administrators, and family members of children ages 3-5 who attend The Initiative workshops will:

• develop an understanding of anti-bias education;
• develop the capacity to recognize and acknowledge prejudice and discriminatory behavior in themselves and others;
• develop and put into practice the skills to confront prejudice and discriminatory behavior in themselves and others;
• examine their childcare program policies, practices, and resources for bias and inequities; and
• develop the capacity to create and sustain environments that respect cultural differences, fairness and equity.

Children cared for by adults who attend The Initiative workshops will:

• develop an understanding of and respect for differences in themselves and others;
• develop the capacity to recognize and acknowledge inclusion and exclusion; and
• develop and put into practice effective skills to play, live, work, and learn together.