Promoting Social Justice for Young Children

Description

This book explores important current social justice issues that confront young children in America. A broad range of topics related to the fair treatment of young children and their families are approached with a fresh and hopeful energy. The central argument of this volume is that a fair and just society must protect the basic needs of all children so they are able to reach their full potential to learn, grow, and ultimately become productive democratic citizens. The book includes contributions from an impressive group of authors who have been consistent voices for the fair and equitable treatment of children in school and society. Each chapter examines a critical issue in child social justice with a focus on the current problem, historical importance of the issue, potential solutions, and a vision for the future. The book has been developed to reach a wide audience of professionals whose work involves children and who have grown concerned about social forces that cause child suffering and threaten the well-being or even the survival of children in the United States. Readers will come away with up to date information and a renewed commitment to being life-long advocates for children. Front Matter....Pages 1-1 Front Matter....Pages 9-9 The Continuing Struggle for Social Justice for Children....Pages 1-7 Child Poverty, Child Care, and Children’s Rights....Pages 11-24 Objectified Self, Objectified Relationships: The Sexualization of Childhood Promotes Social Injustice....Pages 25-33 Child Justice, Caregiver Empowerment, and Community Self-Determination....Pages 35-46 Not in Harm’s Way. Or are They? War, Social Justice, and Young Children in the United States....Pages 47-56 Front Matter....Pages 57-57 Playful Learning: Early Education that Makes Sense to Children....Pages 59-70 Education That Is Multicultural and Promotes Social Justice: The Need....Pages 71-80 Revolutionary Pedagogy: Art, Culture, and Place-Based Education in an Era of Standardization....Pages 81-89 Front Matter....Pages 91-91 Working with Immigrant Children of “Undocumented” and “Mixed” Families....Pages 93-109 Challenging the Text and Context of (Re)Naming Immigrant Children: Children’s Literature as Tools for Change....Pages 111-124 Creating Meaningful Contexts in Schools for English Language Learners....Pages 125-134 Front Matter....Pages 135-135 Beyond Inclusion: Disability Studies in Early Childhood Teacher Education....Pages 137-146 Preparing Teachers of Young Children to be Social Justice-Oriented Educators....Pages 147-161 Protecting the Rights of All Children: Using What We Know....Pages 163-169 Back Matter....Pages 162-162