Preparing early childhood professionals to meet the changing demography of the united states

Changing family structures, such as children living with grandparents or older siblings caring for children, gay and lesbian parents, families who are newly immigrated or undocumented, single head of house hold due to incarceration, divorce, and military deployment have become common place in the last two decades. Therefore, teachers must prepare themselves for meeting the needs of young children and their families through social justice considerations. Building off these considerations and the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) Position Statement on Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Early Childhood Programs Serving Children Birth Through Age 8, this chapter offers recommendations for integrating a social justice perspective into Early Childhood Care and Education.