George Floyd’s death was a tragedy and a wake up call — expanding a global conversation about race and racism. And young children have been watching it all. So how do we help them make sense of this? Early Risers is a podcast from Little Moments Count and MPR with frank facts, engaging stories and real how-tos for anyone who cares about raising children with a clear-eyed understanding of cultural differences, race and implicit bias. Hosted by Dianne Haulcy of The Family Partnership.
Latest episodes
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36 min
Rupture and Repair, Part 2
In this second episode of a two-part series, we continue our conversation with Dr. Anne Gearity about her seminal work in developmental repair. In our previous episode we learned a…
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32 min
Rupture and Repair, Part 1
When Dr. Anne Gearity earned her master’s in social work in 1974, the field of Early Childhood was just beginning. As she puts it, “We started to pay attention and really think abo…
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34 min
Developing Identity through Immersion: Dakota Language Nest
The Dakota Language Nest is a preschool where children are developing their identity through immersion in Dakota culture, traditions and language. In this episode we spend a day wi…
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31 min
Identity through Words and Images, Part 2: Ourselves on the Shelves
What’s the difference between a mirror book and a window book? For part two of our Identity through Words and Images series, we go on location to climb aboard Babycake’s Book Stack…
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33 min
Identity through Words and Images, Part 1: Planting Seeds with Resmaa Menakem and T. Mychael Rambo
Resmaa Menakem’s bestselling text “My Grandmother’s Hands” deals with the visceral impact of racialized trauma. But is it important for children to understand the legacy of these w…
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32 min
Finding Identity through Literacy
A child’s sense of self is shaped by their understanding of where they come from: their culture, history and heritage. But how a child begins to develop that understanding heavily…
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31 min
Passing the Mic: Reflections on Six Seasons of Early Risers
New host Andre Dukes sits down with Early Risers’ founding host Dianne Haulcy to reflect on the origins of this podcast. Just days after the murder of George Floyd, Haulcy penned a…
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27 min
How Children Can Become Critical Thinkers about Race in Media
What if, before you learned to read, you learned to ask questions? Faith Rogow calls it a “habit of inquiry,” and tells Dianne it’s more important now than ever. That’s because the…
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22 min
What Social Science Says Parents Can Do About Implicit Bias
If you thought experiments about race were a thing of the past, Sylvia Perry has news for you. In her social psychology lab at Northwestern University, she’s trying to figure out w…
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24 min
Honest Beginnings: Using Explicit Language to Discuss Race and Identity with Young Children
What was it like to work at Sesame Workshop back in the day? How about Nickelodeon? As a proud Chinese American, Courtney Wong Chin was thrilled to help the companies find ways to…
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24 min
Talking With Young Children About Race and Identity
Nicol Russell is vice president for implementation research for Teaching Strategies, a professional development company for early childhood educators. She has taught young children…
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23 min
Sparking Early Childhood Conversations About Race
Wouldn’t it be great to play games for a living? That’s a big part of John Sessler’s job for PBS Kids. He tells Early Risers host Dianne Haulcy the work is fun, but not simple. PBS…
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23 min
Media’s Potential to Help Dismantle Racism
Media companies like Cartoon Network consult Dr. Kira Banks to help ensure they portray diverse families accurately and respectfully. When Michael Brown was killed by police in Fer…
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29 min
Seeing Race Through Picture Books
What if you COULD tell a book by its cover? What if the pictures and design were as important as the words? That’s the idea behind Megan Dowd Lambert’s “Whole Book Approach” to rea…
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27 min
Understanding Racial Identity in Young Children
“Racial identity” refers to a person’s understanding of different racial identities, one’s preferences for a particular racial identity and how identities are ranked in their famil…
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22 min
An Anti-Bias Approach to Classroom Management
One of the hardest parts of teaching is managing the classroom to promote learning, keep order and inspire students. Many approaches to classroom management are punitive and reproa…
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20 min
Grassroots Work on Structural Racism
Structural racism is different than interpersonal racism. It is the set of policies and practices that put BIPOC communities at a disadvantage from the earliest stages of life. So…
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26 min
Making the Classroom Reflect the Community
Theressa Lenear was practicing anti-bias education long before it was widely known as an approach to early learning. As a young Black teacher in Alaska, she tapped into her intuiti…
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29 min
Being in Community With Children
Many programs that offer innovation in education ask teachers to adopt a new curriculum or implement a new procedure in their classroom. But when it comes to anti-bias work, Veroni…
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28 min
Making Space for Teachers on Race
If we adults want to work with young children on issues related to race and racism, we first need to work with ourselves. Marie Lister describes the learning communities she facili…