Seeing beyond: Perspectives of Black children in English ECEC

In this chapter we draw together a number of threads to consider how Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) children’s experiences in Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) in England can be conceptualized. The contemporary policy context in ECEC sets the scene for how the curriculum is delivered. We employ Critical Race Theory to unpack how policy helps to maintain dominant narratives of whiteness and what this might mean for young BAME children. This allows us to consider the importance of critical approaches to pedagogy and education which highlights the challenges of interrogating positionality. By doing so we argue practitioners and teachers can critically consider an anti-racist and anti-bias approach to provide more inclusive environments for BAME children and their families.