By Crystasany Turner, NAFCC Board Member
Crystasany R. Turner, PhD, Assistant Professor of Early Childhood Education in the Teaching and Learning department at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, brings a deep understanding of the research and best practices that support high-quality care in the home.
In our journey towards creating more equitable and inclusive early childhood education systems, it is crucial to recognize the various strengths and assets that family child care professionals of color engage in supporting children, families, and communities. The Community Cultural Wealth Model offers an unique lens through which we can understand the essential role of providers of color in supporting the well-being of our communities.
Recent research sheds light on the perspectives and experiences of providers of color and underscores the importance of (re)defining early care and education quality to honor the diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds of children and providers. By embracing the strengths, resilience, and cultural wealth of family child care professionals of color, we can pave the way for more equitable futures for all children, families, and communities.
As we continue our collective efforts to build a more just and inclusive society, let us amplify the voices of family child care professionals of color. Together, we can create transformative education systems and build a brighter future for generations to come.
To delve deeper into the pivotal role of family child care professionals of color in early childhood education, I encourage you to read this recent research report I co-authored:
We are that resilience: Building cultural capital through family child care
