Call for Chapters, Volume 19: Advances in Early Education and Day Care

Discussions on Sensitive Issues

Early childhood educators often shy away from difficult topics in conversations with children. They are also often unsure how to address difficult topics with families and communities. Family diversity, disabilities, death, race, and incarceration can be referred to as sensitive topics in early childhood settings. They can also be difficult for teachers to discuss with young children, or to address with diverse families.  Vivian Gussin Paley challenged early educators more than 20 years ago in Kwanzaa and Me (1996) and White Teacher (1979) to directly address one sensitive issue, race, in our classrooms. It was only until Paley was confronted with her own biases that she realized that she was often blinded to the ways others viewed the classroom. This volume seeks to continue that dialogue with other sensitive issues.

How far have we come? It is important that early educators view sensitive topics not as problems, but as subjects that are part of our global society. Early educators need to engage children in conversations in which to consider and share diverse perspectives. Early educators also should examine their own experiences when addressing these serious issues. This volume is seeking chapters that invite conversations about sensitive issues to help educators, children and families use real-life experiences to construct knowledge about their world and other people. Submissions should specifically address early education in their approach to the call.

Potential topic areas include, but are not limited to: Race, ethnicity, gender, lgbt, religion, death, abuse, incarceration

Potential submission genres include, but are not limited to: Formal and action research, qualitative and quantitative approaches, essays, literature reviews

A short note describing possible content, type of chapter (lit review, original research, theoretical) is due October 1, 2014.

Chapters will be due January 15, 2015

Volume will be published in Spring 2015

Please send inquiries to

John Sutterby

Editor Advances in Early Education and Day Care

John.Sutterby@UTSA.edu