Our Approach

As part of our approach to conducting a DEI audit of EarlyEdU courses we convened a DEI Advisory Group to design the process and approach to our review. The EarlyEdU DEI Advisory Group consisted of 22 equity-minded practitioners, educators, community members, caregivers, friends, families, and more, who were interested in supporting the EarlyEdU team in revamping our early childhood education courses to ensure they are grounded in equity. The goal of our collective work was to move our courses along the continuum from DEI to anti-oppressive. We want students in EarlyEdU courses to be challenged in the ways they view, interact, and partner with children and families. So, whether it is facilitating team meetings as a coach, negotiating with children in learning environments, developing curriculum, or systems-change work, we want participants to leave with a thinking lens on how they can approach their work with curiosity and with culturally sustaining principles and practices.

The group, led by our senior director of community engagement, met eight times from March 2022 to April 2023, to build, refine, and test the DEI rubric.