START HERE
Start here. Well, there’s no better place or time to start. Whether this is your first step on the journey or you are far along the way, we hope that you find this site helpful. (We always appreciate your feedback.)
The team behind this site is on the same journey, at varying stages. Though our backgrounds vary professionally and personally, we’re doing our best to share the resources that were most impactful to us as people, as parents, and in our work to further Anti-Bias Anti-Racist practices within the public school system here in Guilford, Connecticut.
In diving into this, you’ll find that the first critical step to raising anti-racist kids is to understand our own biases and identities, to ‘do the work.’ Happily, we’ve found that leaning into this without self-judgment and being open and honest along the way has a wonderful side effect: rich and organic conversations with our children. We’ve watched as our kids - ages 5-17 - are now showing that same curiosity, and exploring these aspects of themselves and their environment without any feelings of guilt or shame.
Below you’ll find our favorite resources for foundational knowledge about racism, bias, raising and teaching anti-racist kids. You can also visit our themed resources in Celebrating! or additional bite-sized content for teachers, caregivers, and kids in Resources above.
We realize that as a predominantly white, cis-gendered community we are shaped by our privilege and limited ability to fully understand the impact of bias and racism. The resources we share through the site come from diverse voices - we encourage you to use this site as a starting point and to follow, and support the work of BIPOC leaders who are driving this change.
Thank you for being on this journey with us. Please be sure to sign up for our monthly newsletter, follow us on Instagram, and share your thoughts.
In hope,
The Guilford ABAR Alliance
What is Bias?
People are naturally biased—they like certain things and dislike others, often without being fully conscious of their prejudice. This unconscious bias becomes problematic when it causes an individual or a group to treat others poorly as a result of their gender, ethnicity, race, or other factors.
START HERE with selected resources to learn more about the concept of bias, including conscious and unconscious bias, and its impact on children and the classroom:
Teaching Our Kids About Racism
Developmental psychologists call our attention to studies showing that children as young as preschool age show racial biases in their choices. How do we address this with our children? NYC-based educators Kristen Cole and Diandra Verwayne suggest that we begin by fostering the positive development of every child’s racial identity. This work must be paired with opportunities for young children to learn where and how injustice and inequality operate in our society.
START HERE to learn about anti-racism, and concrete steps you can take raising an anti-racist child:
Educator Resources
Here are some of our favorite educator resources regarding anti-bias education and more:
Workshops & Help
We’re so thankful for the workshops and events from RootsConnectED, Parenting Pathfinders, and EmbraceRace.
Next Steps
Check out the Adult and Kids Resources and Celebrating links at the top of the page to find fun and informative books, podcasts, websites, and more!