MH-A1M3

37ZERO TO THREE • JA N UA RY 2019

Welcoming Environment

Everyone wants to feel welcomed in the environments they

spend time in. Parents and families feel welcomed when

ECE programs, personnel, and other parents communicate

appreciation for their presence and enthusiasm about

supporting them and their needs.

Example: One lesbian adoptive mother described feeling

welcomed by her child’s ECE based on the ECE’s response

to her explaining their family situation, “The counselor said it

was becoming more common, which was the perfect thing to

say.” Here, the counselor communicated comfort with their

family structure and willingness to support the family’s needs

(Goldberg, Black, Sweeney, & Moyer, 2017).

Representation

Seeing one’s family reflected in a child’s ECE program is

important for families and children. This includes families

like theirs being referred to in classroom language, materials,

and curriculum, and seeing their identities mirrored in staff

members and other parents.

Example: Several families described ways that their family was

represented in the classroom activities and materials. One

family that had adopted a child from China described how

the ECE was inclusive of their child’s culture like this: “We

have felt very accepted and it is very inclusive in general. The

teacher incorporated Chinese New Year activities and books”

(Goldberg, 2014). In addition, several LGBTQ parents described

activities around LGBT Pride month that included coloring

rainbow flags while talking about “the history and importance

of the rainbow flag” (Goldberg, Black et al., 2017).

Meaningful Inclusion

Beyond just feeling welcomed, diverse families thrive when

they have opportunities to engage with a program in a sub-

stantive way. This can include having events in the school that

are truly applicable for their families and being encouraged to

participate in parenting groups and activities.

Example: A lesbian adoptive mother recounted a time that her

daughter’s teacher seamlessly incorporated her daughter’s

adoptive experience into circle time. “When another student

. . . said that he celebrates his adoption day, and the teacher

said, ‘Does anybody else celebrate that?’ and [daughter] raised

her hand, and the teacher said ‘Would you like to explain it,

or do you want your mom to explain it?’ and [daughter] said

‘Neither.’ ” Here, the daughter was given an opportunity to be

meaningfully involved in sharing her experience, but she was

also allowed to decide not to, depending on her comfort level

(Goldberg, Black et al., 2017).

Keeping these three domains in mind, we will now use research

to explore the needs of LGBTQ, adoptive, and multiracial fam-

ilies in early childhood settings. Specifically, when discussing

ECE, parents identify needs at three main levels: the adminis-

trative level, the classroom level, and the community level. The

following sections will explore how schools can improve to

be more welcoming, inclusive, and diverse at each level of the

school system.

Administrative Level

The administrative level refers to the ways schools or programs

are organized and operated outside of the specific classroom.

These areas can include advertising and admissions procedures,

enrollment and classroom assignments, and communications.

Same-sex parents have reported that they prioritize

LGBTQ-friendliness when selecting preschools (Goldberg

& Smith, 2014). They assess LGBTQ-friendliness of a school

using a variety of factors including the school’s reputation in

the community and the ways that school personnel respond

to them during tours or visits (Goldberg, 2014; Kosciw & Diaz,

2008). Similarly, multiracial families have reported seeking out

schools that actively and positively welcome racial minorities

(Goldberg, 2014; Goldberg & Smith, 2014). Prospective student

tours and interviews communicate important information to

parents. Some parents find school administrators warm and

enthusiastic about hearing about a specific family’s structure

while others find that administrators seem awkward, dismis-

sive, or uncomfortable. Parents report feeling welcome when

administrators engaged their questions openly and demon-

strated an understanding of the parents’ concerns, even when

their answers were less than ideal (e.g., when acknowledging

that the school did not have other families similar to this one;

Goldberg, Allen, Black, Frost & Manley, 2018). When parents

feel welcome, they are more likely to attend and also to feel

good about attending a particular school or program.

Same-sex parents report that they prioritize LGBTQ-friendliness when selecting preschools.

Ph o

to : D

ra go

n Im

ag es

/s hu

tt er

st o

ck

96938.1_0to3_03-journal-0119-7.indd 37 1/2/19 3:28 PM

38 ZERO TO THREE • JA N UA RY 2019

How well diversity in family structure is represented at

an administrative level is also important to parents. For

instance, parents endorse feeling more comfortable with

a potential school if the school staff shares some of the

identities of their families (e.g., if the heads of the school are

LGBT or adoptive parents; Goldberg, 2014). Further, lesbian

and gay parents appreciate when the school paperwork

allows them to accurately represent their families–for

example, by allowing room for “Parent 1” and “Parent 2” as

opposed to asking for information about “Mom” and “Dad,”

which suggests an assumption that all parents match this

configuration (Goldberg, 2014). Parents appreciate when

schools welcome and encourage their participation in school

life. For instance, lesbian and gay parents have reported feeling

meaningfully included when their feedback on problematic

forms is responded to in a positive and responsive manner

(e.g., changing Mom and Dad to Parent 1 and Parent 2).

Questions for Programs to Consider:

Welcoming environment. • What types of families are you looking to recruit? How can

you reach out to diverse families in your recruitment? How

can you communicate inclusiveness on your websites,

brochures, and signage?

• Are staff members prepared to be warm and welcoming

to all types of families? Can you provide training to ensure

that staff members respond to diverse families in affirming,

welcoming ways? What language do staff members use

when talking to and referring to parents and families?

Representation of families. • Are your administrators, teachers, and other parents

diverse? Is your school actively working to diversify

the types of social identities and family structures that

are represented?

• Is the paperwork for your school flexible enough

to include many types of families? What changes

can you make to allow more families to represent

themselves accurately?

Meaningful inclusion. • Are all new parents approached for roles on a parent

board? How are people selected? Consider how you can

engage non-traditional families without tokenizing them

as the “multiracial/adoptive/gay parent.”

Case Example: Lisa, who is White, and her wife, Liz, who is

Latina, adopted their African American daughter, Tia, from foster

care. When they are enrolling in the early childhood program

they’ve chosen, they are pleased to see that the intake forms

have lines for “Parent 1” and “Parent 2.” However, the forms have

only one place for Race/Ethnicity, assuming that all members of

the whole family are the same race. When they asked what to

do, the administrative assistant became confused and sug-

gested that “it doesn’t really matter.” Later, when they are on the

tour, Liz asks about the diversity of the families at the school.

The tour guide is quick to share that they have several lesbi-

an-parented families at the school. When Liz asks specifically

about racial diversity and adoption status, the tour guide is less

sure. He says, “Um…I’m sure we do have some. Yeah. We must.”

Questions to consider: What went well in this intake process? In

what ways was the school welcoming and representative? What

were the problems? How could this be addressed?

Classroom Level

The classroom level refers to the interactions that occur

between teachers and children, as well as those between

children. This level includes curriculum choices, the types of

materials and activities in the classroom, and the ways that

families are discussed and represented.

It is encouraging that the majority of parents in adoptive,

multiracial, and LGBT-parented diverse family configurations

have reported that they feel welcomed in their ECE setting and

have faced limited amounts of overt discrimination or exclusion

(Goldberg, Black et al., 2017; Kosciw & Diaz, 2008). Still, among

those parents who experienced overt discrimination, a range

of experiences are described, from implicit microaggressions

to explicit exclusion from activities and groups. For example,

teachers’ confusion around or unwillingness to use the names

for each parent. Some parents described teachers who seemed

to be genuinely confused that one dad was “Dad” and one

was “Papa” or that they really struggled to get these names

right. Other parents described teachers just not trying or not

being willing to use the names used for each parent in same-

sex couples or referring to a child’s birth mother as their “real

mother” in adoptive families (Goldberg, 2014). Others described

explicit discrimination (e.g., refusing to post a child’s homework

in the classroom because it was about a queer couple; Kosciw

& Diaz, 2008). Identifying the risks for these types of overt

transgressions and addressing them quickly, effectively, and

with sensitivity is a crucial job for schools seeking to support

diverse families in ECE.

Providing a welcoming, inclusive environment for children in their early education program can impact their well-being and learning in the present and future.

Ph o

to : M

at th

ew J

ac qu

es /s

hu tt

er st

o ck

96938.1_0to3_03-journal-0119-7.indd 38 1/2/19 3:28 PM

39ZERO TO THREE • JA N UA RY 2019

Considerations that parents have reported as prominent in

their ECE decision making include concerns around how

families are represented in the activities and materials and in

the classroom. Research has shown that families look for their

children’s classrooms and the classroom activities and materials

to reflect their family (Goldberg, 2014; Goldberg & Smith,

2014; Kosciw & Diaz, 2008). For example, LGBTQ families and

adoptive and multiracial families indicated that they expect

their child’s classrooms to contain books with characters

that match (at least some) of their child’s identities and have

been known to buy these materials for a classroom if they are

missing (Goldberg, 2014; Goldberg, Black et al., 2017). Further,

families expected schools to incorporate information about

a diverse array of family forms, including the ones that match

their families. This is particularly relevant when the focus of the

activity is about families and about children’s early histories.

For instance, LGBTQ parents described being disappointed

by teachers only referring to heterosexual parented families

(Goldberg, 2014; Goldberg, Black et al., 2017). Beyond what

is taught, families reported differing levels of sensitivity in the

ways that teachers create assignments and in-class activities.

For example, adoptive families struggled to complete “family

tree” assignments and other activities that depict families in a

structured way because of their complicated family-building

process and relationships with the birth family. Parents

described particularly appreciating when teachers have

reached out to families to provide an alternative assignment

or have carefully framed the assignments to allow multiple

interpretations. Further, parents regularly described discomfort

around classroom activities like “Donuts With Dads” and “Bring

Mommy to Class,” which often do not apply to their families

(Goldberg, Black et al., 2017). Alternatives to these activities

include having gender-neutral days like “Parents’ Day” or

“Special Elders’ Day.” Other times, ECE programs can reach out

to parents in advance of planned celebrations like Mother’s Day

or Father’s Day and ask who the family would like to honor.

Often, families are excited to honor a birth family member or an

extended family member of importance, or they may have their

own traditions for the holidays (Welcoming Schools, 2018).

Questions for Programs to Consider:

Welcoming environment: • Are all staff members open, affirming, and trained

in diversity issues? Is diversity conceptualized in

meaningful, specific ways including thinking about

families with multiple minority identities and differing

family configurations?

Representation of families: • Are different types of families represented in materials?

• LGBTQ

• Adoptive

• Multiracial

• Is the classroom made up of diverse staff?

Meaningful inclusion: • Do assignments account for differences among families?

• Are activities organized in the classroom applicable to all

families? Do special “accommodations” need to be made?

Do parents need to reach out to ask for an accommo-

dation? Did teachers plan for this and make the activity

inclusive?

• Can the structures for parents’ participation work for

all families?

Example: Joe and Carissa are a White heterosexual couple

who adopted their White 3-year-old son, Jacob, through foster

care. Jacob was 2 years old when he joined the family. Jacob’s

teacher sent home an assignment asking Jacob to bring in a

picture from the day he was born, from when he was 1-year-

old, and from when he was 2-years old. Jacob’s parents do not

have photos from those years of his life and cannot complete

the assignment. Even though Jacob’s teacher knows that

he is adopted, he did not include an adapted assignment for

him. This creates unnecessary stress for Jacob’s parents and

potentially prompts difficult conversations with Jacob around

his adoption-related loss. What could Jacob’s teacher have

done differently to be inclusive of Jacob’s family? How should

Jacob’s parents address their concerns?

Community Level

The community level refers to the interactions that occur

between members of the school community in and outside of

the classroom. This level includes interactions between parents

at the school and interactions at school community events like

fundraisers or family gatherings.

LGBTQ, adoptive, and multiracial families particularly empha-

sized the ways that their minority statuses make it difficult to

join the school community in ECE settings. Specifically, parents

described the difficulty of being the first and/or only family

When parents feel welcome, they are more likely to attend and also to feel good about attending a particular school or program.

Ph o

to : A

nn et

te S

ha ff

/s hu

tt er

st o

ck

96938.1_0to3_03-journal-0119-7.indd 39 1/2/19 3:28 PM

40 ZERO TO THREE • JA N UA RY 2019

like theirs in a school and the ways that this limits their ability

to befriend other parents and to join in on parenting activities

(Goldberg, 2014; Goldberg, Frost, Manley, & Black, 2017; Kos-

ciw & Diaz, 2008). At the same time, parents emphasized that

they were not always sure which parents from their children’s

schools would be welcoming to a family like theirs. While

program administrators cannot be expected to manage social

interactions among parents, these specific concerns help to

emphasize the importance of building a diverse school com-

munity that provides safe, supportive environments in which

to connect.

Questions for programs to consider:

Welcoming environment. • Is there a welcoming environment among parents?

• Does your school have procedures for encouraging

inclusion and discouraging exclusion of parents based

on identities?

Representation. • Are there diverse families in the community?

• Do you have families who are the only family like them?

How can you reach out to them and help them connect?

Meaningful inclusion. • Are events organized in ways that are accessible and

comfortable for different types of families? Are all genders

welcome to participate? What assumptions or stereotypes

about the parents or guardians might your program be

inadvertently promoting?

Example: Zach and Sam are a White gay couple who adopted

their daughter, Jessica, through private domestic adoption.

Jessica’s new early childhood center is having a “Craft Night”

for parents to meet each other. Zach attends the event while

Sam is home with Jessica. When Zach arrives, he is the only

man at the event. The supplies are for making necklaces and

there is a wide selection of charms that say “Mom.” Without

any “Dad” charms, Zach decides to make a “Mom” necklace for

Jessica’s birth mother. Throughout the event the moms talk to

each other, but no one seems to be interested in Zach. When a

woman does come over to introduce herself she says, “We’ve

never had a man at this event before! Is your wife sick or some-

thing?” What could be different about this event that would

make it more welcoming and inclusive? What factors made this

situation difficult?

Conclusion

ECE professionals have an opportunity to engage with an

increasingly diverse population of parents and families. How

they do this can fundamentally shape how parents and families

will interact with schools throughout the child’s academic

career. This means that early childhood educators should work

diligently to build programs that are welcoming and inclusive

for all family types. In this article we outlined the ways that

professionals can focus on developing an inclusive environ-

ment at multiple levels within their school settings. We further

gave guidelines around thinking beyond being welcoming to

encourage professionals to think about how different types

of families are and are not represented in their policies, staff,

and curriculum and how programs can be built to meaning-

fully include families of all kinds. Taken together, it is clear that

there are many ways for school administrators to develop and

maintain a school that is welcoming and inclusive for diverse

LGBTQ, adoptive, and multiracial families particularly emphasized the ways that their minority statuses make it difficult to join the school community in early childhood education settings.

Ph o

to : C

R EA

TI ST

A /s

hu tt

er st

o ck

Learn More For further information and more ideas about how to support diverse types of families in early childhood education, consider these resources:

Welcoming Schools www.welcomingschools.org see specifically:

• www.welcomingschools.org/pages/checklist-for-a-welcoming-and-

inclusive-school-environment

• www.welcomingschools.org/resources/school-tips/lgbtq-inclusive-

schools-what

Early Childhood Education Assembly https://www.earlychildhoodeducationassembly.com/resources-for- educators-focusing-on-anti-racist-learning-and-teaching.html

Harvard Graduate School of Education https://www.gse.harvard.edu/news/uk/17/08/confronting-racism- early-age

Or check out this helpful book:

From the Dress-Up Corner to the Senior Prom: Navigating Gender and Sexuality Diversity in Prek-12 Schools J. Bryan (2012) Plymouth, UK: R&L Education.

96938.1_0to3_03-journal-0119-7.indd 40 1/2/19 3:28 PM

41ZERO TO THREE • JA N UA RY 2019

families. While parents in current research identified a variety of

challenges in these areas, they were also quick to enumerate

successes that should encourage administrators to strive to

expand these gains.

Successful Example: Stacey and Janell are an African American

lesbian couple who adopted their African American son, Alex,

from foster care. Alex is 3 years old and has attended an ECE

program for the past 6 months. The staff have noticed that

children in the class have been playing frequently in the play-

house corner and that disagreements have come up around

which people can be “in a family.” The staff asked all families to

send in pictures and notes about who the people in their family

are and some things they do with their family. Stacey and Janell

appreciated how open the assignment was and enjoyed work-

ing with Alex to identify who their family members were. They

included a picture of Stacey, Janell, and Alex together and also

included a picture of Alex’s birth grandmother from his birthday

party. Alex also asked to draw a picture of his birth brother who

lives far away. Stacey and Janell were nervous that the ECE

staff would not understand their family structure and asked

to speak with staff about the activity. To their delight, the staff

were excited to discuss the material with them. The staff asked

for clarification around how to best talk about the birth brother

and birth grandmother and demonstrated that they remem-

bered that Alex called Stacey “Mommy” and Janell “Mama.”

Further, the staff offered that Stacey or Janell could come to

class on the day of the activity if they wanted to participate in

the discussion and expressed enthusiasm for what they could

contribute. Janell agreed to take a few hours off of work that

morning to have a fun conversation about families with Alex’s

class. How did the ECE staff demonstrate a welcoming attitude

toward different types of families? How did this activity allow

for different family configurations to be represented? How did

ECE staff provide opportunities for meaningful inclusion?

Reihonna L. Frost, MA, is a doctoral student in clinical

psychology at Clark University. Her research interests are

united by the basic question, “What works in adoption?” She

is curious about what it means to be an adoptive family and

how adoption experiences differ for diverse families. She is

also interested in child development within the context of

the adoptive family. She is particularly interested in questions

around adoptive siblinghood and sibling groups in foster care

and adoption. She has co-authored several papers on diverse

adoptive families and their experiences with friends, family,

communities, and schools. Her master’s thesis focused on the

second transition to parenthood for adoptive families.

Abbie E. Goldberg, PhD, is a professor of clinical psychology

at Clark University. Her research focuses on diverse individu-

als and families, with attention to their experiences in various

social contexts (e.g., schools, communities, the legal system).

For more than a decade, she has been conducting a longitu-

dinal study of adoptive parenthood among lesbian, gay, and

heterosexual couples. She is also currently conducting research

on transgender students’ experiences in higher education. She

is the author of more than 100 peer-reviewed articles and two

books, and the editor of three books. She has received funding

from the National Institutes of Health, the Spencer Foundation,

the Williams Institute, and other sources.

References

Galindo, C., & Sheldon, S. (2012). School and home connections and children’s

kindergarten achievement gains: The mediating role of family involvement.

Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 12, 90–103.

Gates, G. (2013). LGBT parenting in the United States. Retrieved from

http://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/LGBT-Parenting.pdf

Goldberg, A. E. (2014). Lesbian, gay, and heterosexual adoptive parents’

experiences in preschool environments. Early Childhood Research

Quarterly, 29, 669–681.

Goldberg, A. E., Allen, K. R., Black, K., Frost, R. L., & Manley, M. (2018). “There is

no perfect school…”: The complexity of school decision-making among

lesbian and gay adoptive parents. Journal of Marriage & Family. 80(3),

684–703. doi:10.1111/jomf.12478

Goldberg, A. E., Black, K., Sweeney, K., & Moyer, A. (2017). Lesbian, gay, and

heterosexual adoptive parents’ perceptions of inclusivity and receptiveness

in early childhood education settings. Journal of Research in Childhood

Education, 31, 141–159.

Goldberg, A. E., Frost, R., Manley, M., & Black, K. (2017). Meeting other moms:

Lesbian adoptive mothers’ relationships with other parents at school and

beyond. Journal of Lesbian Studies, 22(1), 67–84.

Goldberg, A. E., & Smith, J. Z. (2014). Preschool selection considerations and

experiences of school mistreatment among lesbian, gay, and heterosexual

adoptive parents. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 29, 64–75.

Kosciw, J. G., & Diaz, E. M. (2008). Involved, invisible, ignored: The experiences

of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender parents and their children

in our nation’s K-12 schools. New York, NY: Gay, Lesbian, Straight

Education Network.

Kreider, R. M., & Lofquist, D. A. (2014). Adopted children and stepchildren: 2010,

Current Population Reports, P20–572. Washington, DC: U.S. Census Bureau.

Slaten, C. D., Ferguson, J. K., Allen, K. A., Brodrick, D. V., & Waters, L. (2016).

School belonging: A review of the history, current trends, and future

directions. The Educational and Developmental Psychologist, 33(1), 1–15.

Welcoming Schools. (2018). Diverse families on Mother’s Day and Father’s Day.

Retrieved from https://assets2.hrc.org/welcoming-schools/documents/

WS_Mothers_and_Fathers_Days.pdf

96938.1_0to3_03-journal-0119-7.indd 41 1/2/19 3:28 PM

Copyright of Zero to Three is the property of Zero to Three and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use.