Each 30-minute class will include an interactive read-aloud where a picture book will be used to mediate developmentally-appropriate discussion about issues of equity and social justice with young children. Classes will also include a cooperative activity or opportunity for creative play. Caregivers will receive a handout with an extension activity that can be used to sustain conversations about issues of equity begun during the session.

This program will support children in engaging with picture books in ways that build community among the participants, engender positive associations between differences in skin color and concepts of beauty, intelligence, and kindness, and strengthen language and literacy development in young children.
Why is this work important?
Recent research shows that children as young as infancy are already aware of differences in skin color, and children as young as 2 are already beginning to form and internalize beliefs about what those differences mean, and how and why they exist. Beginning a dialogue early and often can help create a strong foundation of understanding and prevent negative biases from forming.

This program is provided through generous support from the Billie Howland Steffee Family Fund at the Cleveland Foundation.