Learn how to help your early learners navigate the gendered world and find their place in it. Click on the buttons below to find out how.

GenDer Identity and Diversity

Support young children as they engage in gender exploration and expression.

Gender and its role in child development are being talked about more than ever—in schools, in the media, and in local and national governments. Yet gender continues to be misunderstood and mischaracterized.

Early childhood is a critical period when children develop an understanding of their own gender identities and the gender identities of their peers. During this period, children are inundated with messages about gender and identity.

In other words, children are taught about gender both explicitly and implicitly from the moment they are born. But what are we teaching? And why?

Children express and explore gender in many different ways. Yet four interrelated factors often prevent early childhood educators from incorporating gender diversity into the early childhood curriculum in a meaningful way:

  1. Early childhood educators may lack the knowledge or skills they need to effectively address the needs of gender-diverse children.
  2. They may be unaware of their own gendered practices, attitudes and biases.
  3. They may be in denial about the existence of gender-diverse or LGBTQ+ children in their classrooms or programs.
  4. They may worry about the consequences of raising awareness of gender diversity and affirming gender-diverse children, such as backlash from hate groups or the school community.

This section of Early Pride Matters is designed to help you become more conscious of and knowledgeable about gender-identity development and diversity so that you can be better prepared to help young children navigate the gendered world and find their place in it.

Click on the buttons below to find out more.