2017 Advocacy Breakfast

Kathryn W. Davis Child Advocacy Lecture

How Does Implicit Bias Affect Our Children?

Keynote address by Dr. Walter Gilliam, author of 2016 research study Implicit Bias in Preschool

Westchester Children’s Association and GPS4Kids are working to see that all children and youth in Westchester thrive regardless of race or zip code, starting with keeping children in school.  Dr. Gilliam’s recent research, “Do Early Educators’ Implicit Biases Regarding Sex and Race Relate to Behavior Expectations and Recommendations of Preschool Expulsions and Suspensions?”, will help us understand how children can become disconnected from school at a very young age, and what is needed to change this phenomenon.

What We Know
Implicit bias, micro-aggressions, bigotry, and racism impacts our daily lives regardless of who we are, but the implications for children of color are enormous and can cause lasting, harmful effects.  Questions to Consider:

• Why are black boys disproportionally singled out for bad behavior and harsher punishments?
• If teachers, who see themselves as loving, supportive figures discriminate, what does that mean for the rest of us?
• If this is happening to toddlers in our preschool classrooms, what are the implications for youth and young adults in other aspects of life?

Solutions to Consider:

• Interventions and policies that support children, parents and teachers.
• Increased training and ongoing guidance for confronting and eliminating racism.
• Teaching empathy and making improvements in positive school climates.

Walter S. Gilliam is the Director of The Edward Zigler Center in Child Development and Social Policy and Associate Professor of Child Psychiatry and Psychology at the Yale University Child Study Center.  He is a member of the board of directors for ZERO TO THREE, Child Care Aware of America, and the Irving Harris Foundation; a research fellow of the National Institute for Early Education Research; and former Senior Advisor to the National Association for the Education of Young Children.  Dr. Gilliam is co-recipient of the prestigious 2008 Grawemeyer Award in Education for the coauthored book A Vision for Universal Preschool Education.  His scholarly writing addresses early childhood care and education programs, school readiness, and developmental assessment of young children.  His work frequently has been covered in major national and international news outlets, and he actively provides consultation to state and federal decision-makers in the U.S. and other countries.