Here Carmela shares the first theme uncovered from her findings, centred around children’s perceptions of poverty and race.

This is the second episode in a research series around education for social sustainability by Carmela Garcia Manas. Carmela is the Headmistress of Miss Daisy’s Chelsea and PhD researcher at University of Dundee. 

To read and listen to the whole research series visit: https://thevoiceofearlychildhood.com/childrens-perceptions-of-race-and-poverty/

Tune into next week's episode on theme 2: Children's perceptions of power dynamics in society

If you enjoyed this episode you might also like to listen to Carmela's previous episode with Zanna Clarke, Principal of Miss Daisy’s Nursery Schools, on 'Life skills over academic achievement' - https://thevoiceofearlychildhood.com/life-skills-over-academic-achievement/ 

Episode break down:

00:00 - Exposing children to social issues
03:40 - Using drama to understand poverty and race
05:00 - Children from a privileged background
08:00 - Bridging the gap between play and real life
09:30 - Children's comments around poverty
14:20 - What does it feel like to have no water?
17:40 - Why are books not enough for understanding complex issues?
21:45 - Introducing challenging topics sensitively 
23:00 - Racism is socially constructed
26:00 - Children naturally hold positive views around diversity
29:45 - What does it feel like not to speak a shared language?
35:30 - Exposure to diversity is vital
37:45 - Supporting parents in feeling comfortable to talk about race and poverty
40:00 - Episode summary
45:00 - Next episode...

For more episodes visit The Voice of Early Childhood website: https://www.thevoiceofearlychildhood.com