This textbook develops early childhood teachers' capacity to effectively instruct democratic principles to our youngest citizens. As our world experiences political polarization, pandemics, heightened racial tension, and the evolving awareness of gender and LGBTQ issues this textbook addresses those topics as they show up in the early childhood classroom, offering research informed practical guidance for pre- and in-service teachers.
The book is organized around 12 themes, 10 of which are based on the National Council for Social Studies' (NCSS) themes, in addition to the anti-racist/anti-bias curriculum and gender expensive principals from the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), closely following social studies content standards from across the United States. The themes covered are: culture and cultural diversity, history, geography, identity, gender roles and gender identity, institutions, power and authority, economics, science and technology, global citizenship and civic ideals and practice. Throughout each chapter you will come to know 5 early childhood classrooms and including profiles of the teachers, students, communities. These five spaces represent a variety of early childhood teachers, different age groups of students, and diverse communities and show how the lesson learned in each chapter can be applied in classroom settings. This book provides developmentally appropriate ways to teach relevant and current social studies content to our very youngest learners, emphasizing the fact that these very children will grow to be the next stewards of our global community.

Jean Kirshner and Jenny Pettit

Introduction: We Touch the Future
1. We are Human Together: What is Culture and Cultural Diversity?
2. Moving through Time: Understanding Time as Both Enduring and Changing
3. Where People Live: Knowing People, Places, and Environments
4. Who I am, Who You Are: Developing Individual Identity
5. Pink, Blue, and Purple: Exploring Current Roles and Identities of Gender
6. Working Together: Understanding Individuals, Groups, and Institutions
7. Who is in Charge: How is Power, Authority and Governance Organized?
8. About the Money: Understanding Economics- Production, Distribution, and Consumption
9. Science and Technology Shape Us: How Science and Technology influences Society
10. We are Global Citizens: We are Connected to Others Around the World
11. Our Voice: Civic Ideals and Practices
12. The Colors We Are: Anti-Bias and Anti-Racist (ABAR) Principles
Concluding Thoughts for Teaching Social Studies to the Very Young Learner: The Future Keepers of our Civilization
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