Cultural Education: A Strategy for Fostering Equity, Diversity and Inclusivity in Early Childhood Education

Abstract

This paper examines strategic measures of promoting equity, diversity, and inclusivity (EDI) in Early Childhood Education (ECE) in terms of cultural education. With the growing multiculturalism of societies, early learning environments need to embrace and support the multiplicity of all learners. Culturally responsive education is an effective strategy to enhance social justice, and break stereotypes and create empathy from an early age. The paper adopts a qualitative design through the review of current literature and best practices to determine how cultural education can be used to promote the inclusion of pedagogical practices in the early childhood context in Nigeria. The main strategies discussed are the incorporation of multicultural materials into the flow of everyday learning, the cultural competence of teachers, collaboration with families and communities, and identity-safe classrooms. The paper finds that cultural education facilitates the growth of both academic and emotional abilities as well as helps to break inequities in the early learning systems and proposes strategies for educators, administrators and policymakers to integrate equity and inclusion in the early learning systems. These measures are in line with international educational objectives which support the idea of inclusive and quality education to all children irrespective of their background.