Hi, I'm Encian.
A white transgender preschool teacher, author, childcare activist, and storyteller — grounding my work in anti-bias education principles and a vision toward collective liberation.
I am currently starting graduate school at the University of Victoria, on the traditional territory of the Lək̓ʷəŋən (Songhees and Xʷsepsəm/Esquimalt) and W̱SÁNEĆ Peoples, whose historical relationships with the land continue to this day. I will be researching oral storytelling in early childhood to create liberatory spaces.
Before this move, I taught for over thirteen years at a parent-participation cooperative preschool, where I regularly incorporated music, dance, theater improvisation, group games, storytelling and children's storytelling into my teaching practice.
I also organized with the Bay Area Childcare Collective, which provides over 300 hours of free, play-based childcare per year to grassroots racial and economic justice groups. As a founding member of Gender Justice in Early Childhood, I have developed and facilitated many workshops for early childhood practitioners in the Bay Area, and co-authored Supporting Gender Diversity in Early Childhood Classrooms: A Practical Guide (Jessica Kingsley Press, 2019).
For event organizers
A short third-person bio, ready to paste into a conference program or workshop listing.
Encian Pastel is a white transgender preschool teacher, author, childcare activist, and storyteller whose work is grounded in anti-bias education and a vision toward collective liberation. Encian taught for over thirteen years at a parent-participation cooperative preschool and is a founding member of Gender Justice in Early Childhood, developing and facilitating workshops for early childhood practitioners across the Bay Area. Encian is the author of the picture book Here Comes the Giant (illustrated by Niki Enriquez Kondo) and co-author of Supporting Gender Diversity in Early Childhood Classrooms: A Practical Guide (Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2019). Encian is currently pursuing graduate studies at the University of Victoria, researching oral storytelling in early childhood.