For educators

Supporting gender diversity in early childhood classrooms

A practical guide by Encian Pastel, Katie Steele, Julie Nicholson, Cyndi Maurer, Julia Hennock, Jonathan Julian, Tess Unger and Nathanael Flynn

A grounded, classroom-ready guide for early childhood educators who want to support gender diversity with confidence — practical strategies over theory, written by people who've done the work.

Buy this book from Jessica Kingsley Publishers ↗

Who it's for

For teachers, directors, and program leads

This guide is written for the people actually in the classroom — not just policy-makers. It offers concrete, practical approaches for supporting gender-diverse children and families, alongside the reasoning behind them.

Praise for the book

What readers are saying

This book is welcoming and meets you where you are, with the ultimate goal to “provide you with support and direction for making your early childhood environment a space where all children feel safe, seen, and respected for who they are.” There is a joyfulness and a practicality to this book that makes it both thought provoking and also a pleasure to read. If the very thought of this book makes you uncomfortable, read it anyway — the authors made space for you in this book to learn and grow.

Ijumaa Jordan, MALead Consultant at Ijumaa Jordan Consulting, social justice advocate, adjunct instructor

I dream of a world in which each and every young child feels such a profound sense of rightness, of deservedness, of belonging that they cannot help but know this to be the truth. This book gets us so much closer to that vision. Simply put, this book will save lives. The authors have lovingly crafted a text that introduces the reader to new and important ideas, while also supporting us through the personal transformation that must accompany new learning for it to truly shift our practice into better alignment with our ethical and professional commitments.

Megan MadisonTrainer, New York Early Childhood Professional Development Institute

This book thoughtfully, and lovingly applies anti-bias education principles to the fundamental issue of children's gender identities, leading the reader, step by step, to a new understanding of children as fully human, unlocked from the limitations and expectations of rigid binary gender boxes. They offer practical ideas for how to listen carefully to children as they show us, and sometimes tell us, who they really are. And they give wise counsel to teachers regarding their personal journeys into this new knowledge.

Julie Olsen EdwardsCo-author, Anti-Bias Education for Young Children and Ourselves (NAEYC, 2010) · Emeritus Director, Department of Early Childhood & Family Life Education, Cabrillo College

Bring this to your staff, families, community

Encian leads workshops built around the ideas in this book — practical, discussion-based sessions for ECE staff teams and programs.

See workshops

Other publications & resources

Supporting Gender Diversity in Early Childhood Classrooms: A Practical Guide — Classroom Audit Tool, on the Gender Justice in Early Childhood resources page
Radically Listening to Transgender Children: The Comic (adapted from the book by Katie Steele & Julie Nicholson), on the Gender Justice in Early Childhood resources page
Dravillas-Fravel & Pastel, “Understanding and Supporting Gender Diversity and Expression in Preschool,” in Teaching Young Children, vol. 17, no. 1 (NAEYC, 2023)
Pastel and the Bay Area Childcare Collective, “Wizards Around the Rainbow: A Framework for Incorporating Transformative Justice Principles and Practices into Childcare Work,” in Law and Martins, Don't Leave Your Friends Behind: Concrete Ways to Support Families in Social Justice Movements and Communities (PM Press, 2012)
Pastel, “Oral Storytelling 101”
More free resources for caregivers, including “Five Things Adults Can Do When Children Display Gender Bias,” “Qualities to Look for in Gender-Expansive Children's Literature,” “Gender Inclusive and Gender Affirming Language,” and more — on the Gender Justice in Early Childhood resources page

Supporting gender diversity in early childhood classrooms

For teachers, directors, and program leads

What readers are saying

Bring this to your staff, families, community

Other publications & resources

Interviews