Early childhood administrators’ use of and beliefs about inclusive practices for gay and lesbian families

This qualitative study utilized purposive sampling across the state of North Carolina to examine the practices of early childhood administrators in creating centers that were inclusive to gay and lesbian headed families. Data from four open-ended questions were analyzed to consider the use of picture books, promotional materials, and training for staff that were lesbian and gay parent focused. As well, a fourth question that asked for any feedback the participants wished to share revealed underlying beliefs and values of the NC administrators. Results indicated a continuum of practices that tended toward heterosexism and homophobia with limited lesbian and gay affirming practices reported. Implications include the need to increase training availability, increase LGBT content in early childhood preparation programs, and creation of policies that are inclusive to lesbian and gay headed families in early childhood settings.

Complicating parents’ gender and sexual expectations for children: A comparison of biological parents and stepparents

When social scientists argue that “families” reproduce and sometimes challenge gender and sexual norms, they tend to refer to biological, cisgender, and heterosexual families. We consider how one alternative family form—stepfamilies—might, like gay and lesbian families, challenge these norms. Interviews with 20 biological and stepparents reveal that whereas biological parents held relatively intense feelings about their children’s gender and sexual conformity, stepparents were indifferent and far less inclined to police their children’s behavior. We conclude that stepfamilies, similar to gay and lesbian families, might be a source of less rigid expectations and greater liberty than biological families, and we consider the implications for the future of traditional gender and sexual norms in the face of the proliferation of alternative family forms.

Gay and Lesbian Families in the Early Childhood Classroom: Evaluation of an Online Professional Development Course

Including families is an important theme in the early childhood classroom. Teachers, however, report feeling unprepared when a child’s family is composed of same-sex parents. Gay and lesbian families, in turn, feel invisible, silenced, and excluded. Overall, the topic is rarely covered in teacher education programs—in response, an online course on gay and lesbian families was developed. Teachers assessed the knowledge conveyed, comfort with the content, and helpfulness of the tools provided. The findings confirmed that most teachers had received no pre-service or professional development training on the topic. The majority wanted training that included tools for being inclusive and welcoming.