Q: Why is a multicultural curriculum an important part of education?
A: “By two-and-a-half years old, you already have established implicit and unconscious biases,” says Lauren Calig, director of multicultural curriculum at Laurel School. “The longer that we wait, the more these are entrenched and we have to undo what’s already been done. If we can teach children that they can have conversations, civil discourse and open dialogue about topics like race, gender and ableism when they’re younger, we can create and foster this level of respect, understanding and inquisitiveness not only for our community but globally. The most important thing is that developmentally,
we reach them where they are and present the topics in a way that is appropriate for them. A discussion about racism with 3-year-olds looks very different than for kindergarten.”
