Protecting Childhood in These Times
Source: Defending Early Years
Global Context
The world feels like it’s on fire these days. Ongoing genocides in Gaza and Sudan, famine and war in the Democratic Republic of Congo, economic collapse and protests in Iran, and an energy and fuel crisis in Cuba compounded by U.S. sanctions are just a few of the global challenges we are currently experiencing.
At home, children have been detained for months in immigrant detention centers around the country, 14 states are facing budget deficits that will negatively impact schools, and child‑care funding and access remain depleted in many states, forcing providers to close their doors. Too many families are besieged by rising food and healthcare costs, recent job losses, and a lack of affordable housing. The situation is dire for many families, and there doesn’t appear to be any relief in sight.
- Ongoing genocides in Gaza and Sudan
- Famine and war in the Democratic Republic of Congo
- Economic collapse and protests in Iran
- Energy and fuel crisis in Cuba
- Children detained in immigrant detention centers
- States facing budget deficits
- Child‑care funding and access issues
Protecting Childhood
Protecting childhood does not mean assuming children are oblivious to these issues. Children consume more media and news today as screen access increases. Young children have likely heard of ICE (Immigration Customs Enforcement) actions, political controversies, and global conflicts. They may not understand what a genocide is, but they know that people are starving and being killed. Protecting childhood means strengthening children’s ability to understand what is happening and providing them with tools to resist systems of oppression.
Key practices include
- Asking how children are feeling and whether they have heard about particular incidents.
- Giving them space to share their knowledge and process emotions.
- Providing age‑appropriate information to address questions or misconceptions.
- Reminding them that people in power sometimes cause harm, and that many people work together to stop it.
Tools and Strategies
We all need tools to resist the growing threats of fascism, genocide, and state‑sanctioned oppression. In her recent essay on the pedagogical responsibility in early childhood education to respond to micro‑fascism, Katie Sloan writes:
“As people become increasingly disillusioned with the political apparatus, especially paired with increasing poverty, erosion of job security, housing, etc., their unmet needs and insecurities are weaponized toward the Other, as they look to a leader to restore the realities of a better, albeit mythic, time.”
Practical approaches
- Political education – Teach children about civic processes and power dynamics.
- Community‑based mutual aid – Organize food drives, clothing swaps, and neighborhood support networks.
- Protests and boycotts – Model peaceful collective action.
- Culture of care – Foster empathy, fairness, and solidarity in everyday interactions.
By modeling how we fight hate with love, we help children develop a built‑in fairness detector. For example:
- Discuss why locking up children whose only “crime” is being born in a different country isn’t fair.
- Organize food drives to support families too scared to leave the house for work.
- Unapologetically teach Black history as American history all year long to counter racist hate.
- Support children in speaking to elected officials about the need for safe, affordable spaces to grow and develop.
- Provide opportunities to develop critical‑thinking skills, practice empathy, and engage in collective action.