Racism in nurseries: 'Black babies hardly picked up and left in dirty nappies for hours'

“I worked with someone who has left a job working in a nursery. Why? Black babies were hardly picked up & left in dirty nappies for hours” – that’s the message tweeted by psychologist Guilaine Kinouani who says overt as well as indirect racism exists in nurseries.

Black children face negative comments about their skin colour. Credit: Shutterstock

Ms Kinouani, who is a mum herself and was invited to speak to early years practitioners at this year's Early Years Alliance’s conference, said: “I don’t think there’s a single mother of a dark-skinned child who has not noticed how subtly they’re excluded.

’No insult’ but ‘a lack of attention, care and warmth’

“There is no insult (well there is sometimes), but generally a lack of attention and a lack of care, a lack of warmth."

Guilaine Kinouani teaches critical psychology and black studies to undergraduates and is the author of ‘Living While Black’ which gives insight into racial trauma.

When Ms Kinouani sent out her dirty nappy tweet, black mums replied, including mum (@Rita_dulge) who tweeted back: “This happened to my son about a week in the nursery.

“I noticed this after picking him up and called them to complain while leaving a subtle CQC [Care Quality Commission] threat. From the call, I could tell they knew what they were doing. It never happened again.”

In their first few years of life, most black children will experience racism. It may be overt or subtle but children will be left in pain and ignored, she says.

One mother, she says, came to pre-school to collect her child and found him distressed. His eyes were so swollen from hay fever that he could not see. The mother had not been contacted.

Another concerned mum Nina Malone, set up ‘Dope Black Mums’ Facebook group to gather opinions from black mums in the UK who spoke of ’everyday microaggressions’ that affect black children’s confidence and performance.

Three-year-olds hear negative comments about their skin colour

The Facebook group's members include mums of children as young as three who are hearing negative comments about their skin colour.

Auther and psychologist Guilaine Kinouani. Credit: Guilaine Kinouani

When it comes to black childcare workers, early years providers have said only two per cent of their childcare workforce at school-based nurseries in England are black. Some 90 per cent are white, according to the government’s childcare and early years providers survey 2019.

Black people make up around three per cent of the UK's population, according to the 2011 census. Although in London, just over 40 per cent identify as asian, black, mixed or other ethnic group. The nursery sector is calling out for more men in childcare but black parents have said they would particularly welcome more black childcare workers and better staff training.

Children are aware of skin of colour by age of three

Liz Pemberton is the director of The Black Nursery Manager, a consultancy firm focused on tackling racist practices in early years. Before England’s national lockdown, she was a manager of a 46-place nursery. Liz Pemberton says: “Everybody working with small children must recognise the significant impact that they have on their world view.”

Guilaine Kinouani says of racial trauma: “When parents experience racism, their children are harmed, and vice versa. This leads to cycles of harm and intergenerational trauma.” She says inequality “begins at birth and follows children into educational settings”.

Ms Kinouani believes part of the problem is discomfort from ’lack of familiarity'.

“I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve gone to the school at the gates to pick up my own children. Nursery staff being pleasant, smiling to white parents and then comes a black parent and you can see the shift in demeanour.

“You can see the shift in body language. You can see that there is a discomfort there. The source of discomfort I would say a lot of the time is lack of familiarity. We can sense it you don’t have to say it. The more you talk to people, the more you build that relationship the more at ease you will be to talk to us," she says.

By the age of three, children become aware of skin colour. They start showing evidence of racial biases in line with societal attitudes. At four-years-old, most can recognise racial differences including awareness of differential treatment because of their skin colour.

But she says educational settings have not linked racist experiences to attainment gaps, even though racism in childhood impacts cognitive and intellectual development.

Black pupils’ performance below most ethnic groups by Key Stage 4

Liz Pemberton says "systemic racism within the UK disrupts, disenfranchises, criminalises and marginalises black boys by the time that they are five years old”.

Dr Melrose Stewart is a chartered physiotherapist and was an expert on the Channel 4 TV documentary 'Old Peoples’ home for 4 Year Olds'. Dr Stewart says institutional racism contributes to the performance of Black Caribbean pupils declining from Key stage 2 onwards.

Demie and Mclean’s 2017 report, ‘Black Caribbean Underachievement in Schools in England’ highlights that the performance of Black Caribbean pupils begins high, then declines in Key Stage 2 and is below that of most other ethnic groups at Key Stage 4.

She says from nursery class (before any formal mental assessment) it is likely for a black child to be labelled as a “trouble maker”. Psychological and educational assessments to identify conditions, such as Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD), dyslexia and Asperger’s Syndrome are often given to white children she says but tend to only be considered for a black child after their behaviour involves the law.

Black people are disproportionately highly represented in England's school exclusions, custodial sentencing, stop and search incidents, knife crime, and lower educational attainment at secondary school and university. Black children are three times more likely than white children to end up in the youth and criminal justice system.

Positive representations of black people important for all children

Author Selina Brown’s children’s book ‘Nena: The Green Juice’ written in lockdown while caring for her two-year-old.

This is why it is important that early years staff help children see positive representations of black people in books, toys and resources.

Positive representations in toys include a black doll called Biankha (by toy maker Biankha & Friends). With many outfits including a business suit and roles such as chief executive, she is described as a ‘strong, fierce, driven girl who knows what she wants in life and isn’t afraid to go and get it’.

Only two per cent of books published in the UK features a black main character in 2019, according to the Office for National Statistics.

The ‘Reflecting Realities’ report published last year by the Centre for Literacy in Primary Education (CLPE), stated children’s books must have 'positive casual inclusion' of ethnic minority characters who are not defined by their ethnicity but are instead ‘multi-dimensional individuals’.

Selina Brown’s children’s book, ‘Nena: The Green Juice’, is an example of positive casual inclusion. Nena is a five-year-old black girl who learns how to make her first healthy drink from fresh fruit and vegetables.

Black doll Biankha made by toy maker Biankha & Friends is a 'driven' CEO in suit. Credit: Biankha & Friends.

‘Snowcoon’ abuse shouted at early years leader’s son

Speaking of discrimination in the early years, Neil Leitch, the chief executive of Early Years Alliance, which represents nurseries said in his speech at the EYA's annual conference: “I know this is a topic that can be extremely uncomfortable.

“As my 17-year-old reminded me on Sunday, when he talked about the four boys who drove past him in a car and shouted out ‘Snowcoon’. He tells me it is because he is of mixed race.

“The colour of your skin can determine the chances of you going to prison, the chances of you dying in childbirth… the chances of you getting a job at all.”

The Early Years Alliance has set up an advisory group supported by external experts, to come up with recommendations on how nurseries can boost racial equality. On the critical first five years of life, he said: “As educators we are the best-placed group of people to tackle and influence issues of racism and discrimination.”

Top tips for nurseries and the early years practitioners

Guilaine Kinouani's tips on how nurseries can work towards racial equality:

• Think about your network, your friendship groups etc. How diverse are they? Do you have a genuine authentic relationship with people who are black…with people of colour?

• Talk to black parents, build the relationship.

• Commit ‘institutionally’ to anti-racism and link early years service provision to social justice.

• Increase availability and accessibility of early years provision in deprived and marginalised communities.

• Develop an awareness of what racial trauma does to children and adults and link it to staff training.

• Increase ability to reflect and challenge yourself, e.g. bias, what it could mean for instance in how you determine normal and abnormal development behaviour?

• Think about nursery role models, literature, toys. Can children see themselves represented in their surroundings?

• Be open about what your own anxiety is on this issue, so that it is not a "blocker". Some people do not take action because they fear getting it wrong – e.g. alienating work colleagues, being accused of being racist.