Ethnic-Racial Socialization in Early Childhood: Effects of Parent-Teacher Congruency on Children's Social and Emotional Development

Using propositions within critical race theory, this study examined differences between parent and teacher engagement in ethnic-racial socialization and links between parent-teacher congruence in ethnic-racial socialization and children’s self-regulation across racial and ethnic groups. The participants were 63 parents and their preschool-aged children from diverse ethnic-racial backgrounds and 12 Head Start teachers. Parents used ethnic-racial socialization more than teachers, home and early childhood environments had similar numbers of cultural items, and parents and teachers used egalitarian messages most frequently. Bayesian analyses revealed significant ethnic-racial group differences in preparation for bias and cultural socialization messages. Match in parent-teacher egalitarian messages was associated with higher self-regulation. A greater difference between ethnic-racial socialization in home and school physical environments was also linked to higher self-regulation scores. Findings highlight the importance of ethnic-racial socialization in Head Start children’s early social development and may be useful in informing early childhood practices relating to cultural continuity.