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Abstract
The birth-to-five-year period is a critical stage in a child’s development. Most brain growth occurs during this time, laying the foundation for future learning. Early childhood education plays a pivotal role in shaping early development. Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) are essential components of early childhood education, influencing children’s identities and socio-cultural development. Introducing DEI concepts at an early age equips children with the knowledge and skills needed to navigate a globalized world while fostering an appreciation for diverse perspectives. Children exposed to multiple languages and cultures tend to develop empathy and acceptance of others. This qualitative study explores how educators integrate DEI into early childhood settings through semi-structured interviews and document analysis. Teachers and administrators from Belize, Canada, the United States of America, Egypt, the United Kingdom, India, Pakistan, and the United Arab Emirates share their approaches toward promoting DEI in early childhood programs and the challenges they face in implementation. Purposeful, convenience, and snowball sampling were utilized to recruit participants. Findings demonstrate that while educators value DEI and aim to foster inclusive learning environments, the manner in which DEI is implemented varies. Recommendations will equip educators and policymakers with best practices for fostering inclusive, respectful learning environments that support all children and their families. Future research examining the intersectionality of educators’ identities, including gender, sexual orientation, race, culture, and professional roles, may offer deeper insight into how lived experiences shape DEI understanding and practices in early childhood education.
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This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Article Type: Research Article
International Journal of Changes in Education, Volume 3, Issue 4, 2026, 593-606
https://doi.org/10.47852/bonviewIJCE62028636
Publication date: 16 Aug 2026
Online publication date: 28 Feb 2026
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