In this panel conversation, we go beyond the history and bring the lived experiences of today’s educators into focus. Joining me is a diverse group of voices — including a male child development educator and founder of Baby Step — as we dig into the bias, inequities, and resilience in the early childhood field.

We talk about what it means to be a man in a field overwhelmingly defined as “women’s work,” and how women of color are too often denied the title of “teacher” despite carrying the bulk of the labor and expertise. Together, we connect the historical roots of exclusion to the present day, showing how these biases still shape who is valued, who gets paid, and who gets overlooked.

This isn’t just a panel — it’s a call to see the humanity and professionalism of all educators, across gender and race, and to imagine what an equitable early childhood system could look like if we truly invested in it.