Why address Equality and Diversity Issues in Early Childhood?

• Children become aware of the positive and negative attitudes to difference held by family, friends, media and society at an early age and this impacts on their development
• All children have a right to develop in contexts where there is equality and respect for diversity
• Embracing and understanding equality and diversity in ECCE is essential to the development of the civil society
• There is an absence of comprehensive equality and diversity training approach at in-service and pre-service levels in ECCE training