Swedish preschool education is, by law, non-confessional. Yet, it is also an educational context within which most children aged 1-5 encounter traditions that carry Christian connotations. This paper explores how two Swedish preschools maintain a balance between keeping education non-confessional and paying attention to the traditions that are…

Purpose: This study examines the attitudes of Jewish and Arab kindergarten teachers in Israel towards multicultural teaching of holidays, within the context of the widening social divisions in Israeli society. Design: The study is based on the interactive acculturation model (Bourhis et al., 1997) and utilizes qualitative research methods such as…

Swedish preschools are supposed to be non-confessional. At the same time, they are supposed to pass on a cultural heritage of a nation where the Lutheran Church has permeated society for centuries. Based on a study of traditions and religion in Swedish preschools, this article describes and discusses how preschools work with religion as an aspect…

Building on the idea that the culture of an organisation has an extremely deep influence on the personalities, minds and identities of people who participate in it (Hofstede 2015) -- we reflected on how the US and Polish cultures' specific values and beliefs were represented and symbolised in the early childhood settings. We focused our analysis…

According to the Swedish Preschool Curriculum, one of the tasks of the preschool is to pass on a cultural heritage, its values, traditions and history, language and knowledge, from one generation to the next. The formulation indicates that cultural heritage plays an important role in defining the tasks of preschool teachers as far as the…

Politically Correct or "PC" thinking is a potent force, operating at all levels of education in the U.S. Even preschool play is not immune from censorship of traditional tunes and gender-specific toys. From super-heroes to imaginary shoot-outs, from holiday celebrations to board games, teachers run the risk of offending colleagues and parents.…

The Thanksgiving Day holiday celebrated in the United States is generally traced to a first harvest celebration in the newly established Plymouth colony (present-day Massachusetts). Traditional storytelling describes the first Thanksgiving feast as having been attended by 53 Pilgrims (the European settlers) and 90 Native Americans. The holiday can…

A family survey, ethnographic study, and quasi-experimental study investigated "Shalom Sesame's" potential to enhance understanding of Jewish culture and identity among preschool families. Preschoolers demonstrated significant learning, recognizing that people who looked different could be Jewish, and in knowledge about Hebrew words,…

"Rethinking Early Childhood Education" is alive with the conviction that teaching young children involves values and vision. This anthology collects inspiring stories about social justice teaching with young children. Included here is outstanding writing from childcare teachers, early-grade public school teachers, scholars, and parents.…