Preparing Health Professionals and Families to Partner for Children’s Racial Learning

This essay written by me originally appeared in the EmbraceRace’s Reflections on Children’s Racial Learning. You can read this essay and the full report at https://www.embracerace.org/community/reflections-on-childrens-racial-learning

As the mom of two Black sons, I wish I could have talked with my children’s pediatrician about the stress that my kids experienced in school due to racial bullying or media reports of another Black person being shot by the police. I wish they could have provided recommendations on how to talk to my children about race and the importance of racial identity. My pediatrician wasn’t trained to have such conversations. Nor did I receive that training in medical school or pediatric residency. My family and I had to have these conversations without the support or resources of our pediatrician. 

My children’s experiences influenced my work to help other parents and my colleagues learn about the importance of helping children develop positive racial and ethnic identities [1]. I developed a podcast, What is Black?, to help parents instill racial pride in Black children through conversations with health experts, book recommendations and other resources. I’ve helped train parents on how to talk to children about race and racism and written articles on the topic. I co-authored the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) policy statement, The Impact of Racism on Child and Adolescent Health, to provide recommendations for pediatricians, which include talking to parents about race.  

I'm excited that I’ve been able to contribute to a fast-growing body of work aimed at preparing child health professionals and parents for these conversations. The American Psychological Associations’ RESilience website [2] provides resources for caregivers on talking to children about race and promoting strength, health and well-being among youth of color. The AAP web site offers a Bright Futures a resource that provides pediatricians with tips and recommendations on how to engage with children and families in discussion on racism, discrimination and racial bias. This resource was developed based on research and advocacy by pediatricians.

Developmental psychologists helped produce the 2021 research report from Common Sense Media, The Inclusion Imperative, which explores the impact of diverse media representation on what children learn about race and ethnicity. The report helped fuel Common Sense Media’s creation of a diverse representation rating for children’s media such as books, movies, podcasts and video games. Psychologists also played a lead role in developing the University of Pittsburgh’s Positive Racial Identity Development in Early Education Program (P.R.I.D.E.). P.R.I.D.E. helps 3-8-year-old Black children learn about race and develop a positive view of their racial identity. 

Behind the scenes, health professional organizations are also working to create resources such as simulation trainings, where child health professionals can practice talking with families about race and receive feedback to improve their communication skills. They are writing textbooks to train their colleagues on how to help parents talk with children about race, creating caregiver resources and tools, normalizing race conversations in office visits, educating parents on racial developmental milestones, and partnering across professional and multidisciplinary settings - like the one such as partnerships between the AAP and Reach Out and Read [3]- to build bridges for better collaboration, education and improved care for families.

Of course, there is much more that we can do to improve our contributions to healthy racial learning among children. Above all, going forward it will be important that health professionals work much more closely with parents and caregivers to learn from and with each other about what works, what doesn’t, and about the challenges, opportunities and innovations in the field. Moreover, we can never forget that people are defined not only by racial or ethnic identity, but also by language, gender, sexual orientation, culture and so much more. As we continue to expand our knowledge and understanding of the field of racial learning, health professionals must ensure that we consider the whole child by bringing an intersectional lens to our work.

I’m excited about the progress being made. We’ve come a long way from my experiences as a parent or pediatrician-in-training. Through expanded training of health professionals; more research in the field of racial learning; and cross-sector partnerships, including robust collaborations between the professionals and caregivers, we can make major strides in improving the racial literacy, health and wellbeing of US children. 

References:

1.Ha, T. (2020, January 27). A strong sense of ethnic identity can mitigate the effects of discrimination, says

professor. Fordham Newsroom.

2. American Psychological Association (2020). RESilience: Uplifting youth through healthy communication about race.

3. HealthyChildren.org (2022, January 14). Recommended reading: Diverse & inclusive books for children.