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The purpose of this investigation is to deepen understanding of the clandestine professional lives of men who care for young children, exploring the pressure to hide parts of themselves experienced by many. The author utilizes an autoethnographic approach to examine social and psychological experiences he has navigated during his work as a classroom teacher, counselor, and researcher in urban Head Start centers. He finds that there are structural, attitudinal, social, and conceptual barriers to men being engaged in young children's lives as educators and caregivers. In response, the author considers how dominant theories of caregiving in the field of early childhood education are informed by and inadvertently perpetuate traditional hegemonic notions of masculinity. He concludes by articulating the importance of critical praxis and disrupting hegemony, re-imagining opportunities for transformation and resilience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mirroring many of the same social and geographic inequities present in the K-12 educational system, the promise of early childhood education has been unfulfilled for many young children and their families. Social norms and funding structures, including the lack of universal, publicly funded high-quality preschool offerings, have served to perpetuate gender, class, economic, and racial inequity. The outcomes of these inequities are clearly manifested in the politics of universal preschool access and quality. In this policy analysis, the author discusses disparities in preschool access and quality, critiques social and political barriers to equitable distribution of preschool resources, and suggests several strategies for countering the current politics of class, race, gender, and geography in early childhood education. Findings from this analysis suggest that in order to provide high-quality early childhood education for all children, policy makers and advocates must address structural and attitudinal inequities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]