I have extensive experience writing and evaluating children's literature to ensure representation. I believe this work must go beyond visual representation. We must include culturally relevant experiences that help children connect to their unique empathy.

There is growing research that shows that children as young as three months of age can develop bias (Waxman 2021). Since 1985, the growing body of research around literacy continues to suggest that reading aloud to kids is the #1 predictor of reading success (Fullerton et al., 2018). A lack of diverse texts has consequences that reach beyond the four walls of a classroom. It limits self-efficacy, it shows children who is important and who is not. Reading skills carry across languages, and subjects. The ability to see yourself and others in text strengthens the bond of the braided rope that ties humans together. - Hollingsworth, 2022

The document below is done as an initial consulting contract to analyze decodable books for diversity, equity and inclusion.