**4. Relevant areas of practice in early childhood education**

The areas of practice most often discussed in literature related to LGBT+ social justice fall into three general categories: welcoming and including LGBT-led families; addressing gender bias and allowing for gender agency and creativity; and incorporating social justice into EC curriculum. In the sections to follow, examples of these areas of practice are shared with a goal of identifying some of the knowledge and skills EC teacher educators must consider in designing preparation experiences for future educators. These consist of practices which have been recommended and/or evaluated in EC education literature as well as in the policies and publications of organizations (such as NAEYC) focused on the education of young children. Each section begins with a set of principles related to LGBT+ social justice representing the beliefs of the author which underlie the presentation and critical analysis of practices that follows.
