Early Years—the organization for young children: The Media Initiative for Children Respecting
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One of the largest randomized control trials ever conducted in preschool settings, this evaluation examined the work of Early Years to increase awareness and positive attitudes and behaviors among Protestants and Catholics in Northern Ireland. This somewhat controversial and usually costly approach showed significant impact and results and appealed to Early Years‘ donors and their constituencies, but valuable learning from questions that were not asked and potential internal capacity building were lost. The Respecting Difference program was designed to increase awareness of diversity and difference among young children (three to four years old) and promote more positive attitudes and behaviors towards those who are different. The project included cartoons, the Respecting Difference curriculum, a resource pack and training for teachers, partners, and other youth workers, and support from Early Years specialist staff. Key findings of the case studies were: practitioners highly valued the training and ongoing specialist support, parents welcomed the opportunity for their children to learn about respecting difference, committed leadership within the setting where the 7 curriculum was delivered was crucial, and integration of the various aspects of the project across different settings was important to successful implementation.