First, some background about me that I think is relevant to my review. I have a bachelor's and master's degree in education (special education with a focus on elementary education). I have work in several daycares and have one child who has attended several daycares spanning three states. I'm Black, American, a woman, upper class now, but grew up poor. I don't have any experience with Headstart.

I picked this book up because I find education related topics interesting and don't often see books about early childhood education.

I liked reading about the author's experiences in the two schools where she observed. It was insightful and satisfied my desire to see early childhood education through someone else's lens.

I have some reservations about the broad conclusions drawn from the limited observations. It seems she observed in one school much longer than the other and relied more heavily on anecdotal evidence from the school she characterized as wealthier, which struck me as particularly unsound considering she makes the very argument one should be careful about the presumptions that come with social class. The teachers reported that the beginning of the year was more challenging, but students quickly acclimated, but if a researcher is asking months later rather than observing themselves, how might the past be being filtered through rosy tinted lens?

I worry about some of the connections, for example, she highlights teeth brushing as Head Start presuming that their parents need support and that children may not be getting their teeth brushed at home and a practice not seen in the high income preschool. Any NAEYC accredited program is required to brush children's teeth and many programs reach for NAEYC accreditation as a gold standard. In my own experience, the daycare I worked with the highest price tag ($2,700/month for infants in 2020) was the only one where children's teeth were brushed because of NAEYC accreditation. Similarly, I'm wary of the conclusion that personal items are more widely accepted in high income as my own experience, I have encountered a wide range of rules about what is and is not allowed to be brought to school and when.

I wish there were more parent perspectives included in the book. I recognize there is a whole layer of complexity with that, but it did feel like a key piece that was missing to me, particularly because it lumps all the parents together with broad strokes and again many assumptions are made.

I appreciate that she acknowledges her positionality on the topic and includes her shift in approach at the end of the book. I think that shift is part of what makes me question the book and I could feel it while reading because it is evident that her experiences at the two preschools was shaped by her purpose there.