Recently our beloved state made national news. But instead of reporting something to be proud of, we were disgraced. The entire nation saw that we are failing to protect children in our daycare and preschool centers. It wasn’t pretty.

It all began with a tweet about a video clip shown to N.C. daycare owners produced by the N.C. Association for the Education of Young Children (NCAEYC). This Raleigh-based nonprofit organization provides teacher resources “for the development and education of children ages birth through eight.” It has over 3,000 members who are “teachers, child care providers, administrators, directors, researchers, college faculty, education coordinators, quality enhancement specialists, and other early childhood professionals.” All qualified, educated professionals, right? So what could go wrong?

Despite a well sounding title, a look at the contents promoted by this group should alarm every adult who cares about our youngest babies. That is unless you’re a left-winged progressive liberal who rejects basic core truths on which our nation is built.

Their film, “Reflecting on Anti-bias Education in Action: The Early Years,” discusses gender identity, diversity, inclusion, police violence, activism, antiracism, anti-bias, social justice, support of Black Lives Matter and Critical Race Theory — for early childhood learning centers! In a nutshell, the woke agenda that has permeated our universities is now in our daycare centers. ABE (Anti-bias Education) is directly aimed at our little ones.

To give you a taste of what the film teaches, here’s a partial script where the nonbinary teacher, Maddie Piper, teaches four- and five-year-olds about gender identity using a nonbinary doll named Nash.

“A friend likes to ask the question, ‘Are you a boy or a girl?’ ” said Piper. “Nash answers, ‘I am just a kid.’ ”

“Nash, just like me, is nonbinary,” Piper says to the kids. “So they aren’t sure if they’re a boy or a girl. So when people ask them, ‘Are you a boy or a girl?’, right now they just feel like saying: ‘I’m a kid’. They’re figuring it out.”

A child comments, “But kids can be boys or girls.”

Another child speaks up and says, “Or they,” followed by a different child who says, “Yeah, or maybe nonbinary.”

Later, the teacher continually corrected the children when calling the doll “he” by saying it is “they.”

A child asked, “Does he like stars?”

“They like stars,” Piper replied.

The children respond by mimicking the Piper, “They like stars.”

If this doesn’t rile you up, what will? To confuse young minds is evil. If an adult wants to think they’re in the wrong body and cut off body parts, fine. But small children should not be subjected to such foolishness. Such doubts could lead to permanent body mutilation before their brains fully develop. Is this the foundation upon which we want our children to build?

When did emotions replace basic biology? When did feelings take precedence over facts? How dare those in authority push these innocent little ones to question their physical makeup instead of affirming it?

Do parents know their children are being brainwashed?

Research shows that between 80 and 95 percent of children struggling with gender dysphoria will identify with their bodily sex if natural development is allowed. Those who transition, however, are 19 times more likely to commit suicide. These facts alone should be enough to stop this wicked teaching.

As someone said, “Biology is not bigotry.”

A society that fails to protect its children will self-destruct. What will be the human cost of these lies?

How will boys become strong fathers and girls nurturing mothers, the basic construct of the family, if our children are taught boys can become girls and girls can become boys?

The greatest authority of all strongly condemned those who harm our children. Jesus said it would be better for someone who causes a little one to stumble to “have a milestone hung around his neck and be thrown into the sea.” In other words, those who hurt children don’t deserve to live.

I’ll take His words as truth anytime over crazy philosophies running rampant in today’s word.

A word to the wise should be sufficient. It’s time for parents to step up to the plate and stop this nonsense.

Renee Scheidt lives in Salisbury.