Diversity and ECE

Today’s Agenda NAEYC recommendations for working with Families How to think about diversity NAEYC recommendations for diversity

How do you celebrate Christmas? In groups of 2 – 3 people, please share your family’s traditions for celebrating Christmas. Please consider both the special traditions your family follows, and when they take place. Please also consider the traditions surrounding gift-giving.

NAEYC Recommendations for Working with Children Recognize all children are cognitively, linguistically, and emotionally connected to the language and culture of their home Acknowledge that children can demonstrate their knowledge and capabilities in many ways Understand that without comprehensible input, second language learning can be difficult

NAEYC Recommendations for Working with Families Actively involve parents and families in the early learning program and setting. Encourage and assist all parents in becoming knowledgeable about the cognitive value for children of knowing more than one language, and provide them with the strategies to support, maintain, and preserve home-language learning Recognize that parents and families must rely on caregivers and educators to honor and support their children in the cultural values and norms of the home

Partnerships with families How they support children Higher preschool performance and promotion to next grade More positive engagements with peers, adults and learning Buffers negative impact of poverty on academic and behavioral outcomes Benefits persist over time

Successful family partnerships Two-way dialogue Team-oriented approach Relationship between educator/caregiver and family Not parent education Parent education implies professional has all the answers Disregards the knowledge-base and strengths of the family

Ways about thinking about diversity in early childhood education…. Multiculturalism Interculturalism Cultural Context Reflection (Pociano & Shabzian, 2012)

Multiculturalism Focuses on the creation of equal educational opportunities and positive attitudes toward differences

Interculturalism Adds a new layer for addressing diversity Attends to the bi-directionality necessary for sharing cultures Promotes understanding, equality, harmony, and justice in diverse societies

Cultural Context No one individual fully represents an ethnicity, culture or race Includes all aspects of a child’s cultural identity that are unique and influential, including ethnicity, race, primary language, family composition, socioeconomic status, and special needs More variation within cultural groups than between cultural groups

Ability to think critically about oneself and others. Reflection Ability to think critically about oneself and others. Contributes to thinking about alternative perspectives and informs decision making

Why Early Intercultural Experiences? Infancy Infants distinguish themselves from others Toddlerhood Can discern racial differences and gender labels Do not understand what these constructs mean Preschool Children actively construct own self identities by examining their similarities and differences with others Often ask others about their racial, linguistic and gender attributes Aware of family structures and socio-economic differences and values society attaches to them Why Early Intercultural Experiences?

What does an intercultural classroom look like? Time is set aside regularly for children and teachers to share significant items from home with the group Pictures of the group’s children and families in the classroom and out, sharing aspects of their cultural context Have individualized picture books of children’s families that show important people and pets Include the cultural tools used in home-based daily routines, such as eating Provide children with opportunities to share songs, stories, and language from their cultural context with their peers and teachers Engage in culturally familiar activities Introduce different cultures through stories and games

NAEYC Policy Recommendations Incorporate cultural competence in EC standards Require all EC staff to understand first and second language development Continue to monitor the growth and achievement of young ELL children Require cross-cultural or inter-cultural competent staff Recruit and retain additional EC staff at all levels who are representative of the cultural and linguistic background of the children in your program

NAEYC Practice Recommendations STRENGTH-BASED APPROACH*** including cultures = enriches program; different does not mean dysfunctional Self-Reflection (own background, history, stereotypes, values, customs, behaviors) Open Communication Include Family in Curriculum Development surveys, questionnaires (What are your family’s goal for your child; work together to achieve)

Guidelines for fostering cultural awareness Get to know, appreciate, and respect the cultural backgrounds of your children. Recognize that all children are unique. Infuse culture into your lesson planning, teaching, and care-giving. Use children’s interests and experiences to form a basis for planning lessons and developing activities.

Guidelines for Fostering Cultural Awareness (cont’d) Use authentic situations to provide for cultural learning and understanding. Use authentic assessment activities to fully assess children’s learning and growth. Be a role model by accepting, appreciating, and respecting other languages and cultures. Be knowledgeable about, proud of, and secure in your own culture.