About 195 different countries exist in the world today
According to the U.S. census bureau, the United States’ population includes individuals and families from 150 different countries
As an early childhood professional, I will encounter children from diverse backgrounds whose families may have come from many different countries. Therefore, it is essential to prepare myself for working in early childhood settings that represent such diversity.
A family recently emigrated from Japan.
I would like to prepare myself to welcome the child and their family. In order to prepare me, it is essential to learn about where they are from in order and their culture to support them in the best way possible.
5 ways in which I will prepare to be culturally responsive towards this family include:
- study their surface culture and deep culture by understanding their language, values, rules, expectations for their children, what they eat, how they play and relate to others, holidays, gender roles, ideas about education, work, relationships and housing arrangements (Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2010)
- Build a relationship with the family by being understanding, responsive and helping the family learn skills of supporting their child in a new environment and cultural differences (Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2010)
- Create a learning environment that is accommodating and individualized and incorporates and builds on children's home cultures to promote development in all areas (Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2010)
- Include artifacts in my classroom pertaining to Japan such as books, posters, a flag, or food in the pretend area that the child may recognize
- Find ways to speak and write to the family in their native language
I hope that these preparations will benefit both me and the family in many ways. It is important to understand other cultures because other cultures may have different expectations than others so it is key to be aware and understanding (Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2010). There are many ways to be human so it is important to expand our understanding and be accepting to others (Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2010). As educators, when we learn about other cultures are flexible to the multiple ways children can be successful, the work we do with children can be significant (Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2010). Finally, there is no "one size fits all" so it is important to try your best to support English language learners and other cultures by making sure everyone feels included, supported, and welcomed!
Reference
Derman-Sparks, L., & Edwards, J.O. (2010). Anti-bias education for young children and ourselves.
Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).
Jamie,
ReplyDeleteYou and I had quite a few of the same steps. I think that since we both work in PG county we have the opportunity to see many families that come from different countries. I think that it is important to do our best to learn about each family that we work with and be as accepting as possible.