LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS

Creating Affirming Environments

Child care reaches thousands of children each day.  It may be a licensed childcare center or a licensed family childcare home.  Therefore it is imperative that those who operate these facilities make sure that they honor diversity among the children and families that they serve (Pelo, 2008).  An environment rich in anti-bias education promotes creative discovery and supports the fact that every child deserves the right to develop to his or her fullest potential (Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2010). 

 

In my Family Child Care Center it would be vital for the families of my students to be an intricate part of our program.  One of the ideas I would include that came from the Anti-Bias Learning Video (Laureate Education, Inc., 2011) would be a welcome and greeting room where I could greet my students and families each morning.  In the room I would make sure that I had a schedule of our activities for the day.  The room would also contain photographs of our children and their families.  It is a part of our professional vision and responsibility to integrate families as valuable and indispensable partners in the learning community (Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2010).  I would also instill a volunteer program where family members could come in and volunteer at the school throughout the day.  Including a star student/family corner which highlights a different student each week along with items from their home would give the children the benefit of seeing both their home and their early childhood program as equally welcoming and loving place. 

 

My literature area would include many genres of books who main characters or illustrations reflect diversity.  If my center included Hispanic children or children who knew a second language, it would be important to have books that contained that language in the literature area.  There would also be an area rug so that volunteers could come and read to small groups of children.  Books (especially big books) are a great tool for engaging small children and leading discussions into other subjects.

 

Adriana Castillo’s Family Child Care Home (Laureate Education, Inc., 2011) also showed a center where skin tone materials were placed.  Children could connect with these items because they showed a reflection of themselves.  My Art center would definitely contain paper and paint of various skin/earth tones so that children could include variations of themselves and their families in their art projects and paintings. 

Puzzles, Legos, etch-a-sketches, and blocks would also be kept in an area to promote critical thinking and promote motor skills.  Center areas would also include housekeeping, dramatic play, and puppetry.  Finally, images of different children and families would be placed throughout the facility.  This gives children a connection with society as a whole.  The photographs could facilitate discussions about families around the world.

 

References:

 

Derman-Sparks, L., & Olsen Edwards, J. (2010). Anti-bias education for young children and

ourselves. Washington, DC: NAEYC.

 

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2011). Welcome to an anti-bias learning community [video]. Strategies for Working with Diverse Children. Baltimore, MD: Author.

 

Pelo, A. (Ed.) (2008). Rethinking early childhood education. Milwaukee, WI: Rethinking

Schools.

 

 

 

WHAT I HAVE LEARNED

When I think about diversity and families, I think about the unique individuals that come to my classroom each year.  I think about the creativity that I will help to foster and the seeds of love that I will plant into each child.  Each year I express to my parents the need for us to be in constant communication about their child.  I express to them how important it is for their child and our class as a whole that the parents be an intregal part of our classroom community.  My hope is that parents and educators everywhere understand that it takes a village to raise a child.  As early childhood professionals, we are there to care and nurture your child during those hours they spend with us each day.  The better the relationship we have with the families, the better the connection will be between the child and the teacher.

One goal that I would like to set for the early childhood field that is related to diversity, equity, and social justice is to continue to offer resources for professionals to network to continue developing strategies for promtoing diversity and equity.  Continue providing opportunities for advocacy when it comes to the healthy development of all children.  These opportunities are extremely valuable for families and also the professional growth of individuals working with children and their families.

To my colleagues, I want to thank you for the opportunity to learn from and be inspired by your thoughts and experiences.  As we continue our journey of anti-biased work and supporting children and families all over the world, let's remember that equity and equality work hand in hand.  We must become involved and stay involved to ensure that strategies and policies are in place for our most precious gifts...children!

Creating Art: The Meaning of Diversity

>Can Anybody Hear Me? My world is spinning out of control Can you hear me…Can you help? Is there anybody out there… Rejected, Neglected, why not Protected? But there’s hope, everyone will not let me down. There is a better place. A world living in love, peace, and harmony A world where I am not judged by society because of the way I look But a world where my needs are met, my life is valued, and my spirit is free. Can Anybody Hear Me? Throughout this course we have learned that diversity means accepting others for their differences. We should move away from biases and stereotypes that threathened to tear us down as a people. We should be willing to build up each other so that society can prosper and benefit those who live in it. I wrote the poem above from the perspective of a child who needs our voice, our love, and our advocacy as early childhood caregivers to make a difference in his/her life.

SEEING DIVERSITY IN SOCIETY

What children ask, say, or do about any aspect of their own or other's identities and differences are wonderful "teachable moments" of anti-bias education for their parents or the adults with them (Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2010). *Name a time when you witnessed an adult(or yourself) reprimad or silence a child after he or she pointed out someone they saw as different. This past week I took my neice to McDonalds. Our cashier was a young lady who had a form of Dwarftism. In her appearance she was extremely short and her heart was larger than her body. My neice didn't say anything while we were in McDonalds she just stared at her. When we got to the car she was telling my son about the cashier and she started laughing about her head being bigger than her body. I told her that it was not nice to laugh at other people. I also told her that the young lady was very nice and had good manners which is the most important thing when you are serving others. I explained how we are all different and God did not make everyone to look the same way. *What messages might have been communicated to this child by the adult's response? The message that I wanted her to remember is that just because you are different does not mean that you should be laughed at or teased. The way you carry yourself and respond to others is much more important. We are all different but beautiful in our own way. *What might an anti-biased educator have said to support the child's understanding? I have witnessed children blurt out things about the people around them on many instances. Parents or the adults with them usually shhh them or tell them to be quiet without any explanation. Many times the children will ask or say the same thing again because they want an answer to their question. Anti-biased educators know that these are "teachable moments" where we can correct any stereotypes or biased understandings that children have at that very moment. This will enable them to begin thinking in a "new light" about others who are different. Reference: Derman-Sparks, L., & Olsen Edwards, J. (2010). Anti-bias education for young children and ourselves. Washington, DC: NAEYC.

Gender, Gender Identity, and Sexual Orientation

Gender identity develops very early. It includes both gender anatomy and gender role (Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2010). Our environment teaches us about male and female expectations...meaning how we are supposed to behave. Our experiences will also influence how we understand and display our gender roles. As early childhood educators, we must support children in their development to their fullest potential. Learning environments that are equally gender based put this principle into practice (Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2010). The approach that I would take when responding to parents and families who have issues with transgenders or homosexual caring or educating/interacting with their child would be one of support for their beliefs/opinons but also one that promotes diversity and equality for all at our facility. I would stress that our staff is hired based on their professional ability to provide an academic and nurturing environment for their child. Also that we are embracing diversity with our staff just as our children are diversed and from unique families. It is important to build strong partnerships with families so their would be an open door policy for parental visitations. I do believe that it is very important to represent all types of families so that children can make a connection with home and school. Literature depicting gay or lesbian individuals such as same-sex partnered families would allow children to perhaps see their own families represented in books. Representation of children's families should also be seen in photographs displayed in the classroom. Reference: Derman-Sparks, L., & Olsen Edwards, J. (2010). Anti-bias education for young children and ourselves. Washington, DC: NAEYC

Thank You Team!

To all of the members of the Communicating & Collaborating in the Early Childhood Field Course, I would first like to say thank you for your thought provoking discussions, compliments, and suggestions. This course has truly taught me a lot about effective communication and how to successfully collaborate with others. I wish for all you wonderful success as you continue your journey in the field of Education. Never forget that our most treasured possessions--our children, are counting on us to be the voice that will help them reach their fullest potential!

Team Development

Group dynamics is very important when working together. The Forming and Storming Stages of a group are very important in determining how well the group will function with each other. I have been a member of groups that have worked well together and groups that have not worked well together at all. I have found that when a group is unable to communicate with each other effectively or complete assignments because of behaviors and attitudes of group members, adjourning from these groups is not very hard at all. However, when true bonds of friendship have been formed and the group works harmoniously together to get the goals of the group accomplished, adjourning is a sort of celebration for a job well done. It also allows for future rapport that can continue the building of positive interactions. Reference: O'- Hair, D., & Wiemann, M. (2009). Real communication. New York: Bedford/St. Martin's.