According to Pelo (2008) it is imperative that
operators of child care facilities honor diversity among the children and
families that they serve. Likewise, an
environment in anti-bias education fosters creative discovery and supports the
notion that children have the right to develop to their fullest potential
(Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2010).
Therefore, if I was to open my own Family Child Care Centre, I would
ensure that my visual and material environment was inclusive of the children
and families that are enrolled in my program so that my families can feel like
an intricate part of my program.
Firstly, drawing from the ideas of Adriana in the
video file, I would establish a welcome and greeting room where I could greet
and welcome my children and families as the children are being dropped off on
mornings. The room would also have the
schedule of the day’s activities so that parents can know the activities that
their children will be engaged in.
Likewise, the room would contain pictures of the children and their families
(Laureate Education Inc., 2011). This I
believe would create a welcoming environment and help make families feel important
to the program.
The main learning area would be made up of several
sections/rooms (depending on structure of building). In the reading section, there will be varied
genres of books, with the characters and illustrations reflecting
diversity. The books will also be in the
varied home languages of the families that I serve. In the dramatic play area there would be
clothes and costumes from various cultures; dolls of various ethnicities as
well as those that are disabled; housekeeping items; puppets reflecting diversity;
puzzles, blocks, and toys all of which would reflect diversity. Other materials would include paper, paint,
crayons of various colors; skin color bean bags (Laureate Education Inc.,
2011). All these materials would help promote
creativity and critical thinking and enhance motor skills. Throughout the rooms there will be pictures
and posters depicting various cultures, family types, religions,
abilities/disabilities, celebrations etc.
I would also make use of persons dolls (Derman-Sparks & Edwards,
2010) as I believe this to be an effective way to get children to think and
talk about diversity and highlight and discuss their biases.
Drawing again from the idea of Adriana, I would
create a Superb Family Corner where every week a child and his/her family will
be celebrated through the use of family pictures and artifacts of their
culture. Likewise a family member would
be invited one day during that week to share with the children information on
their culture or story. Additionally,
there would be an area/room designated to family time. It will be furnished with sofas, lounge
chairs, television etc. and would basically be a place where all families can
gather for game night, movie night or any social activity that we deem
necessary. This I believe would help to
forge partnerships among the families and the program and help each family realize
that they are of equal importance to the program.
All in all, I would ensure that my visual and
material environment depict diversity and anti-bias learning since as Derman-
Sparks and Edwards (2010) noted “the toys, materials and equipment you put out
for children; the posters, pictures, and art objects you hang on the walls; and
the types of furniture and how you arrange them all reflect what children learn”
(p.43). Ultimately, my goal is to ensure
that every child reaches his/her fullest potential.
References
Derman-Sparks,
L., & Edwards, J. O. (2010). Anti-bias education for young children and
ourselves. Washington, DC: NAEYC.
Laureate
Education, Inc. (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.
Hi Zephirina,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that when children, and their families see themselves or others like them they have a sense of comfort and feel as though they belong. However, I remember when some classroom environments use to have only pictures of Caucasian families. Then as time went on classroom environments added African American children as though these were the only two culture groups. As a result I believe when children, and families do not see others like themselves within the classroom environment with pictures, books or other possible items it can be very difficult for children and their families to feel a part of the classroom environment or the overall early childhood program. “The more families become part of a program of anti-bias education, the more their children are likely to develop anti-bias identity, knowledge, empathy, and skills” (Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2010, p. 39).
Reference
Derman-Sparks, L., & Olsen Edwards, J. (2010). Anti-bias education for young children and ourselves. Washington, D.C.: National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).
Zephirina,
ReplyDeleteI really like the ideal with the welcome and greeting room, because it give the children and other children to get acquainted and parents can feel some kind of security by meeting the other parents. The families can also see different pictures containing different cultures and it will make a different for them by leaving their children in a learning and caring environment. I will also use this welcome and greeting room model for my own Daycare. Finally, the other model I will use is the pictures with the artifacts that’s a wonderful ideal, after reading your blog you gave me so much more information on how to and what to do when opening up my own Daycare. It would be a pleasure to have my child in your presence because I know he/she is getting what they deserve. Thank you for an amazing blog, can’t wait to read more.