Creating Affirming Environment

Creating Affirming Environments

Children now more than ever are leaving in a diverse world. It is still essential for children to learn about cultures different from their own and our job as early childhood provider is to help children to be successful and empower them as they learn to appreciate differences. Diversity should not be a tourist approach like only celebrating holidays through celebrations and food only. The goal of my daycare is to create a multicultural program that will assist children with recognizing differences, as well similarities among all people. By allowing children to explore various cultures creates opportunities for them to see that even when people have unique, and different traditional customs we all still have much in common. In order to create a diverse environment you must have an environment that:

·         Encourage a sense of wellbeing for all children by removing stereotypical materials, art and books.

·         Create pictures and art that represent different families from a variety of ethnic backgrounds.

·         Have multicultural material properly displayed for children’s use.

·         Create learning activities and games that prompt positive discussion such as word games and language.  

Art should be:

·          Authentic materials for art activities that reflect rich colors and patterns   for children to use.

·          Magazines should be available that contain people from diverse groups and locations.

·         Have materials available for multicultural art activities such as skin-color crayons, markers and paint.

·         Choose cultural artwork of prominent people in different cultures to teach and empower young children.

Block Play and Building should include:

·          A variety of interconnecting blocks that represent buildings from other countries.

·          Blocks and small animals that are from the U. S. and other countries.

·          Blocks or interlocking toys that reflect children and families of a variety of ethnic groups.

Books should be:

·         Books that are sensitive to other cultures and include information about everyday life.

·         Books that represent the children who are in your class and other ethnic groups.

·         Books to arouse the children’s imagination and make them aware of human behavior and feelings of others.

·         Books about other cultures that tell an interesting story and give accurate information.

·         Remove books that have biased language or stereotypical pictures from the classroom. Add books about the benefits of culture.

Cooking or Food Activities should:

·         Encourage children to experiment with foods other than those with which they are familiar.

·         Give children the opportunity to prepare and eat a variety of foods from other cultures such as spaghetti, stir-fried rice and burritos.

·         Have children’s cookware, dishes and utensils available such as woks, chopsticks and kettles.

·         Use a wide variety of colorful fruit and vegetables from other cultures to teach and enjoy such as kiwifruit, mangos and plantains.

·         Bring spices to class from a variety of menus for children to smell and use for hands-on activities

Watching the video on educator Adriana Castillo home daycare shows the type of positive and diverse environment that is inviting to parents and also warm and loving for the children. Each room focused on setting the atmosphere for the children to engage in an Anti-Bias environment.

Resources:

A bulletin containing information about creating diversity in

Course Media: "Welcome to an Anti-Bias Learning Community"