Creating Affirming Environments
If I were to open my own Family Child Care Home there are a
few considerations I would need to take. As I’ve been learning through my
courses at Walden, the environment and materials should be welcoming and
representative of all children and their families. You want a space that is
anti-bias and supports all types of diversity represented in your classroom or
learning space. I would want my space to be colorful and have pictures of the
children and families (Laureate Education, Inc. 2011). This helps establish a
space where the children feel represented and provides something they can
personally connect to. Having pictures of the children and families also makes
it feel more like a home, because people’s homes have pictures hung on the
walls.
Taking it a step further, I would want to get to know the
individuals and families in my program and get books, dolls, puzzles, and other
various materials that demonstrate their diverse cultures (Derman-Sparks &
Olsen Edwards, 2010). Children
will be able to play with dolls or toys that represent themselves and the other
children in the classroom, which illustrates unity. With books, I think it’s
important that I have books that show cultures similar to their own, but also
have books that discuss how families can be different. Children need to hear
dialogue about different families and how we should support and not judge them
because of their differences (Derman-Sparks & Olsen Edwards, 2010).
In the media segment, Adriana Castillo had a section in the
room devoted to a “family culture share” (Laureate Education, Inc. 2011). I
really liked this concept because it allows families to distinguish an
important part of their culture that they want to share with the class. It
allows the children to share something about them, which makes them feel
valued, and it also allows other children to learn about diversity. With
anything that gets displayed on the walls, I think it’s essential that there
are discussions about them before they are hung. It’s easy to put up posters
that are bright and meaningful, but they can blend in and do not hold meaning
to children until they talk about it and become aware. Castillo also had scent
bags that had different skin shades, which I thought was interesting. The
children can hold, smell, and see the differences of the bags, which encourages
discussion and awareness about skin color differences. If possible, this would
be great to incorporate into the center as well. Overall, I hope that my Family
Child Care Home is representative of all families and can teach children about
diversity and anti-bias in a positive environment.
References
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)
Laureate Education, Inc. (2011). Strategies for working with diverse children: Welcome to an anti-bias
learning community. Baltimore, MD: Author
Tara,
ReplyDeleteYour Family Child Care Home sound like a warm and inviting place where children and families can develop and learn to the best of their ability. A place where anti-bias education is celebrated and incorporated throughout all of the program, Through the diversity of materials, toys, equipments, and material where cultures, and different family cultures are celebrated. Early childhood teachers want children to feel powerful and competent. They strive to welcome children and to show respect to their families as best they know how Derman-Sparks, L., & Olsen Edwards, J. (2010) (p.3)
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).
Tara, thank you for sharing your ideas for your child care home. I think your ideas would create a welcoming environment for all children and their families. I agree having a share wall is a great idea to include in the classroom. Not only does this give children and their families an opportunity to share about their family, but an area where children can be reminded of their family. I believe the most important piece of opening a child care home is the inclusion of the families and I believe your ideas do support that.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing!
Brianna
Tara,
ReplyDeleteI loved how you described your home environment - it sounds like it would be very inviting. As a parent, I would appreciate the fact that you have dolls that look my daughter as well as other items that represent her culture. I also love the fact that you would put careful consideration into your design, not just hanging up pictures because they are pretty. Children should have just as much say in their environment as the teacher and allowing them to talk about posters and wall hangings will give them a genuine sense of belonging. Thanks for sharing!