If I were to have a family child care home, I would spend a lot of time planning the materials that I would need, activities for children and families, and how I planned to create a respectful environment. Making this an anti-bias family child care home means that the home must represent the children that are in the home as well as children and families in other cultures to help children become aware of more than what they normally see each day and are familiar with. If I had a larger home child care where I needed staff, I would also take the time to make sure that the staff is open to anti-bias education and make sure that we all have the appropriate training.
Stocking the home with books, toys, posters, music, and videos that incorporate different cultures and identities will be essential to children learning and accepting diversity. Bj Richards describes how her family child care home uses many different strategies in anti-bias education including holiday activities with families, discussing with children about attributes of people, and including others (Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2010, p. 52-54). Using strategies like this in my own family child care home will definitely help children become more comfortable with diversity as well.
It is important that I spend time with families before a child comes into my home for care to learn about the child as well as the family. It is important to learn what the family enjoys and what they would like their child to learn while with me. It is also important to learn about their culture to make sure that I am respectful of their wants and beliefs. Adriana Castillo really takes the time in her family child care home to welcome parents when arriving each morning by providing the daily schedule as well as other resources for them and she also invites families to join the children in activities which really helps to create a partnership with families (Laureate Education, Inc., 2011).
References
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).
Laureate Education, Inc. (2011). Strategies for working with diverse children: Welcome to an anti-bias learning community.Baltimore, MD: Author.
Hi Robin,
ReplyDeleteI like how you said you want to make children aware of more than what they are typically familiar with. Part of caring for and teaching children is exposing them to new things and ideas that demonstrate the differences among people. These are everyday life skills that I think are necessary to teach in a child care home, as well as other early childcare centers. I also think providing an efficient amount of materials that display diversity is important for learning environments and welcoming families. Thanks for sharing!
Hi Robin!
ReplyDeleteWe are learning every day the value that teachers impact children and families. It is necessary that we continue to refine and modify our skills to be able to promote anti-bias among our students.