How and Why to Embracing Diversity

Getting To Know Children and Their Families 

Summary 

The journal article “Role of early childhood educators in addressing diversity”, talks about how the teacher needs to understand cultural competence to teach children from a variety of backgrounds.  When a teacher is fully cultural competence, she can integrate families and communities in cross-cultural (King et al, 2020).  The reason diversity should be a focus of early childhood education, the variety of skills the children develop “affects both home and classroom environments,” (King et al, 2020).  The article, (2020) stated that learning environments have bias and stereotypes, reasoning to classroom lacking exposure to students and families of different races, ethnicities, and cultures. Teachers can use diverse literature such as books, articles of clothing, and posters within the classroom to foster a sense of awareness and acceptance of different people. The article, (2020) gave a few ideas on how to address diversity within the classroom and the educator's teachings, without any bias. 

Rationale and strategy 

One strategy or step mentioned was that when the teacher develops their own cultural competence, they can cross-cultural teach by creating an inclusive and equitable learning environment (King et al. 2020). Role play during dramatic play time provides the   opportunity to create teachable moments, because it teaches the children cultural differences in thoughts, feelings, and actions.  When children learn and are taught diversity, they can accept and empathize with their families and communities. Building relationships with families and communities within the classroom is by using a display board to display words or phrases in their home language or whatever culture you may have included in the lesson. One piece of advice the article spoken on was role playing, this is possible every classroom favorite center time activity to do. The children get fully engaged in the activity 

Why the information is important 

This article informed that in the first eight years of life, children gain a sense of themselves (King et al, 2020) while the brain is still developing cognitively and socially through interaction and play that affects the development and learning. When children learn and accept diversity, they can view the world and appreciate it. When early childhood educators encourage diversity and create a safe inclusive classroom environment, they encourage critical thinking activities, open discussions, and create culturally aware students that are diverse and constantly changing with the world and environment.  

Apa Citation 

Jasmin A. King, Ksenia S. Zhbanova, & Jeffrey L. Leffler. (2024). Role of early childhood educators in                      addressing diversity. Dimensions of Early Childhood, 52(1), 30–35. 

 https://doi.org/https://www.seca.info/dimensions 

 

Resource for Further Learning  

I have read Frost & Goldberg (2020), Developing an inclusive environment for diverse families in early childhood education, it expanded upon the LGBT+ community, families with sexual minority parents, families built through adoption, and multiracial families.  This is something I have encountered this year, and I treated the families no differently. The article reflects how this community can be represented from the adminstration, classroom, and teacher level. 

Reference 

Frost, R. L., & Goldberg, A. E. (2020). The ABCs of diversity and inclusion:  Developing an inclusive             environment for diverse families in early childhood education. ZERO to THREE Journal, 39(3), 36–44. 

  

Family Engagement in Head Start

 Introduction: Educators’ and parents’ perception of family engagement in a Head Start by Sondeania Marie Johnson. This study talks about the benefits of children's development and how some educators feel unprepared to engage families regarding family engagement. Family engagement is when an organization creates an interactive process through a program that allows families and children to build goal-oriented relationships. Head Start (2022) family engagement is doing with, not to or for, families; it involves the families along with their children and staff working together towards a goal.  

 
Purpose: This study aimed to explore educators’ and parents’ perceptions of family engagement at a Head Start program.  

Population/Participants: The study focused on 10 educators employed in an urban Head Start program familiar with parent engagement, serving 3–5-year-old students. Five parents were also interviewed. 

Methodology: The qualitative research with purposeful sampling, was conducted through semi-structured interviews. 

Data Sources: The sources used were interviews recorded through the Zoom platform for both parents and teachers. Later, manually transcribed after each interview. 

Conclusion: The study concluded that family engagement was vital to a child’s academic success and that the parent’s role is to support the child’s learning (Johnson, 2022). The study also showed that parents can use the results as a guide or tool for family engagement. Both parents and educators had similar definitions of the importance of family engagement, that they both have important roles in their students and children’s learning at the Head Start program (Johnson, 2022). 

 

Relevant Literature 

1. Head Start PFCE Framework, (2018)- a research-based guide that provides families and children with positive family-oriented positive family engagements. Within the framework, three terms can be effective and have a long-term impact on children and families.  

Systemic- the individuals understand the role of their position and how it promotes the vision of PFCE. 

Intergrated-everyone employed by Head Start coordinates and reinforces each other's efforts to help impact the program so families have a seamless experience. 

Comprehensive- All staff ensure that the available services and resources can meet the needs, interests, and strengths of each child and family. The framework talks about how the seven family outcomes promote a positive child outcome. Head Start/ Early Head Start uses the data collected to continue to improve family engagement, community strengths, and needs for assessments.  

 

2. Mothers Perspectives (2020) This study investigated the different ways families engaged in their children's Pre-K experience as teachers developed a better understanding of the family members’ perspectives and experiences. While also fostering ways to increase ways for families to feel included in their child educational experiences. Some mothers felt that their child being in a classroom and helping the teacher, taking their child to school, or spending quality time at home was parental engagement (Liang et al., 2020). 

 

3. Effects of teacher training (2019) This study was designed to examine the efficacy of family engagement on teacher-family engagement- outcomes. When teachers take professional development courses that focus on improving the family's role in their child's education and positively impact the teacher's attitude. The study showed that the teacher training positively affected all the teachers together and separately and the family engagement improved. 

  Reflecting the Developmentally Appropriate Practice 

Family engagement in Head Start reflects the curriculum used; the home learning sent home weekly is developmentally appropriate because it goes hand in hand. The study reflected that learning activities such as reading, math, science, and arts are effective family engagement activities, supporting academic achievement and engaging their child in learning (Johnson, 2022). As a Head Start teacher, the previous statement is true: the children in my classroom usually showed progress at the end of the study, such as bugs; they could tell you more than when the study started. Communication and home learning activities are a form of family engagement while supporting student learning (Johnson, 2022). 

 

Furthering my work 

This dissertation is currently on my favorite list. I love reading about all things Head Start, I have been working in the Head Start program since graduating from college in 2011, and I am a Head Start alumnae. Each year at parent orientation, I discuss family engagement and why it is important for Head Start parents. I tell them that the family must complete the home learning activities we provide weekly. Family engagement plays a key role in the children’s social-emotional development and academic competencies when using weekly parent –involvement activities (Smith & Sheridan, 2019). When the students use home learning, it supports my teaching theme. The nonformal learning and teaching practices support literacy at home and monitor homework completion (Smith & Sheridan, 2019). As an employee of a Head Start program, I must communicate with my parents daily and develop a relationship with them that values, culture, and shapes the life of every child in my care.   

References 

 

Johnson, S. M. (2022). Educators’ and Parents’ Perceptions of Family Engagement in a Head Start     Program. Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies. 

Liang, E., Peters, L. E., Lomidze, A., & Akaba, S. (2020). “I like being involved in school stuff”:         Mothers’ perspectives around their participation in family engagement in universal  

     prekindergarten. School Community Journal, 30(1), 59– 87. 

 

Smith, T., & Sheridan, S. (2019). The effects of teacher training on teachers’ family engagement             practices, attitudes, and knowledge: A meta-analysis, Journal of Educational and 

 Psychological Consultation, 29 (2), 128-157.  

https://doi.org/10.1080/10474412.2018.1460725 

 

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Office of     Head Start, National Center on Parent, Family, and Community Engagement. (2020). Head Start     parent, family, and community engagement framework.