Culture and Diversity
What is Culturally Responsive ECE Practice?
What is cultural responsiveness? Rather than just focusing on the celebration of differences and the harmonious co-existence of diverse groups, culturally responsive interactions and programming in early childhood education involve caregivers' deep engagement with diverse cultures and worldviews in order to transform practice.
Immigration Initiative at Harvard
The Immigration Initiative at Harvard is an online space for scholars, students, policy makers, community leaders, and practitioners, with the goal of translating evidence-based research into promising practices. Be sure to check out their series of resources for educators.
Singing My Story: Building Capacity with Newcomer Youth Through Songwriting, Recording, and Creative Arts-based Pedagogies
CYRRC research suggests that art and music are integral in helping newcomer and refugee youth reclaim their stories and share their lived experiences. This study by York University and COSTI Immigrant Services explored the role music played in culture, integration, wellbeing, and creative expression for newcomer and refugee youth by involving youth in the co-composition and professional recording of original songs.
Principles for Culturally Responsive Teaching in Early Childhood Education
There can be no recipe or script for culturally responsive teaching because every group of families and children has differing backgrounds and unique needs, capabilities, and interests. Early childhood educators need to know about this diversity in order to adapt their practice to suit the cultural practices, beliefs, and values of the child and their family, and to support all children to participate fully while maintaining their cultural identities. This guide offers some general, research-based principles and suggestions to empower ECEs, in concert with families, to discover different ways of dealing with issues of diversity.
Why Heritage Language is Important for Children’s Development & Learning
This Immigration Initiative at Harvard Educator Brief explains how important it is to preserve heritage languages for children’s academic outcomes, cognitive development, and social-emotional well-being. It also provides tips for working with families and communities to nurture children’s heritage language skills.
Pausing to Reflect on Biases
If we look hard enough in the mirror, we will see that we are all biased. I am biased. You are biased. And these biases affect how we interact with others, form judgments, and develop societal attitudes. Personal biases can be implicit (unconscious) or explicit (conscious), and at times, they are easily spotted, while other times, they show subtly in our decisions or interactions with others. Either way, as early childhood leaders, it is essential to pause and reflect on our own biases and help staff understand the importance of reflecting on their biases.
Cultural Humility Self-Reflection Tool
This cultural humility self-reflection tool has been designed to help Ontario school staff to explore, and then reflect upon, their individual cultural humility, but it's relevant to our work too! It prompts us to consider our skills, knowledge and self-awareness when supporting children and engaging with parents/caregivers and colleagues who don’t share our culture and identities. Reflecting deeply on our own personal values, beliefs and biases is an important step towards providing supporting and inclusive care for diverse families. When you enter the relationship with cultural humility, you can engage in more authentic interactions that promote better mental health and a sense of belonging for the children in our care.
Multicultural Principles for Early Childhood Leaders
The 2023 edition of Multicultural Principles for Early Childhood Leaders builds on growing research about how race, ethnicity, ability, gender, and socio-economic status influence young children’s learning. The resource is organized into three action categories: Explore, Nurture, and Grow. Each principle describes intercultural approaches that promote respect, understanding, and effective communication leading to meaningful and cooperative relationships - which can move us beyond the acknowledgement of diverse cultures to proactive practices!
Immigration Initiative at Harvard
The Immigration Initiative at Harvard is an online space for scholars, students, policy makers, community leaders, and practitioners, with the goal of translating evidence-based research into promising practices. Be sure to check out their series of resources for educators.
Tips for Families Raising Children to Speak More Than One Language
Experts encourage parents to speak the language that is most comfortable to them to help babies and children develop important language areas of their brain and build strong bonds. The Canadian Children's Literacy Foundation has put together a list of resources to help parents, including a colourful tip sheet/poster full of tips for families raising children to speak more than one language.