Culture and Diversity

Ontario CECE Practice Guidelines: Diversity and Culture

The Ontario College of Early Childhood Educators (CECE) has developed a set of diversity and culture practice guidelines that highlight expectations and helpful recommendations. It's also a useful tool for CNC staff across the country to use as an opportunity for self-reflection and professional learning!

16 Resources for Finding Diverse Books and Classroom Materials

These 16 helpful resources can help you ensure that your bookshelves reflect the diversity of the world around us. Some focus more on school-age programming, but there are lots of great resources to support the early years too!

8 Tips for Making Your Program Culturally Inclusive Year Round

Celebrating diversity is a huge part of building the empathy and perspective-taking skills necessary for the development of kind, inclusive, caring human beings. As educators, we have an incredible opportunity and responsibility to support the development of these skills with even our youngest learners. Here are 8 tips for making sure your program is culturally inclusive year-round!

Tips for Pronouncing and Remembering Childrens’ Names Correctly

Mispronouncing a name can have a significant impact on how they see themselves and their cultural background. This article has some tips for pronouncing and remembering childrens' names correctly.

Listening: A Key to Cultural Competence

https://mccormickcenter.nl.edu/library/listening-cultural-competence-220823/?utm_source=McCormick+Center+Subscribers&utm_campaign=55bd686d94-listening-cultural-competence&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_8653d0e879-55bd686d94-229879049

Gratitude activity for kids: Make a South African Ubuntu Collage!

Ubuntu is an important idea in South Africa. The word comes from the Zulu language and refers to the bond that connects all people. It is often translated as, “I am because we are.” The practice of Ubuntu means caring about the needs of others by being kind, helpful and generous, and it’s a lovely reminder of how connected we all are. An Ubuntu collage can be a wonderful gratitude activity for kids!


CMAS Tutorial: Play Across Cultures

Children are masters of play. It’s how they learn about culture, social norms, and language - and it provides endless opportunities for children to try out different roles, express themselves, and explore the world around them. But you may have noticed that children from different cultures engage in play differently. This makes sense because there are differences in language, context, and social norms in different cultures - and these are all reflected in children’s play! In the this tutorial, participants will have the chance to reflect on how play is different across cultures, and how we can encourage and foster all kinds of play variations in our CNC programs. You’ll also find resources, references, a Facilitator Guide and Questions for Personal Reflection/Group Discussion so that you can easily facilitate your own team training.


CMAS Tutorial: Play Across Cultures

Children from different cultures engage in play differently. And this makes sense because there are differences in language, context, and social norms in different cultures – and these are all reflected in children’s play!

In the Play Across Cultures tutorial, participants will have the chance to reflect on how play is different across cultures, and how we can encourage and foster all kinds of play variations in our CNC programs.

Did you know that all our tutorials include a facilitator guide?

At the end of the tutorial, you’ll also find resources and a facilitator guide that includes an extensive list of questions to spark group discussion and personal reflection. Many of the themes that you’ll find in the Play Across Culture tutorial and facilitator guide are really important for us to understand and keep in mind when working in CNC. We encourage all programs to keep the important conversations going – and try facilitating your own team training! 

Just in time to use for team training during TESOL conference for Ontario programs!

Team training based on the Play Across Cultures tutorial, Facilitator Guide, and Questions for Personal Reflection/Group Discussion will create an opportunity for your team to:

  • collaborate and learn together
  • discuss issues that are specific to your site
  • share ideas, expertise and challenges
  • build supportive team relationships, and 
  • Improve your programming for newcomer children.

WEBINAR: Culture and Children’s Challenging Behaviour

Like the children in our care, every teacher is different. We come from different contexts and cultures, and everything we think, say, and do is processed through the filter of our own culture. Culture influences our values, beliefs, gender roles, family structures, language, and even our teaching styles. The ability to understand and celebrate differences is more important now than ever. In this webinar, participants will explore the dynamics of culture in shaping teachers’ expectations and children’s behavior.

Webinar: Early Childhood Behaviour Guidance Practices and the Role of Implicit Bias

In this paradigm-shifting webinar, participants will learn about implicit racial bias and its role in behavior management practices and policies in early childhood programs. This training is a great opportunity for us to examine how our own implicit biases may affect how we manage the behavior of young children of color in our programs.