Culture and Diversity

International Children’s Library

As families immigrate, it may be difficult, if not impossible, to find children's books from their cultures and in their mother tongue. The International Children's Digital Library Foundation (ICDL Foundation) supports the world's children by making the best in children's literature available online free of charge. The Foundation has built a digital library of outstanding children's books from around the world.

Do you know how to address culture and home language in your program?

"Multicultural Principles in Head Start Programs Serving Child ages Birth to Five" is for any program serving newcomer children.  It offers numerous Reflective Questions/Activities intended to provide programs with the opportunity to “take the risk” of addressing culture and home language as they plan their program services. Read More

A Blueprint for Supporting Emergent Bilinguals in Your Program: Roma Chumak-Horbatsch’s Linguistically Appropriate Practice

At one time or another, all child care professionals in Canada—whether in a newcomer-focused program or not—will likely look after non-English speaking children. Read More

Creating a Welcoming Program for Newcomer Children

After the trauma of fleeing their home country, refugee families need safe and stable environments. To create this kind of “safe haven”, programs can develop a space where children can hear English but are not pushed to use it, and where they can observe activities and are encouraged to join in but are not required to. Learn about the many other things you can do to reduce stress and help ease this difficult transition for families.

Making Room for Diversity in Your Program: Q&A with Valerie Rhomberg

When you walk into a program that cares for newcomer children, it is common to see multiple cultures and languages represented in the physical child care environment, as well as through the people in it: the staff, the children and their families. Multiculturalism is supported and embraced in countless ways. But what about diversity? Isn’t it just another word for multiculturalism? Not necessarily, according to Valerie Rhomberg, Manager of Academic Programs at Mothercraft College and co-author of "The Affective Curriculum: Teaching the Anti-bias Approach to Young Children". Read More

Celebrate multiculturalism with a “Kids Around the World” bulletin board

Canadian Multiculturalism Day is an opportunity to celebrate our diversity! Here’s a fun activity idea that can also personalize and bring culture into your space.

Play it Fair! Human Rights Education Toolkit for Children

Equitas is an International Centre for Human Rights Education, and they’ve developed a toolkit that helps promote human rights, non discrimination and peaceful conflict resolution within non-formal education programs for children. By encouraging acceptance of differences, the Play It Fair! Program is equipping children and youth to work together to solve conflicts and participate in the diverse communities in which they live. Read more

Promoting Cultural and Linguistic Competency Self-Assessment Checklist

The mission of the National Centre for Cultural Competence at Georgetown University Centre for Child and Human Development is to increase the capacity of health care and mental health care programs to design, implement, and evaluate culturally and linguistically competent service delivery systems to address growing diversity, persistent disparities, and to promote health and mental health equity. Read More

10 Ways to Analyze Children’s Books for Sexism and Racism

Here 's the hand out from Valerie Rhomberg's "Settings and Cultures in Children's Books" workshop at the LINC Childminding Conference.  It provides you with guidelines for evaluating children’s books and helping children detect racism and sexism in the books they read.

Incorporating Diversity – Julie Dotsch

Diversity refers to all the ways that humans are unique. It influences many things, including how we judge others, how society values individuals and the outcomes individuals will have in life. Julie Dotsch, an ECE Diversity consultant for One World, explores ways to incorporate diversity in your program. Read More