Culture and Diversity
How to Engage Newcomer Families in Your Early Childhood Program
Parent involvement is important in early childhood education. Many creative opportunities exist for parent involvement in early childhood programs, but there is often a lower percentage of parent participation from parents in the diverse community. Find ideas for helping parents become more involved here...Developing Cultural Understanding: Tips for Administrators
Early childhood administrators play a critical role in helping their staff understand individual histories and ideologies regarding education and learning as well as the cultural patterns and beliefs of the families they work with. Find tips for developing cultural understand in your programs here...Cultural Competency: What it is and why it matters
Cultural competency is the ability to work effectively across cultures. For individuals who work with immigrant children and families, it is an approach to learning, communicating and working respectfully with people different from themselves. Learn more about cultural competency here...Space Speaks! Early Childhood Spaces and Cultural Diversity
Parents and children feel valued when there are visual representations of their culture/community throughout the program, and when program staff speak their home language. This also helps children develop a sense of belonging. Find ideas for helping children and parents feel welcome in your program here.The Diversity Challenge
At the "Together We Prosper" Conference earlier this year, panel facilitator, Julie Dotsch (One World) discusses ways to recognize immigrant children who are having difficulty fitting in and share tips for fostering home culture and language. Watch the video here.Play and Cultural Context
Play has been observed in every society where children were studied. It can be considered a universal trait of human psychology. However, like every human activity, it is affected by our cultural context. Different cultures value and react differently to play. Read more...Looking for multicultural kids songs and nursery rhymes?
You'll find the lyrics to children's songs from around the world in both English and the original language here!Dual Language Learning
Video: Developing Literacy Skills With Dual Language LearnersImpact of Second Language/Bilingualism at An Early Age
Video: Frontloading for English Language Learners
5 tips for making science meaningful for newcomer children
Second Language Learning and Keeping the Child's First Language
Creating a Language-Rich Environment
How does being bilingual benefit children?