How to Use Books to Promote Diversity in Early Education Classrooms
Many educators struggle with how to introduce the topic of diversity and differences in a classroom. How do we manage to do this without making one child or any of our children feel singled out? How do we make diversity something that we celebrate and talk about instead of acting like we are all the same? How do we ensure that all our staff participates in the discussion?
Books are a great way to introduce diversity in CNC.
Free Picture Book Shares First-Time Experiences of Immigrant Children in Canada
New Canadians Centre in Peterborough has published a new children’s picture book that shares the experiences of immigrant children when they arrive in Canada - and it's
available online in 7 languages! Written and illustrated by Peterborough artist Casandra Lee (herself a recent immigrant),
Building A Home was inspired by the stories of six local newcomer children — including learning English, going to school, visiting large supermarkets, experiencing winter and snow, eating pizza, and more.
WEBINAR – Don’t Look Away: How to Embrace Anti-Bias Classrooms Now
In this webinar, the authors of Don’t Look Away: Embracing Anti-Bias Classrooms participate in a roundtable discussion on how to embrace anti-bias classrooms and anti-racist teaching by creating affirming and culturally grounded environments that protect children from psychological trauma and heal them from the inside out.
How will you honour National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on September 30th?
In response to the
Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada: Calls to Action, the federal government passed legislation in June recognizing September 30, 2021, as the
National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. We encourage all CNC community members to reflect on this important milestone and consider how they can acknowledge and honour National Day for Truth and Reconciliation with their CNC programs, communities and families.
Read more.
The Refuge: A CYRRC Podcast
The Child and Youth Refugee Research Coalition (CYRRC) has launched a new, monthly podcast series,
The Refuge, to share what they have learned from four years of research on social isolation, education, and mental wellbeing of refugee children, youth, and families. This series brings together youth with refugee experience, academics, and community partners to discuss issues affecting refugee children, youth, and families in Canada.
PROMOTING DIVERSITY IN THE PRESCHOOL CLASSROOM: IDEAS AND ACTIVITIES
The definition of diversity is simply a range of different things. When children learn very early that differences are normal, they learn to view them without a lens of discomfort. Children naturally begin to pick up on differences, and you may hear questions about why their skin isn’t the same as another child’s, why someone needs to use a wheelchair, how people speak other languages, and more beginning around this age. Many parents and educators experience that initial moment of panic. How am I supposed to explain to a three-year-old about racism, poverty, and disability? The key is to
keep it age appropriate, honest and simple.
Programming to Promote Multiculturalism and Diversity
Scholastic has compiled these
tips from experts, ideas and ready-to-go activities to help you plan for your CNC program in a way that promotes multiculturalism and diversity.
Supporting Emergent Bilingual Children in Early Learning: CHECKLIST
Young children’s first learning experiences outside the home often happen in child-care settings, and many children come to school as emergent bilinguals (i.e., children who are exposed to two or more languages, also known as dual language learners). Research shows that learning multiple languages is very beneficial for development, yet few early child-care educators know best practices for supporting the learning of more than one language.
This checklist can help us better support children’s bilingual learning in our programs.
Moving Upstream: Confronting Racism to Open Up Children’s Potential
The scientific evidence is clear and growing: racism imposes unique and substantial stressors on the daily lives of families raising young children of color. Understanding how these stressors affect child health and development provides a compelling framework for new ideas about how communities, policies, programs, and funding streams might confront and dismantle these inequities and build a stronger future for us all. This new brief discusses how
racism creates conditions that harm the well-being of children and families, and the need to go “upstream” and create policy solutions to address the source of structural, cultural, and interpersonal forms of racism
A Look Around the World – Cultural Celebrations
We live in a diverse world where children are exposed to many different people and experiences, and they begin to recognize these similarities and differences at very young ages. In CNC, it is important to help children understand and respect similarities and differences among people, and exploring these similarities and differences positively is a good place to start. And decisions about what holidays to celebrate are best made together by teachers, parents, and children! The world is immense, and there are nearly endless customs and cultures to explore. McCormick Centre for Early Childhood Leadership has highlighted (listed chronologically)
four diverse cultural celebrations, and created a helpful infographic, for inspiration.
