In my mind of opening a family child care I imagine
a place where all families and children feel welcome and I would begin with the
idea of a greeting room in my foyer where families and children can sign-in
filled with the daily schedule and greetings the children can choose from in
their native language or another country (Laureate Education, Inc., 2011). I believe it is important to greet each
family and child in the morning because it gives them a sense of belonging as
well as sets the tone for the day with children. It also allows ma and the parent time to exchange
information as far as how they slept the night before etc…
In the next part of my house I would have a safe
place which is design for children to go if they are feeling sad or mad and it
will be lined with bean bags and pillow where children can go to give
themselves the needed moment privately in order to transition or calm down it
will also have pictures of children and their families in which they made at
home like the family culture shelves Arianna had in her home. It is important to incorporate families into
a program because all too often children feel invisible in an environment in
which there is do depiction of themselves or their culture in the environment (Derman-Sparks
& Edwards, 2010). Positive social identities
begin with the environment.
The rest of the house would be divided up into
centers consisting of dramatic play which includes multicultural props and
cookbooks. In other words, half of all the materials especially in dramatic
play should reflect specifically the children you serve in the program. Like Arianna, I believe dramatic play is a
great asset in conflict resolution because it truly is a place in which
children act out roles that have influenced them in some way (Laureate
Education, Inc., 2011).
The other centers that would be incorporated into
the other areas of the house would be sensory and science, writing, listening
center, art in which it would also incorporate multicultural collage material
so that we could discuss culture while being creative. Other centers would be blocks in which we
could incorporate multicultural families and different box houses. Books would be in every center as well as, multicultural
pictures of children and their families doing some of those activities. According to Derman-Sparks & Edwards
(2010), an environment rich in anti-bias materials invites exploration and
discovery and supports children’s play.
I want my family child care to be an environment that is culturally
consistent with the families that I am serving.
Early childhood is about the development of the whole child and in order
to partner with families we must make their environment of care and extension
of their family home life.
Derman-Sparks, L. & Edwards, J. (2012). Anti-bias education for young children and
ourselves. Washington, DC: NAEYC.
Laureate Education, Inc.
(Executive Producer). (2011). EDUC 6357-6 Diversity, Development, and Learning
[Webcast]. Welcome to an Anti-Bias
Learning Community. Baltimore, MD: Author. Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=_2_1&url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2Flauncher%3Ftype%3DCourse%26id%3D_2819834_1%26url%3D
Michele,
ReplyDeleteIt sound like a welcoming and affirming environment! I agree that it is important to greet each of the parents every day. Getting a glimpse into what life was like the night before really brings insight into the child's temperment for the day. The other thing I have noticed is that my students enjoy watching me socialize with their parents. I had a couple children this year who would say "You know my mom. You are friends". That seemed to make them happy and feel special. Nice job, Michele!