This week I
am imagining that I am opening my own Family Child Care Home. A family child
care home’s setting and elements are very important. How the area is set up and
interacted with will either make children feel welcomed and respected or not.
One first has
to understand that the way a space is set up alters children to which issues
and people the teacher or facilitator thinks are important and unimportant
(Derman-Sparks, 2010). An environment rich in anti-bias materials invites
exploration and discovery and support’s children’s play and conversations in
both emergent and planned activities (Derman-Sparks, 2010). For this, I would
make sure that my space was set up so that the focal part of the space was were
the most important information hung. This could be academic items and also materials
that honor diversity in an accurate and nonsterotypical way (Derman-Sparks,
2010). Multicultural literature would be a must along with dolls of all races
and cultures. By having multiracial and cultural dolls, children can relate to
the materials rather than just the dominant culture and not feel the harm of
feeling invisible or not fitting (Derman-Sparks, 2010). The coloring of the
room would also have to be not gender indefinable along with all materials. By
having bulletin boards with photographs of the children and their families it
will also make the space seem like everyone’s, which is the goal
(Derman-Sparks, 2010). A unit or theme
is also important and helps families embrace and feel welcomed in the space
(Derman-Sparks, 2010). My theme would be either owls, or animals that all
children can relate too. Themes such as the Olympics’ for older children also
show diversity of individuals and focus on the success of people rather than
the downfalls.
Overall
misinforming and misrepresenting individuals needs to be thought of before a
space can be created (Derman-Sparks, 2010). All children and families need to
feel welcomed so that relationships and interactions can come together to
create the anti-bias learning community (Derman-Sparks, 2010). A space that is nurturing
and supports all children is what I want and would need to have to have a
successful family child care home.
Derman-Sparks, L., & Olsen Edwards, J. (2010). Anti-bias
education for young children and ourselves.
Washington, D.C.: National Association for the Education of Young Children
(NAEYC).
I appreciate your insights. The space you describe is welcoming and inviting. I particularly liked the idea of offering multicultural books for children - if you are interested, a few weeks ago I found this article in the Walden's library: Examining Multicultural Picture Books for the
ReplyDeleteEarly Childhood Classroom: Possibilities and Pitfalls by Jean Mendoza & Debbie Reese
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign - I found it useful - just an fyi ;)
Abigail,
ReplyDeleteYou are so right when you say that all children need to feel welcome. Imagine bringing your own child to some sort of center and when she walked in all of the workers just acted as if she was not there. As a parent, how would you feel? I’m sure not good. Children should be the focus of our centers. Also, I love the idea of hanging the pictures of the children and their families. That gives the children a sense of belonging. Good post!
Abigail, I enjoyed reading your post! Children definitely should be the focus of the centers and they should be in a warm, welcoming environment. I appreciate your reference to Derman-Sparks & Edwards in regards to misinforming and misrepresenting individuals that needs to be though of before creating space. This is a very important point to raise. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteAbigail, I like that you have incorporated that you will try to create an ambiguous gender environment. I have found this to be a personal challenge in the program I currently work in due to parent expectation. I think teachers have done a great job in this area by representing boys and fathers in the baby and house area and including pink cars and pictures of female race car drivers and female construction workers in the block area (just as a few examples). I still have to address negative comments from some of the parents after seeing these photos. It is disheartening at times.
ReplyDeleteYou have a great plan for your center and I think your families will feel at home in the environment you plan. It would be very easy for your older children to help make books using recycled materials and in this way the pictures would be of real people in real activities. Thank you for sharing your views and ideas for a center.
ReplyDeleteI can understand the children crying and the mother try to stop the crying is hard. The is a power fight that many time the children is winner. Communication with a child that find that point of the upper hand is hard when one you cannot punish a children in public without have people look at you to say you are mean, and think because the child is cry you have hurt the child in some way. This is one of the first assumptions: what are you doing to hurt the child? Then, ask the question why, how? Building on the self worth and listing to children is a power tool to help us understand that all children want is to be safety and comfortable even in the grocery story.
ReplyDelete