Welcoming families from around the world!

You are working in an early childhood setting of your choice—a hospital, a child care center, a social service agency. You receive word that the child of a family who has recently emigrated from a country you know nothing about will join your group soon. You want to prepare yourself to welcome the child and her family. Luckily, you are enrolled in a course about diversity and have learned that in order to support families who have immigrated you need to know more than surface facts about their country of origin.

                The family that is going to be joining my preschool is from Afghanistan.  In order to be culturally responsive toward this new family, I feel that there are several steps I will need to take to make them feel comfortable and welcome. 

                I will begin by researching Afghanistan’s dominant family culture; keeping in mind that just because this is the dominant culture, does not mean that my new family will mirror this image.  I would do this so that I could become familiar with gender roles in their society, so as not to intimidate or step out of line.  I would also want to know what the role of the child is and how they are expected to behave socially and perform academically.  For example, according to a web resource, Afghanistan men are considered to be the heads of the family.  Many families live amongst their extended family in a large building or a community of several houses.  The patriarch makes all the decisions, and his word is final.  This would be an adjustment for me culturally, because I usually refer to the mother with any issues I am having with a given student.  I would want to learn basic social cues from the culture, so that I may greet them appropriately, and in a way in which they are comfortable. 

                After conducting general research, I would send a letter and form to the family stating that we would like to get to know them better before they come and join our community.  I would ask questions about their family culture and what they enjoy doing together as a group.  I would ask for the child’s favorite book titles and toys, and about his friends from home.  I would inquire about snacks and food preference so as not to force the child into a situation where he or she would be eating something culturally inappropriate.  For example, Afghanistan families tend to maintain a diet of healthy foods such as fruits, vegetables, nan (a type of bread), and yogurt.  Many snacks that families may bring into a preschool would be unappealing or unaccepted by a child from Afghanistan. 

                In order to prepare my classroom, I would be sure to include some of the toys and food that the child enjoys, as specified by their parent’s responses to my inquiries.  I feel that it would be an important transition tool for the child to feel represented in their new classroom.  I would also set up an at home meeting with the family, so that I could meet them in their comfort zone and gain a better idea of who they are and what they wish to gain from the program for their child. 

In addition to preparing my classroom, I would also like to prepare my students and families for our new arrival.  I would show the students where Afghanistan is located on a map and ask if they’ve ever heard of the country.  We could talk about our biases and open conversation to what it must be like to enter a new country and a new school at such a young age.  We could discuss how we may feel if it were us, and ways in which we can make our new friend feel welcome and happy. 

                Lastly, due to cultural biases that come along with Afghanistan at this time, I feel that I would need to prepare my families for their arrival.  I would send home a notification that a new family would be joining us with information and a picture, (if permitted by the family).  I would refer them to me if there were any questions and encourage them to get to know the new family and set up play dates for the children.    

                I feel that all of these preparations would be beneficial to all parties involved.  It would help me to gain knowledge about a new culture that I know nothing about, and they will help the family feel wanted and respected.  In addition, it will also help my current families feel as though they are a part of the welcoming wagon and that they have an outlet for information if there are any personal concerns.  These preparations will allow me to continue building a happy, safe school environment in which every student, teacher and parent feels welcomed and empowered. 

References:

 http://www.afghanistans.com/information/people/wayoflife.htm