Creating Affirming Environments

“Early childhood teachers want children to feel powerful and competent.  They strive to welcome children and to show respect to their families as best they know how” (Derman-Sparks & Olsen-Edwards, 2010, p. 3).  In developing an anti-bias program in my Family Child Care Home, I would begin by establishing positive relationships with families.  I would begin by sending out a survey to families to fill out to explain their family culture and heritage.  This will make it possible for me to accurately display family’s cultures in my classroom.  In addition, I envision having a family tree on one of my walls; a painted tree decorated with pictures of children with their families and descriptions of their favorite family activities.  I would also be sure, as shown in the media segment, that all families would be invited to participate in the classroom so that they can get to know the other families and children, as well as me.  I also love her idea of having families rotate months of bringing in artifacts from home that represent their family culture.  Thus, creating a loving and caring community where all families feel safe and important. 

In addition to representing my family culture, I also want to represent diversity throughout my classroom through the use of books, toys, posters, etc.  I will provide my children with diverse, anti-bias materials through the use of books, music, DVDs, dolls, dramatic play props, puzzles, drawing materials, blocks, and pictures and posters on the walls.  For example, I will have dolls of different ethnicities and will have posters that display different languages, such as sign language and Spanish.  I want all families to understand that people are different and unique.  I also enjoy the idea from the media segment of having different skin colors available for the children to compare, whether through paint samples, construction paper, or dolls.  It is important to introduce this early on so that children are naturally looking at others and seeing different shades of skin; but not having it be a strange thing for them.  I would play different music every morning from various cultures; being sure to include any music that families would like to share that have been favorites in their households. 

In addition to representing families and diversity among people, I think it’s important to introduce young children to the environment and the importance of nature in our lives.  I want to utilize natural materials and have regular interaction with animals; as I feel this is developmentally appropriate and important.  I feel that by creating good global citizens early on, we are teaching our children that they are important, as well as are those around them and the world we share together. 

There are many different aspects that will create an anti-bias community.  I feel that this is something that will evolve overtime.  The more families that are included in our programs throughout the years, the more diverse our materials will become.  We need to be conscious to represent our students, as well as other cultures that they will encounter throughout their lives.  We want them to be comfortable with themselves and those around them, and interested in asking questions about things they do not understand.  I want to open up my home to families to make them feel that they are a part of our community.  “Ensuring that every family feels welcome and comfortable creates a crucial foundation for mutually respectful relationships.  It is an essential first step in an anti-bias classroom.  As families develop trust that you care about and believe in their child, they come to feel that they, too, ‘belong’ in your early childhood program” (Derman-Sparks & Olsen-Edwards, 2010, p. 37). 

I am excited to hear about other’s ideas of what their anti-bias program will look like.  We can work together and incorporate one another’s thoughts, as well as those from our resources, to build the best possible anti-bias community. 

Resources:

Derman-Sparks, L., & Olsen Edwards, J. (2010). Anti-Bias Education for Young Children and Ourselves. Washington D.C. : NAEYC Books.

Course Media: "Welcome to an Anti-Bias Learning Community" (approximate length: 24 minutes)