The family child care center settings will include a welcoming entrance for the students, their families members, and the community members who wish to visit. There will be pictures of the different racial makeup of the community. I will include pictures of past students and their family members in the lobby. There will be pictures of the employees with a list of their certifications on the walls in the lobby. The makeup of the employees will represent the community we serve. Parents will be encourage to participate in the activities of their children in the classroom. Every new students parents will fill out a questionnaire of what expectations they have for their child and their child's likes and dislikes.
In the lobby there will be different books, magazines, and brochures representing the different cultures that we serve. In the classrooms there will be age appropriate toys, books, and instructions materials for the children. These materials will represents the different cultures being served. There will be pictures in the classroom of women doctors, scientists, firemen, and policewomen. There will be photos of men working in occupations as nurses, secretaries, and homemakers of different nationalities. There will be different furniture, games, toys, and dolls of all appropriate age groups.
Classroom bulletin boards, circle time presentations, and table displays will be created by "once a month, my staff and I send home a fun, voluntary activity for children and their families to work on." (Derman-Sparks, Olsen Edwards, 2010). Materials will be provided to honor children diversity both within and beyond their identity groups. Children will be taught to learn how their families are the same and how they are different, and they will be asked to discuss the differences and the similarities. We will make sure the environment is rich in anti-bias materials by including toys, pictures, and posters.
We will discuss with the parents about family differences and bias that are both concrete and personal. The adults in the families will be asked "What games do you play when you were young." (Derman-Sparks and Olsen Edwards, 2010). The safety of the children, staff, and their family members will be of the upper importance. There will be an inclusion of children and adults from various racial, ethnic, class, and disabilities backgrounds.
Reference
Dreman-Sparks, L, & Olsen Edwards, J. 2010. Anti-Bias Education for Young Children and Ourselves.
Larry, you would have a great set up for a child home care. After I completed my post, I thought of so much more. I could have probably kept typing on and on because there would be so many things I would want to have ready to open a child home care. There would be a lot of planning, for sure.
ReplyDeleteYou seem to have a lot of ideas for what materials would be needed. I could have listed more materials in my blog. However, I did list that I would add things that would make my children and families feel welcomed. According to our media segment resource for the week, Laureate learning discusses the need to make families feel welcomed and to be a part of the home care also (2011). I believe that when we make the children and families feel welcomed and comfortable, their experiences will be better as well as for the staff. Thanks for sharing and I look forward to more blogs.
The video reference isLaureate Education, Inc. (2011). Strategies for working with diverse children: Welcome to an anti-bias learning
community. Baltimore, MD: Author
Respectfully,
Christel Young