One hope I have when working with children and families who come from diverse backgrounds is that they feel welcomed and respected from the moment they walk into my center to their child’s classroom environments, and communication from educators and other staff who engage with children and their families. I want them to know they each of them are important and all needs will be catered to help build positive relationships with the families, children, staff, and teachers. I also hope they see how the teachers will cater to their diverse backgrounds for all children such as primary language, traditions, disabilities, culture, special diets etc. Most importantly they will see diversity inside and outside the learning environment.
One goal I would like to set for the early childhood field on issues of diversity, equity, and social justice is for everyone to be open to all cultures, traditions, language, ethnicities, religions, and families, just be open to news things and changes, and make sure everyone is respected for who they are. Also for early childhood educators to make sure they are catering to the needs of all children in the learning environment, so that all children feel comfortable and respected in their learning environments.
I would like to say thank you to all my colleagues for sharing their insights on diversity, I enjoyed reading all the discussions, and blogs. I loved learning new things from each of you all. Enjoy your summer!! 🙂
Stacy D. Almendarez 