Introduction
Promoting diversity in childcare settings can be challenging because children lack the tactical knowledge to address discrimination or diversity. Nevertheless, children rely on family, teachers, coaches, and staff to instill the knowledge and skills required to make meaningful connection with others. Teachers can apply anti-discriminatory practices in learning settings and collaboration with parents to lessen the effects of past and present discrimination or trauma in grade 2 kids.
Strategies Promoting Diversity in Childcare Settings
The first strategy is to create an environment that reflects diversity. It encompasses everything from posters on the walls to materials on the shelves. Teachers should carefully select the best materials, including online resources, that promote healthy development, learning, and diversity. Secondly, choose activities that promote diversity. The strategy requires the teacher to create activities that help the kids experience equality, such as dedicated student diversity days, creating global travel stations, and story time. The aim should be creating awareness about other cultures to help discover own culture and identity, as highlighted in the Cross-Curricular References K-9 (British Columbia, 2020). For instance, work with parents to help students make presentations about their culture, stock classrooms with storybooks with different diversities, and organize travels for the children to experience different cultures.
The third strategy entails courageous conversation on race, culture, ethnicity, and disabilities. Educators should openly discuss issues around a particular disability or lack of understanding and risk exposures on specific ethnicity or race. The conversation should mainly focus on encouraging the kids to tolerate each other, come forward whenever they experience discrimination, and copy moral examples in society. Fourth, engage parents in combating prejudice in their children. It entails educating parents on the deliberate and unconscious messages they send to their children that may aggravate discriminatory attitudes or feelings. Parent engagement should focus on exposing kids to positive images and encouraging them to adopt cross-race friendships because it decreases stress and fear of rejection.
The fifth strategy focuses on offering reassurance to students with reported discrimination cases. Reassure the victims of discrimination that they do not have to deal with it alone because you are there to support them. Sixth, actively engage the children who have experienced or might be at risk of discrimination. The teachers need to identify the affected or at-risk kids to buffer and support them through personalized counseling.
The seventh strategy involves keeping track of the behavioral profile of children at risk or who have experienced discrimination or trauma. Teachers should track how confident the child is to ask for help, the level of support needed, and how resilient the child is to discrimination or trauma. The records help other teachers unaware of the situation to deal with the issue appropriately. Eighth, inform the parent if discrimination occurred, including the needed intervention to help the kid regain confidence. The strategy involves creating an atmosphere where victims of discrimination have the confidence to report such behavior and feel supported by the teachers and parents. Teachers should also offer advisory comments to parents on how the child was affected and how they can intervene in the healing process.
The ninth strategy is about developing anti-discriminatory practices- Act, Challenge, Comfort, Educate, Support, and Subsequent follow-up (ACCESS). The techniques include challenging others when they act in a discriminatory way or make discriminatory comments. The strategy applies the principle that “learning involves recognizing the consequences of one’s actions” (fnesc, n.d.). Finally, remove all barriers to children’s learning environment. Ensure play opportunities are accessible to all children to develop a positive attitude towards diversity and respect for others.
Conclusion
In conclusion, promoting diversity in childcare settings through relevant materials, inclusivity, diverse activities, and open discussion help victims of discrimination feel respected and loved. Teachers can advance equality and fairness by reprimanding anyone who discriminates against others, keeping track of the incidents, and sharing with parents to help children heal from trauma. Educators should support the discriminated child in changing their attitude and behavior, and record the incident for follow-up.
References
British Columbia. (2020). Indigenous Knowledge and Perspectives: Cross-Curricular References K–9. British Columbia. Web.
Fnesc. (n.d.). Principles of Learning. Fnesc. Web.