RESPECTING DIVERSITY
‘All families are important
and should be welcomed and valued in all settings’
Families are all different. Children may live with one or both parents, with other relatives or careers, with same sex parents or in an extended family.’
Try to involve the whole family in the work of your setting. Fathers often feel that childcare issues are best dealt with by the child’s mum. Ensure correspondence/newsletters etc to parents are addressed to Dads as well, where applicable.
For more ideas about involving fathers:
www.teachernet.gov.uk/wholeschool/
familyandcommunity/workingwithparents/engagingfathers
Ensure your resources reflect the different types of families that you care for. There are now some excellent books available that reflect different families.
www.letterboxlibrary.com/acatalog/index.html
Be aware of the children’s family set up when celebrating special days such as Mothers and Fathers Day. It may be necessary to make ‘someone special’ cards instead.
‘Families may speak more than one language at home:
they may be travellers, refugees
or asylum seekers.’
If English is the family’s second language learn how to greet them in their native tongue. Purchase or borrow dual language books and ask parents to provide you with print in their language.
Have a welcome sign that reflects all the languages of the children that you mind.Download Hello poster.
Consider how you will communicate with parents that speak/understand little English. It may be necessary to write detailed notes in a contact diary that another family member can translate for them at home and write notes back to you.
Support minded children to learn to communicate either by learning words in a different language or by signing. Ensure that they are supported to include all children in their games and activities.
‘All practitioners will benefit from professional development in diversity, equality
and anti-
BCMA strongly recommend that Childminders attend any training that is available to them. Further professional development may be gained from reading books and web pages.
We have found the following sites useful:
www.communityplaythings.co.uk/c/resourcesuk/
articles/cpd/culturaldiversity.htm
www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/primary/publications/
foundation_stage/1093759/
www.oxfam.org.uk/coolplanet/teachers/resources/
earlyyears/
www.nrif.org.uk/Education/EarlyYears/
contributingtothecommunity/celebratingdiversity.asp
