Diversity In Early Childhood Education

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As states have expanded access to preschool programs, preschool classrooms around the country have become remarkably diverse. Having a diverse classroom or educational program is beneficial to both students and staff and brings many challenges as well. Some of the dimensions of diversity include race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, language, and culture (NEA, n.d.) Diversity, the differences between ourselves and others, offers both benefits and challenges for educators (Berger & Riojas-Cortez, 2016). Since children begin forming their earliest prejudices when they are just toddlers, early childhood educators need ongoing professional development, so they can help children learn about the diversity of the classroom and their community, …show more content…

It can also help teachers find effective ways to overcome challenges that culturally diverse families bring to school regarding their views about child rearing. Professional development can be presented in several ways such as through attending conferences, presented by a trainer or administrator in the facility, through collaboration with colleagues, etc. Studies have shown that exposing children to an anti-bias curriculum often results in better academic achievement and a reduction in prejudices and social isolation of children by race and class (Reid & Kagan, 2015). “In order truly embrace diversity and prevent challenges, teachers must examine their own biases and cultures, develop tools that promote diversity and inclusion, and create a classroom setting and anti-bias curriculum to ensure that children in their care are able to discern and embrace their differences” (CDA Council, 2014, p. …show more content…

A child’s culture influences how children make sense of the world. That is why a teacher must recognize and incorporate a child’s culture into the learning environment and lesson plans as it plays a key role in how a child learns. A study conducted by Calarco (2014) looked at how parents convey culture to children, how children respond, and how those responses affect their ability to problem solve in school. Through interviews and observations, the researcher found that the children’s parents’ beliefs about teachers’ behavioral expectations varied depending on their social class (Calarco, 2011). This led parents to adopt contrasting strategies for problem solving at school and teach their children to do the same. Middle-class children more often let teachers know their needs which resulted in greater attention and support in the classroom where as working-class children, whose parents tend to stress obedience and deference to authority, demonstrated more constraint (Calarco, 2011). Teachers need to look beyond a child’s actions and words to discover his motivations. By getting to know a student and his family, educators will gain a better understanding of factors that can impact their

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