Creating Affirming Environments

If I had the opportunity of creating my own Child Care Program, as Adriana Castillo did and shared with our in her video, I would definitely include many of the tools she used to promote communication between her and the parents. I would take her idea of having a parents board at the entrance were parents would see the menu, lesson plan and any important announcement, in the family’s home language not just in English. There is nothing more valuable to improve communication between parents and teachers then having information in the family’s native language available. I would also include pictures of the children and their families as a way of promoting diversity among our classroom. I also like how she set up her child care to reflect defined play areas and at the same time an atmosphere of an extended home, were children felt welcomed, loved and safe.  I would also include her idea of having a place where the families shared materials from home that represented their culture, values, believes and traditions so all the children could see, learn, appreciate and respect.  It also creates a sense of pride and value to the families, feeling safe to share a little about themselves with us is important. Having representation of the families in the classroom says more than random pictures or posters we could have of diverse families. Families appreciate more if they see themselves as the culture that is being served then what can be more as stereotypes in the common posters we see in the classrooms.

I would also take into consideration the importance of parent involvement, the participation of the parents in the education of their children is crucial. This also gives me the opportunity to learn more about the way they interact with their children, what are the families challenges as well as their strengths. This will also serve as way of opening the doors to communication and team work among the parents and me. I believe that by creating an environment that is welcoming and safe for the children and families, you will be able to provide a better service to all including you as a teacher.