Creating Responsive Communities for All Families
Early childhood education is an integral part of a child’s growth as it is when the child develops their personality according to their environment. The early education influences the physical, social, and psychological characteristics of the child. However, early education is diverse as it involves various interactions among children, their teachers, and their parents. The effective responsive strategies and policies in early childhood education help foster the emotional, social, and behavioral interactions among these diverse groups in the community. Incorporation of various communication strategies and programs in early childhood learning practice enhance community relationships.
Early childhood learning practitioners should have a wide knowledge regarding the children and their families. The practitioners should have a perception about every child and their families and consequently assimilate to every learner’s needs and strengths. Moreover, the teachers can support the learners and families effectively from their experiences and perspectives due to strong bonds among them. The bonds emanate from teachers engaging families in classroom activities of their children and through home visitation of teachers. These interactive activities serve to expose the cultural values, child’s behavior, routines, religious beliefs, and hobbies (Price &Steed, 2016). The information gained during the interactions aids teachers in supporting and adjusting the child’s emotional and social behavior necessary for early childhood development.
Constant communication between teachers and learners’ families is another key strategy in bridging the cultural diversity among the school community. Teachers may consider reaching out to families via various communication channels or through one on one communication. Teachers however may consider using common communication channels accessible to every family (Karen &Thomas, 2017). Communication creates a sense of belonging to the parents which in turn aids the teachers to learn more information regarding learners, which enables them to support learners effectively.
Thirdly, teachers and parents should embrace positive perspective-taking. Teachers may consider using affective statements to lure the learners to straight behavior as harsh statements sometimes lead to notorious behavior among children (Price & Steed, 2016). Routinely, teachers should enquire parents’ opinions or observations on their children thereby revering them as moral custodians to their children (Karen &Thomas, 2017). Subsequently, teachers gain the mandate to strengthen the family and community bonds.
The fourth strategy towards cultural response in support of healthy relationships is through the development and teaching of empathy among learners, teachers, and families. For the effectiveness of this strategy, teachers should first develop empathy personally, appreciate cultural diversity, and embrace it in practice. Negative perceptions towards learners may be detrimental to a teacher’s ability to create an empathetic learning environment. The development of empathetic behavior among children is through modeling responsive actions and addressing promptly the needs and fears of the children (Price & Steed, 2016). Teachers should value the opinions, concerns, ideas, and aspirations concerning their children. They should maintain a friendly and responsive learning environment and involve parents in major decisions regarding their children. These activities enable parent-teacher interactions and impacts on the child’s performance and behavior.
In conclusion, early childhood development is a vital stage that shapes a child’s behavior emotionally, socially, and psychologically. The stage requires close mentorship by both parents and teachers that creates diversity in culture among the three groups. Bridging this gap requires some strategies and programs. These strategies aid in the creation of a healthy learning environment that addresses the needs and fears of these young ones. The execution of these strategies sustains relationships and nurtures the children to develop moral values that help them in their daily engagements in the community.
References
Price, C. L., & Steed, E. A. (2016). Culturally responsive strategies to support young children with challenging behavior. YC Young Children, 71(5), 36.
Buchanan, K. A. R. E. N., & Buchanan, T. H. O. M. A. S. (2017). Six steps to partner with diverse families.