The Importance of Cultural Competence for Early Childhood Educators

1. The Importance of Cultural
Competence for Early
Childhood Educators
By: Marion H. Martinez

2. The Importance of Cultural Competence for
Early Childhood Educators
The CEO of Career Boost, LLC, Marion H. Martinez got her start as a middle school
classroom teacher. Her research and practical experience as a doctoral student and an
administrator at the local and state levels have broadened and deepened her
understanding of best practices in education. As head of the Binghamton City School
District in New York, Marion H. Martinez instituted training programs focused on issues
that included cultural competence, the effects poverty and chaos have on brain
development and cultural pedagogy.

3. The Importance of Cultural Competence for
Early Childhood Educators
For more than 20 years, the National Association for the Education of Young Children
(NAEYC) has served as a leader in the promotion of sensitivity to cultural diversity on the
part of early childhood educators. The NAEYC has placed respect for the home cultures
and lived experiences of the families it serves at the center of its professional
development recommendations.

4. The Importance of Cultural Competence for
Early Childhood Educators
Training early childhood educators in cultural competence also includes understanding of
the languages spoken in the homes of young children, and of how to develop
programming and outreach that builds on the existing skills of families, including non-
traditional ones.

5. The Importance of Cultural Competence for
Early Childhood Educators
Young children learn from their everyday experiences, and from the examples set by their
parents and teachers. Thus making sure to expose young students to a variety of cultural
experiences that reflect the diversity of their communities is of paramount importance in
creating well-rounded citizens with the insights and empathy needed to sustain a
democratic society.