This document discusses diversity and inclusion in early childhood education. It notes that the US population is becoming more racially and ethnically diverse, with minorities projected to make up over half of all children by 2050. Early childhood educators must overcome personal biases and create inclusive classrooms to ensure children embrace differences. The Child Development Associate (CDA) credential addresses cultural development and requires candidates to support each child's cultural identity. The organization establishing the CDA has a division focused on multilingual and special needs candidates to promote access and diversity. The document examines best practices for incorporating cultural awareness and removing privilege to achieve inclusive early education.
The White Paper titled “Diversity and Inclusion in Early Care and Education”, released during the NAEYC Conference held in Dallas, Texas examines how changing demographics calls for a greater tolerance and understanding of varying cultural and ethnic backgrounds. The Council for Professional Recognition supports all efforts to bring diversity and inclusion into every early care setting.
ABSTRACT : The United States is considered a nation built by immigrants. This has had multiple influences on its cultural and linguistic shaping. Various groups and communities have contributed their languages, cultures, and beliefs. Societal norms, legislations, educational systems and reforms have been enacted that ultimately shaped the current educational system. Historically, this process has not always been fair to minority groups, resulting in prejudistic views and legislation against certain groups. The historical view presented in this article examines cultural and linguistic diversity in the U.S., common perceptions of immigrants, history of assessments and policies affecting culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) populations, legislation affecting CLD populations, and how they influenced the educational system.
The White Paper titled “Diversity and Inclusion in Early Care and Education”, released during the NAEYC Conference held in Dallas, Texas examines how changing demographics calls for a greater tolerance and understanding of varying cultural and ethnic backgrounds. The Council for Professional Recognition supports all efforts to bring diversity and inclusion into every early care setting.
ABSTRACT : The United States is considered a nation built by immigrants. This has had multiple influences on its cultural and linguistic shaping. Various groups and communities have contributed their languages, cultures, and beliefs. Societal norms, legislations, educational systems and reforms have been enacted that ultimately shaped the current educational system. Historically, this process has not always been fair to minority groups, resulting in prejudistic views and legislation against certain groups. The historical view presented in this article examines cultural and linguistic diversity in the U.S., common perceptions of immigrants, history of assessments and policies affecting culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) populations, legislation affecting CLD populations, and how they influenced the educational system.
African diaspora in ceará. integration experiences of african immigrant stude...Ercilio Langa
In this paper I will discuss the integration experiences of African immigrant students in public and private Brazilian universities. By analyzing those individuals’ situation in university life experienced in Fortaleza, Ceará, I will examine their daily lives, their encounter with alterity, prejudice and racial discrimination, the difficulties in integration into colleges, as well as their social dramas at the end of their studies, related to the possibility of returning to their home country or staying in Brazil. It is true that Brazilian universities are many times unaware of those students’ and their countries’ reality, as they are simply regarded as knowledge consumers, whose experiences are underused or wasted. That student migration has been making student groups, movements and associations gather African students according to national distinction, making them quite sterile with no negotiation skills with Brazilian higher education institutions. As foreigners and as dark-skinned people, African students often experience a state of social anomie, where they have to “fend for themselves”, finally adopting a capitalist identity based on consumption.
This is from my presentation at Augusta State University's 2011 Women's Studies Symposium, FINDING Our (Grass)Roots: Activism, Theory, and the Future of Feminism.
[ Abridged version ] Immigration policy is an issue that continues to challenge us. This resource offers a way to think about possible policy directions and the ramifications of each. Participants explore the four options presented, deliberate on the strengths and challenges of each, and then frame an “Option 5 “ that reflects their views. This material was developed for use in high school classes. Additional lesson plans and links to resources are available from the Choices Program at Brown University.
THE GEOGRAPHY OF CHILD OPPORTUNITY: WHY NEIGHBORHOODS MATTER FOR EQUITY Δρ. Γιώργος K. Κασάπης
Neighborhoods matter for children’s healthy development. A family’s resources affect children’s ability to thrive, but the neighborhoods where children grow up are critically important as well. Supportive neighborhood resources and conditions (e.g., good early childhood education centers and schools, green spaces, and low poverty) can enhance the effect of protective family factors or mitigate the effects of adverse family factors. This report marks the launch of the Child Opportunity Index 2.0. A stronger and more robust data tool than its predecessor the Child Opportunity Index 1.0, COI 2.0 is the best index of children’s contemporary neighborhood opportunity available.
The Rutu Foundation envisions that Mother Tongue Education becomes the standard practice globally.
Their immediate mission is to significantly increase the size and significance of the mother tongue education domain within five years, while cultivating the circumstances required for a sustainable future for mother tongue education.
They aim to create a Global Fund for the Revitalization of Indigenous Languages and Cultures, within the next five years.
This roadmap document, developed by Lifelong Inspiration and the Rutu Foundation, outlines the activities and goals to fulfil the Rutu mission, and ensure a just education for hundreds of millions of children globally.
Help Amplify The Number Of College Bound Studentsnoblex1
This paper reports findings from ongoing research partnerships with inclusive classrooms and with selective and competitive outreach programs that seek to bridge school, college, and college-based occupations for Latino and other underrepresented youth.
Source: https://ebookschoice.com/help-amplify-the-number-of-college-bound-students/
Thousands of early education preparation programs rely on the CDA® as an essential part of their training. We
encourage and influence each of them to continually make sure that inclusion issues are an integral part of their
curriculum through the updated CDA® requirements for all new and renewal applicants.
The CDA helps early educators meet current state and national professional requirements. CDA recipients are competent practitioners who value vital knowledge and skills
and formal education. It has stood the test of ti me, with more than 350,000
CDAs awarded since the early 70s, and 20,000 new CDAs and 18,000 renewals in 2013 alone.
African diaspora in ceará. integration experiences of african immigrant stude...Ercilio Langa
In this paper I will discuss the integration experiences of African immigrant students in public and private Brazilian universities. By analyzing those individuals’ situation in university life experienced in Fortaleza, Ceará, I will examine their daily lives, their encounter with alterity, prejudice and racial discrimination, the difficulties in integration into colleges, as well as their social dramas at the end of their studies, related to the possibility of returning to their home country or staying in Brazil. It is true that Brazilian universities are many times unaware of those students’ and their countries’ reality, as they are simply regarded as knowledge consumers, whose experiences are underused or wasted. That student migration has been making student groups, movements and associations gather African students according to national distinction, making them quite sterile with no negotiation skills with Brazilian higher education institutions. As foreigners and as dark-skinned people, African students often experience a state of social anomie, where they have to “fend for themselves”, finally adopting a capitalist identity based on consumption.
This is from my presentation at Augusta State University's 2011 Women's Studies Symposium, FINDING Our (Grass)Roots: Activism, Theory, and the Future of Feminism.
[ Abridged version ] Immigration policy is an issue that continues to challenge us. This resource offers a way to think about possible policy directions and the ramifications of each. Participants explore the four options presented, deliberate on the strengths and challenges of each, and then frame an “Option 5 “ that reflects their views. This material was developed for use in high school classes. Additional lesson plans and links to resources are available from the Choices Program at Brown University.
THE GEOGRAPHY OF CHILD OPPORTUNITY: WHY NEIGHBORHOODS MATTER FOR EQUITY Δρ. Γιώργος K. Κασάπης
Neighborhoods matter for children’s healthy development. A family’s resources affect children’s ability to thrive, but the neighborhoods where children grow up are critically important as well. Supportive neighborhood resources and conditions (e.g., good early childhood education centers and schools, green spaces, and low poverty) can enhance the effect of protective family factors or mitigate the effects of adverse family factors. This report marks the launch of the Child Opportunity Index 2.0. A stronger and more robust data tool than its predecessor the Child Opportunity Index 1.0, COI 2.0 is the best index of children’s contemporary neighborhood opportunity available.
The Rutu Foundation envisions that Mother Tongue Education becomes the standard practice globally.
Their immediate mission is to significantly increase the size and significance of the mother tongue education domain within five years, while cultivating the circumstances required for a sustainable future for mother tongue education.
They aim to create a Global Fund for the Revitalization of Indigenous Languages and Cultures, within the next five years.
This roadmap document, developed by Lifelong Inspiration and the Rutu Foundation, outlines the activities and goals to fulfil the Rutu mission, and ensure a just education for hundreds of millions of children globally.
Help Amplify The Number Of College Bound Studentsnoblex1
This paper reports findings from ongoing research partnerships with inclusive classrooms and with selective and competitive outreach programs that seek to bridge school, college, and college-based occupations for Latino and other underrepresented youth.
Source: https://ebookschoice.com/help-amplify-the-number-of-college-bound-students/
Thousands of early education preparation programs rely on the CDA® as an essential part of their training. We
encourage and influence each of them to continually make sure that inclusion issues are an integral part of their
curriculum through the updated CDA® requirements for all new and renewal applicants.
The CDA helps early educators meet current state and national professional requirements. CDA recipients are competent practitioners who value vital knowledge and skills
and formal education. It has stood the test of ti me, with more than 350,000
CDAs awarded since the early 70s, and 20,000 new CDAs and 18,000 renewals in 2013 alone.
This white paper focuses on comparisons between the CDA® Credentials' performance and assessment process to recent educator recommendations made by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. This comparisons will show how education pioneers during the 1970s helped create the credentials' principles through multiple sources of evidence about teacher competence, family engagement, observation of teacher practice, academic training, work experience/field placement, and through a focus on diversity.
Routes to Competency explores the in-depth influence of the CDA® credential as a national certification and basis for educator performance and quality of early childhood education programs. The objective research highlights various aspects of current early childhood education state credential programs and compares these of the CDA® credential, by showing how many state programs lack the necessary competencies that serve as professional preparation for early educators to offer high quality child care services to families.
Conducting Culturally CompetentEvaluations of Child Welfare.docxdonnajames55
Conducting Culturally Competent
Evaluations of Child Welfare
Programs and Practices
As the population of the United States has
changed over the last two decades, so has
the population of children who come to the
attention of the child welfare system, result-
ing in increasing calls for cultural competence
in all aspects of child welfare programming
and practice. Given the changing demo-
graphics among children involved in the child welfare system
and the increasing need to address the racial and ethnic dis-
parities observed in this system, the need for culturally com-
petent approaches to evaluate the outcomes of services for
children and families is essential. This article discusses the chal-
lenges in conducting culturally competent evaluations and
provides strategies to address those challenges within a child
welfare context.
Alan J. Dettlaff
University of Illinois at
Chicago
Rowena Fong
University of Texas at
Austin
49Child Welfare • Vol. 90, No. 2
CWLA_MarApr2011 7/20/11 3:00 PM Page 49
Within the United States, the number of children with at leastone immigrant parent has more than doubled since 1990, from
8 million to 16.4 million in 2007 (Fortuny, Capps, Simms, & Chaudry,
2009). Children of immigrants account for almost the entire growth
in the population of children between 1990 and 2008, and now rep-
resent nearly one-quarter (23%) of all children living in the United
States, of which more than half (56%) are Latino (Urban Institute,
2010). Children in immigrant families face numerous challenges that
may impact their health and well-being, including poverty, linguistic
isolation, and lack of access to health care (Pine & Drachman, 2005;
Segal & Mayadas, 2005), as well as additional stressors resulting from
their families’ experiences with immigration and acculturation (Finno,
Vidal de Haymes, & Mindell, 2006; Hancock, 2005).
As the population of the United States has changed over the last
two decades, so has the population of children who come to the atten-
tion of the child welfare system, resulting in increasing calls for cul-
tural competence in all aspects of child welfare programming and
practice. Since 1990, the population of Latino children in foster care
has more than doubled from 8% to 20% in 2008 (U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services, 1998, 2009). Further, data from the
National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being (NSCAW )
indicate that nearly 9% of all children who come to the attention of
the child welfare system are living with at least one immigrant parent
(Dettlaff & Earner, 2010). And while the population of African
American children involved in child welfare has slightly decreased
since the 1990s, the persisting overrepresentation of African American
children in foster care has led to significant efforts to develop policies
and programs to address this issue. Given the changing demograph-
ics among children involved in the child welfare system and the
increasing need to address the racial .
SummaryIn this chapter, we discussed the changing context of sch.docxfredr6
Summary
In this chapter, we discussed the changing context of schooling in the United States, the research evidence that examines the influence of families on children’s school success, and the evidence on the influence of schools on families. We highlighted the revolutionary changes in teacher beliefs and practices that undergird educators’ current efforts to build more culturally responsive relationships with students and their families. These new practices require educators to (a) build on students’ and families’ funds of knowledge, (b) share the role of expert with families, (c) practice no-fault problem solving, and (d) create opportunities for nonproblematic family–school interaction. We described the benefits and barriers to be derived from these new ways of interacting with families. Finally, we discussed the philosophy and goals that underlie the development of this book.
Activities and Questions
1. Consider the dramatic demographic changes in the student population, ages birth to 17, that are predicted in the next 10 years. How might these changes affect your ideas about whom you might be teaching when you enter the profession?
2. In contrast to the traditional ways that educators relate to families, describe four ways that collaborative educators are connecting with families. Which specific changes in these teacher beliefs and practices of interacting with their students’ families seem most different from the teacher practices that you or your family experienced during your elementary and high school years of schooling?
3. Is there any evidence that parent–family involvement in their children’s schooling matters? If so, what is it?
Resources
ChildStats.govwww.childstats.gov
ChildStats.gov provides information on key national indicators of U.S. children’s well-being on an annual basis.
Children’s Defense Fundwww.childrensdefense.org
The Children’s Defense Fund provides effective advocacy for all children in the United States, with a particular attention to the needs of impoverished children from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. This organization offers current data related to trends in children’s well-being and highly relevant publications.CHAPTER 1 Connecting with Families: A Nice or a Necessary Practice?
Ellen S. Amatea
Learning Objectives
After reading this chapter, you will be able to
■ Describe the changing demographics of the student body and teacher workforce in U.S. schools.
■ Summarize the research documenting the differences in educational outcomes and school conditions among low-income, racially and ethnically diverse students, and middle-income student populations.
■ Describe the influence of families on children’s learning and the influence of schools on families.
■ Describe the fundamental changes in how educators who seek to make schools more responsive to culturally diverse students and their families teach and structure their relations with students, their families, and other persons in the communi.
IntroductionImagine yourself walking into a 21st-century early c.docxnormanibarber20063
Introduction
Imagine yourself walking into a 21st-century early childhood classroom in the United States. A group of chatty youngsters happily greets you at the door. Some are tall and lean, others are short and stocky. You squat down so that you are eye to eye with them. The first girl who hugs you is wearing thick glasses and hearing aids. The children are ethnically diverse—Latino, Black, Somali, Hmong. Most of them shout, "Good morning!" but a few chime in with "¡Buenos dias!" You greet each of them in their native language as they run into your arms for hugs. You notice a boy lingering on the outskirts of the group. He is attentive, but quiet, and he's not making direct eye contact with you or the other children. He appears to have something to say, but he can't seem to find the words.
Clearly, the children in the classroom represent different cultural backgrounds and have different levels of English-language skills. This imaginary classroom depicts the wide range of cultural diversity found in today's early childhood education programs. How can you, as a teacher, best incorporate your children's cultural experiences and their diverse language skills into the classroom learning environment?
This chapter will lay the foundation for early childhood teachers as they prepare to educate today's diverse student population. First, we will describe the recent rise in cultural diversity across the United States, especially among the preschool and school age population. Next, we define the key concepts of culture and cultural diversity, and discuss why they are important. Third, we describe the value of language in various cultures, its important role in teacher-child interactions, and how it affects teachers' relationships with culturally diverse children. Lastly, we discuss some ways in which early childhood educators can help prepare this upcoming generation of culturally diverse children to succeed in school.
1.1 Cultural Diversity Among Children Ages 0–8
Before we discuss the rising cultural diversity within the United States, we must understand the key concepts of culture and cultural identity. Culture consists of the social practices, beliefs, values, and behaviors that intentionally—and unintentionally—shape human communication, interactions, and preferences. Culture is evident in how humans do things, and it explains why we want (or feel the need) to do these things. Cultural heritage and traditions shape children's communication practices, interests in instructional activities, and classroom behavior.
We each have a cultural identity that can be defined by various demographic, geographic, religious, or social indicators, and people can belong to several different cultural groups. For example, a child may be culturally defined as an Israeli boy from an upper-income Jewish family living in New York City, or an early childhood teacher might culturally identify with Southern African Americans from the Pentecostal Christian denomination. .
There is overwhelming evidence that bilingual children perform better, gain more self-confidence and learn the school language faster when their mother tongues are included in the classroom. The UN has encouraged mother tongue based instruction as best practice since the 1950s. Yet, implementation is rare. The result is lost opportunities, wasted talent, marginalisation, ignorance, as well as massive and growing inequality.
Generations of people grow up failed by their education systems from day one. A systematic human rights failure which is likely to continue unabated unless we act now.
The Rutu Roadmap: we believe that it is time for mother tongue based multilingual education becoming the norm, rather than the exception. This roadmap contains our plan on how to achieve this mission.
Should The U.S Develop Multilingual Education Learning a .docxbudabrooks46239
Should The U.S Develop Multilingual Education?
Learning a new language is not an easy thing for a lot of people, and developing a new language
education is neither not an easy thing for a country. Even though develop multi-lingual education is a great
challenge for most of countries in the world, it will still be necessary to do that if a country want to become
stronger and more competitive in the world in the trend that different countries connect closely with each other.
For example, a lot of commercial products in the United States are made in China, Vietnam and so on. And
lots of advanced technologies, ideas and theories from the developed countries have been introducing into the
developing countries. In this situation, it is known that language is a good way for countries to benefit each
other. Without language, the world will not be able to develop in such a fast speed. Even if it is all known how
important multilingual education is, most of the countries in the world are still in lack of enough multi-lingual
education to millennial. It seems not hurtful to lack enough multi-lingual education; actually, lacking multi-
lingual education may lead to some problems to the world. For example, lacking multi-lingual education may
lead to a lot of cultural misunderstandings among the people coming from different cultural background: Most
of Chinese students have a misunderstanding to the U.S high school culture, that is, they think that U.S high
school students all lead a luxurious life with a lot of money, parties and fun. They do not need to worry about
their study because Chinese students think that U.S students can always get into “IVY” schools anyway. In the
meanwhile, the U.S students may also have some cultural misunderstandings to China. Some U.S young people
think that China is now still an old and run-down country without any modern development. Some other people
think that China now is development into an amazingly strong country but in the meantime is becoming a
horrible threat to the western developed countries including the United States, the United Kingdom and so on.
Both of these ideas are not right. In fact, China is an amazing modern country under peaceful rising. In this
situation, it is more necessary for countries to develop multi-lingual education for their young generation.
There are two major misunderstandings to China in the United States. One is that a lot of young
people are still staying in the image of “old China”. Another misunderstanding is that lots of other U.S young
people firmly believe that China is becoming a big threat to the western countries with the amazing
development outcomes and facts. In the meantime, the major misunderstanding to the United States in China
is that Chinese young people think that the United States students all leading a really comfortable life without
the worries of financial situation and education because most of Chinese students.
Welcome to TechSoup New Member Orientation and Q&A (May 2024).pdfTechSoup
In this webinar you will learn how your organization can access TechSoup's wide variety of product discount and donation programs. From hardware to software, we'll give you a tour of the tools available to help your nonprofit with productivity, collaboration, financial management, donor tracking, security, and more.
Macroeconomics- Movie Location
This will be used as part of your Personal Professional Portfolio once graded.
Objective:
Prepare a presentation or a paper using research, basic comparative analysis, data organization and application of economic information. You will make an informed assessment of an economic climate outside of the United States to accomplish an entertainment industry objective.
Safalta Digital marketing institute in Noida, provide complete applications that encompass a huge range of virtual advertising and marketing additives, which includes search engine optimization, virtual communication advertising, pay-per-click on marketing, content material advertising, internet analytics, and greater. These university courses are designed for students who possess a comprehensive understanding of virtual marketing strategies and attributes.Safalta Digital Marketing Institute in Noida is a first choice for young individuals or students who are looking to start their careers in the field of digital advertising. The institute gives specialized courses designed and certification.
for beginners, providing thorough training in areas such as SEO, digital communication marketing, and PPC training in Noida. After finishing the program, students receive the certifications recognised by top different universitie, setting a strong foundation for a successful career in digital marketing.
Biological screening of herbal drugs: Introduction and Need for
Phyto-Pharmacological Screening, New Strategies for evaluating
Natural Products, In vitro evaluation techniques for Antioxidants, Antimicrobial and Anticancer drugs. In vivo evaluation techniques
for Anti-inflammatory, Antiulcer, Anticancer, Wound healing, Antidiabetic, Hepatoprotective, Cardio protective, Diuretics and
Antifertility, Toxicity studies as per OECD guidelines
Unit 8 - Information and Communication Technology (Paper I).pdfThiyagu K
This slides describes the basic concepts of ICT, basics of Email, Emerging Technology and Digital Initiatives in Education. This presentations aligns with the UGC Paper I syllabus.
Read| The latest issue of The Challenger is here! We are thrilled to announce that our school paper has qualified for the NATIONAL SCHOOLS PRESS CONFERENCE (NSPC) 2024. Thank you for your unwavering support and trust. Dive into the stories that made us stand out!
2024.06.01 Introducing a competency framework for languag learning materials ...Sandy Millin
http://sandymillin.wordpress.com/iateflwebinar2024
Published classroom materials form the basis of syllabuses, drive teacher professional development, and have a potentially huge influence on learners, teachers and education systems. All teachers also create their own materials, whether a few sentences on a blackboard, a highly-structured fully-realised online course, or anything in between. Despite this, the knowledge and skills needed to create effective language learning materials are rarely part of teacher training, and are mostly learnt by trial and error.
Knowledge and skills frameworks, generally called competency frameworks, for ELT teachers, trainers and managers have existed for a few years now. However, until I created one for my MA dissertation, there wasn’t one drawing together what we need to know and do to be able to effectively produce language learning materials.
This webinar will introduce you to my framework, highlighting the key competencies I identified from my research. It will also show how anybody involved in language teaching (any language, not just English!), teacher training, managing schools or developing language learning materials can benefit from using the framework.
1. Council for Professional Recognition 2460 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009 | www.cdacouncil.org
A white paper
1
Diversity and Inclusion in
Early Care and Educati on
The next 40 years will be marked by dramatic
demographic shifts in the United States. As
the population booms from about 310 million
in 2010 to slightly less the 440 million by 20501
, the
look and feel of this country will be far different than
what we see and experience now—today’s majority
is tomorrow minority.
The U.S. Census Bureau reports a decrease in the
ratio of whites between 2010 and 2050, from 79.5
percent to 74 percent. At the same time, Non-
Hispanic whites are no longer projected to make
up a majority of the population by 2042, but will
remain the largest single racial group. In 2050,
they will compose 46.3 percent of the population,
compared to 85 percent in 1960.
The report also foresees an increase in the Hispanic
population from 16 percent to 30 percent by 2050,
African American population will rise ever so
slightly from 12.9 percent to 13 percent, and Asian
Americans will jump in population from 4.6 percent
to 7.8 percent. Eighty-two percent of the increase
in population from 2005 to 2050 will be due to a
significant influx of immigrants and their children.2
Sixty-two percent of the nation’s children are
expected to be of a “minority” ethnicity by 2050,
up from 44 percent today. About 39 percent are
projected to be Hispanic or Latino—up from 44
percent today—and 38 percent are projected to be
single-race, non-Hispanic whites—down from 56
percent in 2008.3
1 “Projected Population by Single Year of Age, Sex, Race, and
Hispanic Origin for the United States: July 1, 2000 to July 1,
2050”. U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 8/20/14.
2 “Table 4. Projections of the Population by Sex, Race,
and Hispanic Origin for the United States: 2010 to 2050”
(Excel). U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 8/20/14.
3 An Older and More Diverse Nation by Midcentury at the
So, what does this mean? How will these changing
demographics impact early childhood education?
What new professional development strategies need
to be implemented? How are current professional
development strategies dealing with this impending
wave of children of color?
Answering these questions requires a look at the
present way of doing things and the limitations
of these current methods. In “Diversity in Early
Childhood Programs,” Frances Wardle wrote:
“High on the list of criteria parents use
to choose child care and early childhood
programs are providers and programs who
match the parents’ own view of educati on
and discipline, and those who speak the
same language and have the same religion.
Thus, many of our programs—family child
care, Head Start, religious programs, and
even some neighborhood public schools—
are traditi onal refl ecti ons of homogeneous
communiti es in religion, race/ethnicity,
language and socioeconomic status. But now
these traditi onal programs are expected to
provide our children with experiences outside
of their groups, off ering opportuniti es to
teach them to be tolerant, respectf ul and
accepti ng of diff erences.”4
Wayback Machine (archived August 22, 2008), U.S. Census
Press Releases, 14 August 2008 (archived from the original
on 2008-08-22)
4 Wardle, F., Ph.D., “Diversity in Early Childhood Programs,”
Early Childhood News, Monteray, Calif., http://www.
earlychildhoodnews.com/earlychildhood/article_view.
aspx?ArticleID=548 Retrieved 7/16/14. Note: Wardle cited:
Willer, B., Hofferth, S.L., Kisker, E.F., Divine-Hawkins, P.,
Farqar, E. & Gantz, F.B. (1991). The demand and supply of
child care in 1990. Washington, D.C. NAEYC
2. Council for Professional Recognition 2460 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009 | www.cdacouncil.org
As the U.S. population continues to “brown” or
become more varied, early educators must break
from this traditional mindset. Early education
practitioners must: (1) overcome personal bias,
(2) develop the tools that promote diversity and
inclusion, and (3) create a classroom setting and
anti-bias curriculum to ensure that children in
their care are able to discern and embrace their
differences.
CDA & Diversity and Inclusion
The Council of Professional Recognition is a
leader in the professional development of the
early care and education industry. Its Child
Development Associate™ (CDA) National Credential
includes six competency standards and 13 functional
areas, each of which speaks directly to the cultural
development of children. CDA Candidates must
develop a warm, positive, supportive and responsive
relationship with each child, and help each child
learn about and take pride in his or her individual
and cultural identity.5
Diversity and inclusiveness
are embedded in the CDA credentialing process.
Multiple sources of evidence—training, parent
engagement and observation—ensure that diversity
is woven into the classroom setting.
As a result of its leadership and demonstrated
commitment to serve the growing diverse
populations in the CDA community both in the
United States and abroad, the Council established
the Multilingual and Special Programs division at
its headquarters in Washington, D.C., in January
2013. This division ensures that all multilingual CDA
candidates and candidates in special programs have
the same level of access to the Council’s high-quality
services and the same opportunity to earn a CDA
credential as English-speaking candidates. CDAs
have been awarded to candidates who speak many
languages, including Arabic, Chinese, Creole, French,
Hmong, Korean, Mandarin, Navajo, Portuguese,
Spanish, Somali, Vietnamese and Yiddish.
5 Washington, Valora, Ph.D. (Ed.), (2013), Essentials for Working
with Young Children, Washington, D.C., Council for Professional
Recognition. p. 6.
The Multilingual and Special Programs team
supports the work of candidates in less privileged
communities, in multiple languages, and those
working in special programs and under special
conditions, migrant, Alaska Natives and American
Indian, Home Visitor, educators with disabilities,
international programs, and military programs in the
U.S. and overseas.
A key example of the Council’s efforts in this area
is its history in helping CDA candidates from the
Lakota Nation obtain their credentials in their
native language and bilingual Lakota English
specializations. The elders in the communities
partnered with the staffs at various programs at
the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota
to incorporate the language into everyday life for
children. At the beginning of each day, teachers and
staff communicated with each other in the Lakota
language. Now, in the Oglala Lakota College Head
Start Program, the Lakota language is spoken 80
percent of the time, and families are encouraged to
use the language at home.
CDA candidates on the reservation assemble
their resource files in both English and the Lakota
language and, during their training, they often set
up their classrooms by labeling all items in the
Lakota language, making it visible on walls, chairs,
tables, etc. to illustrate its importance. Today, the
CDA program on the Pine Ridge Reservation is alive
and thriving. Each semester brings in enthusiastic
candidates looking to positively impact the lives of
their young children.
****
As a leader in ECE professional development, the
Council works with stakeholders across the entire
industry spectrum to explore and implement best
practices to make certain that cultural awareness is
part of the teaching and learning experience. This
paper examines those best practices.
2
3. Council for Professional Recognition 2460 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009 | www.cdacouncil.org3
What is Diversity?
The term diversity can have multiple meanings,
depending on the context of its use. In a
corporate environment, it might refer to
strategies for recruiting, retaining and developing
human capital in the workforce. In higher education,
it could mean broadening the mix of gender and
race in the admissions process. In the banking
industry, it may mean not keeping all of your eggs in
one basket.
But, for the purposes of this discussion, diversity—
or multicultural education—is not something
that can be taught directly, it is not a curriculum
or lesson plan, or one-off observances of Cinco
de Mayo or Black History Month. Rather, it is
a collaborative effort among children, parents,
families and colleagues to enable children to
learn about their own backgrounds and those of
people different from them; to see themselves and
their communities represented in their program
setting; and be exposed to activities that destroy
stereotypes.6
Removing Privilege & Eliminating Personal Bias
In her essay, “White Privilege: Unpacking the
Invisible Knapsack,” Peggy McIntosh asserted
that the majority population (i.e., whites, and
only for a short while longer) possesses a set of
societal advantages. She cited a list of more than
50 instances of such privileges, which are “like an
invisible weightless knapsack of special provisions,
maps, passports, codebooks, visas, clothes, tools
and blank checks:”
• I do not have to educate my children to be
aware of systemic racism for their own daily
physical protection.
• I can remain oblivious of the language and
customs of persons of color who constitute
the world’s majority without feeling in my
culture any penalty for such oblivion.
• My children are given texts and classes which
6 Wardle, F., Ph.D., (2003) “Diversity Workshop” Littleton, Colo.:
Child Care Partnership.
implicitly support our kind of family unit
and do not turn them against my choice of
domestic partnership.
McIntosh asserted that her longstanding beliefs
acknowledged that racism put others at a
disadvantage, but she had also been socialized “not
to see one of its corollary aspect, white privilege,
which puts me at an advantage.”
But, by removing these “denied and protected”
privileges from the knapsack, she concluded, the
privileges are “fully acknowledged, lessened or
ended.”7
What is then done with this newfound knowledge is
an open question, McIntosh concluded, of “whether
we will choose to use this unearned advantage, and
whether we will use any of our arbitrarily awarded
power to try to reconstruct power systems on a
broader basis.”
The Council asserts that removing these
assumptions from the knapsack involves
appreciating that they exist in early care and
education settings, it means challenging them and
challenging oneself to ensure a more inclusive
worldview. Because early educators use a complex
set of skills to meet the needs of children and
families, the Council also agrees that teachers are
expected to:
• Increase their sensitivity to different cultures,
family compositions, religious practices and
languages
• Become more aware of their own implicit
and explicit biases that influence their
teaching practices
• Avoid generalizing the traditions, beliefs and
values an individual to a group or, conversely,
from a group to an individual8
7 McIntosh, P. (1990) “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible
Knapsack,” The Independent School Magazine Winter Issue,
Washington, D.C., National Association of Independent Schools
8 Ponciano, L. & Shabazian, A. (2012). “Interculturalism: Addressing
Diversity in Early Childhood,” Dimensions of Early Childhood Vol.
40, No.1. Little Rock, Ark., Southern Early Childhood Association.
p. 25
4. Council for Professional Recognition 2460 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009 | www.cdacouncil.org
Developing the Tools That Promote Diversity and
Inclusion
Research suggests that teacher preparation
programs rarely provide adequate opportunities
to learn and practice these skills. Teachers have
reported that they are not prepared to work
with diverse populations, are uncomfortable
with discussing diversity issues, and as many
as 80 percent feel ill-prepared to handle the
challenges that diversity may present in their
settings. Accordingly, changes must occur in the
way that preservice teachers are educated—self-
awareness, interaction with diverse populations, and
reflection—to overcome this challenge.9
• Self-Awareness: Forty percent of preservice
teachers report they are unaware of the
stresses that institutionalized racism puts on
the development of children of color, or are
reluctant to examine their own thoughts on
differences. Therefore, teacher preparation
should include activities such as role-plays,
guest speakers and candid discussions to
create a deeper understanding of cultural
differences
• Interacting with Diverse Populations:
Through this interaction, teachers of young
children can learn how to respect family
traditions such as sleeping arrangements
at home, food preparation, and other
childrearing strategies that may vary
depending on cultural context. Where home
and school cultures clash, differences can
only be resolved through open dialogue
between teachers and families.
• Reflection: After teachers have engaged
in reflection regarding their own cultural
context and their experiences with diverse
populations, they can move toward creating
cultural consistency between home and
school.10
9 Ibid
10 Ibid
Creating an Anti-Bias Setting and Curriculum
In their book, Anti-Bias Education for Young Children
and Ourselves, co-authors Louise Derman-Sparks
and Julie Olsen Edwards assert that bias is built into
the system.
“Early childhood teachers want children to
feel powerful and competent. They strive to
welcome children and to show respect to their
families as best they know how. However,
beyond individual teachers’ hopes, beliefs and
actions is a society that has built advantage
and disadvantage into its institutions and
systems. These dynamics of advantage and
disadvantage are deeply rooted in history.
They continue to shape the degree of access
children have to education, health care,
security—in a word access to the services
necessary for children’s healthy development.
These dynamics also greatly affect the early
childhood education system, despite whatever
values individual teachers may have.
“Inequity of resources, and the biases that
justify that inequity, have an enormous
impact on children’s lives. It is important to
remember that it is not human differences
that undermine children’s development but
rather unfair, hurtful treatment based upon
these differences.
One major dynamic of advantage and
disadvantage that especially affects early
childhood practice is that of the ‘visibility’
or ‘invisibility’ of certain kinds of people
or cultures in a program. Too many early
childhood materials focus on children and
families who resemble the stereotypes of
American culture as it is most commonly
depicted—middle-class, White, suburban,
able-bodied, English-speaking, mother-and-
father (nuclear) family—as if these were the
only types of children and families we work
with.” 11
11 Derman-Sparks, L. & Olsen Edwards, J. (2010). Anti-Bias
Education for Young Children and Ourselves. Washington, D.C.
National Association for the Education of Young Children. p.3
4
5. Council for Professional Recognition 2460 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009 | www.cdacouncil.org
But, the focus of the authors’ work “is a vision of a
world in which all children are able to blossom, and
each child’s particular abilities and gifts are able to
flourish.”
To do this, Derman-Sparks and Edwards established
four goals for anti-bias education. In their book,
the goals are represented as gears, each of which
interacts and builds on the other three. Each goal is
also discussed in the context of several suggested
teaching guidelines, which are summarized below.
1. Each child will demonstrate self-awareness,
confidence, family pride and positive social
identities.
• Teaching Guidelines: Self-concept
activities should explore racial, cultural,
gender or economic class identities and
supporting children’s families as a vital
part of nurturing a positive self-image.
2. Each child will express comfort and joy with
human diversity; accurate language for
human differences; and deep, caring human
connections.
• Teaching Guidelines: It’s best to begin
with what children already know, and
exploring the many kinds of diversity
present in their group even when they
come from similar backgrounds. This
approach sets the stage for broadening
the discussion beyond the classroom
setting. Also, avoid a “tourist curriculum,”
a curriculum that “drops in on strange,
exotic people to see their holidays and
taste their foods, and then returns to the
‘real’ world of regular ‘life.’”
3. Each child will increasingly recognize
unfairness, have language to describe
unfairness, and understand that unfairness
hurts.
• Teaching Guidelines: Begin by
assessing children’s misconceptions and
stereotypes, and then plan activities
that help them learn how to contrast
inaccurate, untrue images or ideas with
accurate ones. At the same time, build
their capacity for empathy and fairness
and provide critical-thinking activities
that enable them to take action against
unfair actions or thoughts.
4. Each child will demonstrate empowerment
and the skills to act, with others or alone,
against prejudice and/or discriminatory
actions.
• Teaching Guidelines: Be alert for unfair
practices that directly affect children’s
lives, engaging them in a dialogue about
the specific incident, and learn how their
families teach them to deal with being
victims of discrimination.12
These goals tie nicely into what Ponciano and
Shabazian call an “intercultural classroom,” which
involves “the sharing and learning across cultures
that promotes understanding, equality, harmony
and justice in a diverse society.”
Intercultural classrooms:
• Create space and time to sensitively discuss
children’s different backgrounds, cultures,
family structures and abilities
• Are adorned with pictures of the group’s
children and families using materials, playing
in the classroom, and sharing aspects of their
cultural context
• Have customized, individualized picture
books or photo albums of the children’s
families that show important people and
pets
• Include the cultural tools using in home-
based daily activities, such as eating
• Provide children with opportunities to
share songs, stories and language from
their cultural context with their peers and
teachers.13
12 Ibid
13 Ponciano & Shabazian, p. 27
5
6. Council for Professional Recognition 2460 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009 | www.cdacouncil.org
Conclusion
By most accounts, tomorrow’s cultural landscape
will look vastly different from today. By the middle
of the century, more than six in 10 children will
be “of color,” each looking at the world through
a unique lens that includes reflections of their
ethnic perspectives. American culture as it is most
commonly depicted today—middle-class, White,
suburban, able-bodied, English-speaking, mother-
and-father (nuclear) family—is rapidly changing, and
thus the early care and education profession must
change to meet the demands of this new dynamic.
How?
The Council for Professional Recognition focuses on
unifying and professionalizing the ECE community
through ensuring that teacher knowledge and
experience align to create a qualified workforce.
For those ECE professionals who do not feel
equipped to deal with the potential challenges
of a diverse setting, the answer lies in obtaining a
CDA credential. The CDA involves multiple sources
of evidence—training, parent engagement and
observation—that ensure that diversity is woven
into the classroom setting.
But, the ECE professional—today and tomorrow—
must also cast aside any personal bias that
impacts child development; develop tools that
promote inclusiveness, and establish a classroom
environment and anti-bias curriculum that allows
children in their charge to discern and embrace their
differences and similarities.
The old adage that “familiarity breeds contempt”
cannot apply in this context. With an open
environment that promotes an unbiased view of all
cultural milieus, familiarity breeds understanding.
For this to occur, however, ECE professionals must
gain the skills for self-awareness and reflection, and
broaden their own exposure to diverse populations.
The Council supports all efforts to bring diversity and
inclusion into every early care setting.
6
7. The CDA™ represents expert
consensus about what early
educators should know and
be able to do. It plays a
significant role across the
spectrum of early childhood
settings in the United States,
from employer-sponsored child
care to federal government —
funded entities.
Why CDA?
The Child Development Associate™ (CDA) National
Credential represents the crossroad where
education and experience meet. This crossroad
epitomizes competence and is a pathway to learning
best teaching practices for many early educators,
including:
A lead teacher who already holds an
academic degree, but needs to gain hands-
on practical skill and competency in early
care and education
An assistant teacher with experience, but
little formal education
A family child care provider who must
improve the quality of his/her setting to
meet licensing requirements
A high school student interested in pursuing
a career in working with young children
The CDA helps early educators meet current state
and national professional requirements. CDA
recipients are competent practitioners who value
vital knowledge and skills and formal education. It
has stood the test of time, with more than 350,000
CDAs awarded since the early 70s, and 20,000 new
CDAs and 18,000 renewals in 2013 alone.
But there’s more.
1. The CDA online process is streamlined, with
credentialing decisions taking days rather
than months.
2. The CDA is portable, recognized in all
50 states, the District of Columbia, U.S.
territories, community colleges, school
districts and the military.
3. The CDA is the only national multilingual
credentialing system that assesses educators
in the language of their daily work.
Be sure to keep up with Council news by subscribing
to CounciLINK, our monthly newsletter. CounciLINK
is our primary means to provide you with the most
current information. To sign up, please visit www.
cdacouncil.org/newsletter.
Council for Professional Recognition 2460 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009 | www.cdacouncil.org7
”
“
Valora Washington, CEO
Council for Professional Recogniti on
Why CDA?
8. Council for Professional Recognition 2460 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009 | www.cdacouncil.org8
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