Eymp4 2.3

Ethnic/cultural beliefs and customs - Whilst children and young people should feel proud of their ethnicity, some may experience racism which can have an impact on their self-esteem, what they would like to do and their outlook. This factor may affect how they dress, their dietary requirements and socialising. They may encounter discrimination an insufficient equality that can effect their opportunities in life. All settings and staff should show awareness and understanding of their needs.

Children are now growing up in a time when the cultural and ethnic structure of our country is quickly changing and in some areas groups of people who were formally considered as the ‘ethnic’ minority make up the majority of the population.

As part of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and other regulations, every setting that employs five or more staff must have a safety policy. The policy will cover emergency procedures in the event of fire, accident or other emergencies. Fire and evacuation drills are also a requirement of every EYFS settings in England. The following are steps to take in the event of fire:

What does it mean to honor cultural differences? What does it mean to have cultural consistency in working with children and families? If you have a particular philosophy and families come to your program because of it, do you have to change it for every family? Why or why not?

(i) to explore the full extent of that culture, consistent with the child's age and

There are a number of strategies you can use to enrich children’s understanding and respect for cultural identities. The first would be to establish a good knowledge of all the different cultures and backgrounds of the children and families who attend our centre, this is initially done through enrolment paperwork. Talking and forming good relationships with families is another way to gain insight into different cultures. Once this has been done you can incorporate this knowledge into the program and curriculum within the room. By incorporating different cultures into the room you are showing children that everyone, interesting and valued. Show and tell group times are a great way to showcase a culture, for example, a child could bring in a

In the article, by Sophia Han Heejong, “No Child Misunderstood: Enhancing Early Childhood Teachers’ Multicultural Responsiveness to the Social Competence of Diverse Children,” there are more and more culturally diverse children in our classroom but not enough teachers that are knowledgeable of social cultural differences. In the "Code of Ethical Conduct and Statement of Commitment" article, states that teachers should commit to using ethical knowledge to teach the children appropriately based on their individuality. The children are taught through interaction with one another using different social cues taught by their parents or from their culture growing up. Culture helps define a lot of the skills, context, and expectations in a social

Culture is the basis of who we are and children absorb their culture as they learn and grow. “Why culture matters for children’s development and wellbeing” (Kids Matter website states respect for diversity is related to people’s sense of belonging and when diversity is valued & respected people are more likely to develop a sense of belonging. In a child care setting a sense of belonging is important to ensure a child feels included and welcome in the centre community. Sense of belonging is also an element of the Early Years Learning Framework for Australia. When an educator has an understanding of needs and interests of children and families from culturally diverse backgrounds and are able to build relationships of trust and understanding with

Respecting a child’s culture is important when they are in care in a child care setting, it provides and shows the children and their families that they have a sense of belonging in the child care setting and they have a sense of identity, have a sense of well being, they will become confident learners, children will feel connected and will be able to contribute to the world. As an educator its providing different opportunities for children, by respecting their culture we can model language that is relevant to their culture, by working in an ethical manner and respecting all cultures it enables all children a better understanding of different cultures with in Australia.

For example, in relation to parent’s current practices demonstrate culturally specific westernised values and traditions and could be perceived as homogenising children and their families, as there is no allowance for diversity or individual differences (Woodhead, 2006). Furthermore, according to Mac Naughton (2003) they also imply that the centres current relationships with families fall under the heading of ‘Reforming to the know-power relationships’ as parents as are acknowledged as a valuable resource for raising centre funds and improving community participation. However, their knowledge of their own children’s learning and development goes unappreciated within implementation of curriculum decisions. Furthermore, in relation to community current practices from a socio-cultural perspective illustrate a low level of cultural pluralism with a very limited pedagogical scope for children’s engagement with a range of activities, settings, skills and relationships, which could potentially affect children’s acquisition of cultural competencies and identities (Woodhead,

Unfortunately, my center looks very generic as there is no evidence that we value culture or diversity even though the children and staff in my preschool program are very diverse and I am searching for ways to change this. There are numerous benefits associated with diversity in education, but the outcomes for students are dependent upon how diversity is recognized in a classroom setting (Queen’s University, 2018). Since a child’s culture influences how children make sense of the world, educators 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 welcoming school culture is one where each child feels valued and respected in their learning environment. By learning about the importance of recognizing and celebrating diversity, I hope to find ways to incorporate multiculturalism in my program and make it a more welcoming creative learning environment for both students and

Children are active citizens in society who have the right to make decisions about their education, health and well-being. Enabling children to express their feelings freely allows them to create meaning of the world surrounding them. I understand building strong relationships with children, families and the community helps provide quality care and services in supporting their decision making and respect for the diversity of different cultures. As a result, providing an environment for children to feel a sense of belonging, being and becoming. It is important to continually reflect on my practices and how I respond to families, children and the community.

cultural development and prepare pupils for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of life (QCDA, 2010).

Each and every one of our multicultural journeys toward cultural competence is overwhelmingly diverse. The personal identities that every human being represents are a unique way of displaying how understanding cultural diversity is essential. The multicultural aspect expresses how society contains distinct cultural and ethnic groups that live alongside one another. These groups may also display distinct behaviors, morals, values, language and more. With that in mind, becoming aware of our personal worldviews and false assumptions about human behavior can lead to the elimination of biases and the opportunity to become culturally competent. Understanding and being open-minded to culture differences is essential to me. Not only as a professional health practitioner, but more so as an individual who was raised in an African culture. I learned how to function within my culture norm as it pertained to spirituality, striving for social justice and learning how to be open-minded toward other cultures as I continue to advocate for my own.

It’s important that the child doesn’t get pushed aside during this transition and they are being valued. If the child has a physical disability they may find it hard enough to cope with the transition alone without being pushed aside and not having their needs met as individuals, providing facilities for the child and helping them around by holding their hand as they walk or pushing their wheelchair may be a relief for the child, adapting facilities may be of support for the child with physical disabilities such as a disability toilet. The child shouldn’t feel ashamed of their skin colour, ethnicity or religion, to overcome this the care setting could provide display boards with pictures of children from all over the world holding one and others hand to promote equality. The setting could also provide dolls of different coloured skin, this may also help the child feel more comfortable in their skin especially as they are going through a