What is Communication?

    

 A few years ago, Yale University researchers published a report that exposed a shocking number of children expelled from preschool (Gilliam, 2005). I witnessed a spontaneous, bring-down-the-house speech at a local press conference that featured the grant project for which I work. Our agency had invited a few parents and child care center directors to attest to the success of our tax-based grant at retaining children with special and behavioral needs in their preschool programs, contrary to the Yale report. Our child care center director arrived just as the interviews were beginning, and was surprised to learn that she was not a guest, but a guest speaker, and was escorted to her seat behind the table set with microphones. After a series of rather boring speakers, the child care center director rose from her seat, moved out from behind the table, and addressed the cameras and audience in a calm, clearly projected voice. Her hands were clasped in front of her, and she made eye contact around the room, unlike the agency higher-ups who stuttered reading through their notes. She used a slow, evenly paced voice to announce what she would talk about, gave some facts and experiences, and briefly re-stated what she had just presented. I was stunned to hear and see such a smooth impromptu peformance after witnessing a series of CEO's stumble through dry data that they had prepared for the occasion. Joan the Director exuded confidence, used concise, effective speech, spoke slowly enough to be heard, made eye contact with her audience, and smiled slightly while she spoke. She was persuasive in defending the value of the program. The manner in which she communicated her testimony was far more convincing than higher management who did not use these speech techniques. Public speaking is only one form of communication, but the goal is the same for public or personal, that the speaker be heard and understood by the listener(s). Joan the Director attributed her communication skills to practice with a group called Toastmasters.

More can be learned about public speaking and general communication skills at http://www.toastmasters.org .
References:
Gilliam, W.S. (2005). Prekindergarteners left behind:Expulsion rates in state prekindergarten programs. Retrieved from http://childstudycenter.yale.edu/zigler/publications/34775_National%20Prek%20Study_expulsion%20brief.pdf

Professional Hopes and Goals

When I examine the topic of meeting diverse cultural needs in early childhood, I often compare current topics with historical issues of my parents' early childhoods as first generation Americans from Poland in the early 1930's. They recalled little of cultural barriers except that they spoke only Polish until they entered kindergarten, where they learned English. They never referred to this time as stressful, though it is quite possible that the stress they experienced in their early childhoods suppressed the memory of such. I do know that their large families provided a formidable support for them. As I work with today's children in a culturally diverse community, I am hoping that our progress in diversity studies combined with brain research discoveries equip early childhood workers, whether child care providers or preschool and elementary school teachers, to provide more support for children's development and family well being than was offered to my parents.
A goal that I would like for early childhood professionals to work towards is not only treating children and families respectfully, but to develop specific curriculum activities to equip children to prepare for and deal with anti-diversity behaviors aimed at them or someone they know. Gloria Boutte (2008) called us "naive" to believe that all we need is respect, a place where I was before this course. It is clear that as teachers and people of primary influence, we owe it to the children and families we serve to give them tools to manage the unpleasant realities of prejudice and unequal access.
Finally, I wish to thank my colleagues for the truly frank discussions about the topics of personal and institutional discrimination and microaggressions. These are painful topics to voice, but necessary for problem solving. Thank you for your professionalism in your candor.

References:
Boutte, G., (2008). Beyond the illusion of diversity: How early childhood teachers can promote social justice.Social Studies, 99(4), 165-173.

Welcoming Families from Around the World

I frequently visit Head Start programs that begin each year with new immigrant families from a variety of countries. Sometimes there is not a staff who speaks the native language that can give assistance to the staff and comfort to three years olds separated from their parents in a strange place. In the case of the children who were enrolled in the program who were from Viet Nam, a country that none of the staff were familiar with, the pre-enrollment meeting took place at the Head Start office. I might have added a few strategies to help everyone feel more comfortable, both family, child, and staff.

Home visits as parent education are typical in Head Start, however, in the the case of children from Viet Nam, I might make sure that the enrollment took place at the child's home, and with an interpreter. There are local cultural centers for most immigrant groups that could offer such a service for a new family. The children could meet the teacher on their own terms, and the teacher could gather insightful information about the child's most influential environment:

• How many people share the home, and what relationship do they have?
• Who is the power in the family, mother, father, or a grandparent?
• Do the children have responsibilities, and what are they?
• How does communication among adults and children occur?
• Do the children speak when they wish, or are they silent among adults?
• Are there toys in the house and of what kind?
• Is the family connected with a cultural support community?
• Is religious behavior practiced, and how?
• Does the family take photos? Can the school use photos? Are there photos that the child can bring to school and share? Can the teacher take photos of the children and display them in the classroom?
• Are there developmental special needs?

Broffenbrenner's bioecological model of child development indicates that the child's first and most influential is home and family (Keenan, 2009), and knowing how the family operates each day will be crucial in constructing supportive interactions in the classroom. This visit is meant to discover the deep cultural factors (Derman -Sparks & Edwards, 2010)  that influence the child.

Before the new children begin, I would announce to the class their arrival and when, and discuss with children how they can welcome the children. There is a DVD that is available to educators made by Candid Camera called The Green Kid (2003) that records the responses of young children of  the question, "What can you do to welcome this (green) child?" The answers they give brought tears to my eyes. We often forget that children are competent to come up with real and powerful solutions to their everyday challenges.

In addition to the home visit strategy, all of the children should have regular activities that share family structure, values, and activities, as well as the more topical cultural artifacts of foods, music, and clothing. The new child from Viet Nam may begin to bring in items from home to show to others, and to demonstrate their likenesses and differences.

Because so much cultural development occurs through language (Derman-Sparks, Edwards, 2010), making the language of the Vietnamese children visible in some way in the classroom will  create community in the class, reducing stress that can hinder learning. Consulting with parents during the home visit, or using library materials to learn a few words in the home language will be on-going.

Most child care and Head Start programs are required to have an open door policy for parents, but not all fulfill the requirement with relish. I would invite the child's parents to attend, interact, share when able, or just observe. Their presence to other children make Vietnamese people regular particpants in the program.

• Home visit
• Ask the children
• Plan specific classroom activities that share family culture
• Learn some Vietnamese words, and display them
• Invite families to visit the classroom

All of these efforts would be made for any child entering the program, whenever possible. A child develops in an environment of relationships (NCCDC, 2004 ), and establishing relationships, probably the most difficult task in all of life, is the most effective way to prepare these Vietnamese children, and all children for success.

References:
Candid Camera. (2003) The Green Kid Tolerance Project. Retrieved from http://www.candidcamera.com/cc6/green_kids.html

Derman-Sparks, L., &  Edwards, J. O. (2010). Anti-bias education for young children and ourselves. Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).


Keenan, T., & Evans, S. (2009). Theories of development. In An introduction to child development. (pp.35-43). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
National Scientific Council on the Developing Child. (2004) Young children develop in an environment of relationships. Working Paper No. 1. Retrieved from http://www.developingchild.net

Much of my work with child care providers who care for children with special needs gives me experience with able-ism. Many child care programs simply do not enroll children with special needs because of the perceived added expense of adequately meeting those needs. Some programs just don't know any better. I was aghast to learn from the Pastor of the church that I attend, where there is also a child care program, that the Child Care Director turned a child away from the center whose parents were new members to the church. He told me that because the child used a wheel chair, he was not able to descend to the lower level where his preschool class would be, as the building was not equipped with an elevator. They turned him away without consulting with the resident inclusion expert, me. He lamented the potential loss of worshippers, and I lamented the injustice done to that child who should have been included in our program, and the heartbreak it must have caused his parents. Quite easily, and with no added expense except effort and about two hours of paid moving time, the preschool class from downstairs could have been switched with the school age classroom on the main floor. The preschool children could have been served on the main floor, where a wheelchair could enter. My church administration did not think to make such a simple modification, or even call for advice, and the child was turned away.  It was not intentional able-ism, but the lack of effort was inexcusable. I was angry with the Child Care Director, whom I held responsible for discrimination, and disappointed with the Pastor who did not make more of an effort to understand and include this child and family. I hurt for the family. All of the adults in the church administration, as well as the child care staff, needed to re-evaluate their enrollment practices for institutional discrimination against people with disabilities. I am relieved to report, however, that our Sunday School leaders accept all who attend, and we have more than one child whose behavior is a result of autism. They may not always have answers, but they welcome all Sunday School kids and do their best to make a loving community for an hour or two each week. I am also happy to report that we have hired a new Child Care Director.

Awareness of Microagression

I can recall only one personal experience with microaggression aimed at my child, who has Colombian parentage. At a large gathering in my small childhood home,  family members made a fuss over my very beautiful and playful toddler, my first baby. The house was full and noisy, as is customary in a large family. A man's voice rose above all others when he playfully tried to engage her in a game of catch, calling to her,"Come here, you little spic!" At that moment, the noise abruptly stopped and there was an instant of complete silence except for my toddler laughing with a ball in her hands. Then came the sharp reprimand of the wife, who tries to take her husband to social functions and is frequently embarrassed. I believe she even gave him a lightening quick smack on the head. Slowly the volume of celebration sounds rose, he continued his play, and a brief unspoken, facial cue of apology was communicated to me by his wife. The moment was jolting, and sad, but the experience served as a reminder to all who witnessed it that terms of endearment should be a positive reflection of the loved. No one wanted to hear such an exchange again.

Communication and relationships are fragile, and one must always speak with care, as opposed to speaking carelessly, even without intent to harm.

Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

What is "culture"?
What is "diversity"?

My teen aged daughter answered these questions without much hesitation. She defined culture as the way someone acts because of their ethnicity. Diversity is simply the differences between people. I further examined her as to whether our family is diverse or not. "Of course it is. We are all so different!" To my teenager, cultural diversity would be only one of many types of diversity to be experienced.

My 87-year-old aunt and I had a conversation about her Hungarian family and the one she married into, my dad's Polish family. She described culture as the things each group likes to do. Ethnicity was not so important because boundaries in Eastern European countries are always changing, entire countries disappear, and everyone thinks that the village they are from is better than any village on earth, whether it lies in Poland or in Germany. She believes that my grandfather lived on German soil because of claims to the land, but he spoke Polish. Diversity, she commented, was the mix of us.

My friend from Hong Kong, transplanted to the United States for college and now a die-hard New Yorker, fervently defines culture as that which grows from ethnic heritage. His children are growing up in America, but "they WILL be Chinese as long as I am their father".  His thoughts about diversity stem from his experiences as a misunderstood Chinese man, with language and values being the cause for many misunderstandings. (Neither his English nor his Mandarin is very clearly understandable.) He is happy in New York because there is a large Chinese population where he feels comfortable, however, there are clear barriers to diversity as well. In Long Island, he believes that the neighbors mistake him for the landscaper, because he is a "Chinaman" cutting the grass. He is sure that no one believes that he actually owns the house he maintains. His particular neighborhood is not ethnically diverse as in Manhattan. He has chosen a school that is operated in a Chinese neighborhood for his children.

Ethnicity seems to be the major element of culture and diversity, and language has also been discussed. Language is identified in Anti-Bias Education for Young Children and Ourselves (Derman-Sparks, Edwards, 2010) as a deep culture characteristic and in The Developing Child in the 21st Century  (Smidt, 2006), as being closely tied to identity. What I did not hear was the influence of religion, which was a little suprising considering the current wartime climate. Aside from current events, religious differences very often cause stress in relationships at the very least, and large-scale social unrest throughout the world. Religious beliefs are at the very root of one's lifestyle and choices in the activities of daily living. I am most heartened by the response of my teenager, who was quick and definite, in predictable teen style, about the simplicity of culture and diversity, and that even the young with limited life experience can answer these questions with a positive response.

References:

Derman-Sparks, L., & Edwards, J. O. (2010). Anti-bias education for young children and ourselves.Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).


Smidt, S. (2006). The developing child in the 21st century: A global perspective on child development. New York, NY: Routledge

My Family Culture

This writing assignment is interesting to me because the very idea came to me to evacuate Japanese citizens to anywhere in the world until their island was deemed safe from radiation after the extreme natural disasters they have experienced.  I am sure that there are many people that do not have even three personal items left after their homes washed away in the tsunami. I have also been acquainted with women who were driven out of their homes in Germany and Poland during World War II, who were not given any choice of what to take more than what they wore and what food they could stuff into their pockets. This situation has been real, and surely can be again. Given a choice and time to prepare, I would choose a Bible, and a small photo album of my immediate family. I cannot think of a third item worth taking. My family's culture is not represented in tangible items or costume. Christian principles are a way of living, and must be demonstrated. If I was as good at memorizing scripture as I should be, even toting the Book would not be necessary. My family who is not with me physically is in my heart and my memory. Loyalty to family and self-sufficiency are not represented in any form that can be tucked in a pocket or suitcase. I suppose that my family culture would be explained to others in my new home in much the same manner that most have dictated history, through the story-telling tradition. The artifacts of culture do not tell the story, the people do. And so this blog reminds us, as early childhood professionals, to listen to the child's story to know who they are, where they are from, and where they are going.