New Voices/Nuevas Voces Program:

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New Voices/Nuevas Voces Program Addressing
Cultural and Linguistic Diversity in Early
Childhood Education and Intervention Betsy
Ayankoya Dina Castro Christina Kasprzak May 2010
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A Mexican Mothers Story
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Diversity and Developmentally Appropriate
Practices

• a historical perspective on DAP
• responding to linguistic and cultural diversity
• integrating socio-cultural knowledge into DAP

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NAEYCS POSITION For the optimal development
and learning in all children, educators (or
providers) must accept the legitimacy of the
childrens home language, respect (hold in high
regard) and value (esteem, appreciate) the home
culture, and promote and encourage the active
involvement and support of all families,
including extended and nontraditional family
units
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Diversity and DAP

Age Appropriate Individually Appropriate
Based on the knowledge of typical development of
children
Based on an understanding of individuals
childrens growth patterns, strengths, interests,
and experiences
Based on knowledge of the cultural and societal
environment in which the children and their
parents live.

Socio-Cultural Appropriateness
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Multicultural Education

• defining multicultural education
• principles and values
• compatibility with other programs values
• application for very young children

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Multicultural Education

• Multicultural education is an idea, an
  educational reform movement, and a process whose
  major goal is to change the structure of
  educational institutions so that male and female
  students, exceptional students, and students who
  are members of diverse racial, ethnic, language,
  and cultural groups will have an equal chance to
  achieve academically in school. (Banks Banks,
  2001, p. 1)

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5 Primary Goals of Multicultural Education

• To teach children to respect others cultures and
  values as well as their own.
• To help all children learn to function
  successfully in a multicultural and multiracial
  society.
• To develop a positive self-concept in those
  children who are the targets of racism.
• To help all children experience in positive ways
  both their differences and their similarities.
• To allow children to experience people of diverse
  cultures working together as unique parts of a
  whole community.   

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Dimensions of Multicultural Education

• Content integration
• Knowledge construction process
• Prejudice reduction
• Equity pedagogy
• Empowering school culture and social structure

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Myths about Multicultural Practices
MYTH1 Multicultural practices emphasize how
other cultures are different from the dominant
culture. MYTH2 Bilingualism is a liability.
MYTH3 Multicultural practices are only
relevant in environments with children from
diverse cultural and linguistic
backgrounds. MYTH4 Random and sporadic
cultural activities make good multicultural
practices  
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A Diversity Rich Environment

• helps children develop their ideas about
  themselves and others
• creates conditions for the child to initiate
  conversations about differences
• provides adults with a setting for introducing
  activities about diversity

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Activity Starting Small
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Implementing Multicultural Education

• interactions with each individual child and
  his/her family members
• activities for classroom and home-based services
  to engage the children
• physical environment
• program or school culture and structure

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Interactions with Child and Family

• demonstrate respect and inclusion of all
  children and their families
• learn about your own culture and beliefs learn
  about the language, culture and beliefs of the
  children and families you serve
• build partnerships with families involve them
  in their childs learning
• be aware of values that are promoted by
  activities be open to integrating new activities
  (that promote multiculturalism) into your
  services

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Activities to Engage Children

• regularly examine the activities you use to see
  that they support a multicultural approach
• implement activities that promote racial,
  cultural and disability awareness, e.g.
• implement an activity where children explore
  skin colors or hair textures
• invite someone with a disabilities to talk about
  their disability, their work, talents, and home
  life
• incorporate diversity into all your activities

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Physical Environment

• Choose displays and other materials that
  represent diversity in race, culture, language,
  family styles, abilities, etc.
• Recognize and avoid materials that have bias or
  promote stereotypes.
• Make sure that spatial organization, materials,
  and activities enable all children to participate
  actively
• Bring language diversity into the classroom
  through books, labels, music, or other materials.

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School/Program Culture

• Identify and promote change of policies and
  procedures that create inequalities
• Encourage school/program mission statement and
  values that embrace multiculturalism
• Support others in creating an environment that
  welcomes all children and families, and gives
  them an equal opportunity to succeed
• Make sure all families have a voice in
  creating and sustaining a culture of acceptance
  and learning

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Reflecting and Getting Ready for Change

• What strategies have you learned that you can use
  to bring a multicultural approach to your
  services/teaching?
• How might you build ongoing assessment of the
  physical environment, activities and interactions
  with children and families into your work?
• How will you change your behaviors and what
  activities will you incorporate into your
  practices to ensure that you are providing
  culturally and linguistically appropriate
  services to children and families?
• How might you take action to assess and then
  improve the culture of the school or program that
  you work in?

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New Voices/ Nuevas Voces

• Module 1 Foundations of Cultural Diversity
• Module 2 Cross-cultural communication
• Module 3 Understanding Diverse Families and
  their Roles
• Module 4 Supporting Language development in
  Young English Learners
• Module 5 Working with Culturally and
  Linguistically Diverse Children