Is your child really ready for the transition to school? The time has come for your child to move on from daycare or preschool and start school. It is a lot of change, but the transition can be made easier with some preparation. This blog post will give you tips to help prepare your child for this big step in their life. Transitioning to school is all about change. Your child may see school as an unknown place with new rules, people and activities. It may also be the end of regular days filled with playtime, art projects and songs by the teacher. Instead they will be expected to sit in class quietly for most of the day while they complete work on their own. Teachers expect them to listen and follow directions without interrupting or complaining. Your child may feel anxious about all of these changes and it is up to you as the parent/guardian to make this transition easier and smoother. How can you prepare your child for the transition? Preparation will help reduce anxiety and make the change more comfortable for both you and your child. These tips should be implemented a week or two before school starts: Talk about what will happen at school Prepare the things they will need together Model good behaviour Prepare your child for separation Give your child a tour of the new school Talk with your child about what will happen at school. Let them know when they will make the transition; also talk about where they will go (classroom), who they will see (teacher, principal), and give some examples of what they will be doing (listening, playing). Prepare the things they will need together at home before the first day of school. Items might include, back packs, folders with pockets, pencil boxes, snacks for school lunches, etc. If possible, have your child help pick out these items with you. This will be an important part of making your child feel like they are a part of the transition to school. Encourage your child to follow directions from an adult they know (teacher, principal); role play at home by asking your child what you would like them to do if they start to run in the hallway or touch something that is off limits. This will decrease the chances of them misbehaving in the new environment. Prepare your child for when you need to leave them at school. Talk about why they are going to school and who will be taking care of them (teacher). Let them know that you will arrive and pick them up later on; reassure them that it won’t be long and they will see you again soon. Ask them how they feel about school and if there are any activities or subjects they would like to try (art, music). Help your child become familiar with the environment by visiting school during their first few days of class. Make it a game; watch for certain animals or colours on clothing. Point out different rooms (office, tuckshop) and ask them what they think is happening there. This will help them visualise the school, and give them a good idea of where they need to go. There are many more ways to prepare your child for the big transition from daycare or preschool to full time school; these tips should get you going in the right direction. Remember that change is hard, but having a supportive family will make it easier. If you would like any further tips on preparing your child for the transition to school, please get in touch with our team. Don’t forget to share this via Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Buffer, Digg, Tumblr, Reddit, StumbleUpon, Delicious, WhatsApp, Line and Naver.
The following article discusses how loose parts can be used for teaching science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics (STEAM) in an innovative way. Since the beginning of time, children love to play with any objects that they can get their hands on – loose parts. This time of play is known as “free exploration”. During free exploration, children can discover properties and ways to use objects that they have never thought of before. They are also able to develop an understanding of basic scientific concepts, such as how items work and why they are the way they are. With loose parts, teachers have a wide variety of tools to use in their teaching of STEAM. Although loose parts can be used in all different types of learning, they are especially helpful when teaching the arts and sciences. During science lessons, teachers can use loose parts to investigate the properties of certain objects. For example, teachers could use different sized beads and string for children to explore how items can be sorted by their mass or length. During technology lessons, teachers can use loose parts to make children build and construct objects without the need for a printed instruction sheet. For example, teachers could make children build their own mud village using only natural resources like stones, leaves, sticks and bark to support the homes. During engineering lessons, teachers can use loose parts to make children think creatively about how they are going to design an object or model of something that does not exist yet. For example, teachers could give children a few large natural materials, such as sticks and leaves, and have them figure out the best way to support a hammock that is strung between two trees. During art lessons, teachers can use loose parts to make children express themselves through art without the need of any types of tools. For example, children could build different sculptures from soaps and clay without the need of a knife or stick to carve out shapes. In order to fully explore their creativity, teachers can allow children to decorate or paint their objects in whichever way they see fit. Lastly, during mathematics lessons, teachers can use loose parts to make children explore different concepts through discovery. For example, children could experiment with the difference between odd and even numbers by using objects that are only available in even quantities such as marbles and sticks, or odd quantities such as beads and rocks. Overall, there is not a specific way that loose parts can be used to teach STEAM. There are many different possibilities and ways that teachers can use loose parts in their classroom based on children’s interests and the overall theme of a unit. However, although there is not a set way for how loose parts should be used, it is important to remember that children learn differently from one another. Therefore, it is also important to remember that children will learn in different ways when using loose parts depending on their learning styles. To find out more, follow the links below: https://www.education.sa.gov.au/sites/default/files/npsa-familyday-care-loose-parts.pdf https://www.learningzonechildcare.com/what-is-steam/ Don’t forget to share this via Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Buffer, Digg, Tumblr, Reddit, StumbleUpon, Delicious, WhatsApp, Line and Naver.
Babies and young children learn and develop through everyday hands-on experiences. Reading books and stories to your child, singing songs, and sharing rhymes can help their development in many ways. For example, reading boosts language and literacy skills, promotes creativity, and allows children to express their thoughts and emotions verbally. Acquisition of language is one of the early childhood’s most significant achievements that determines academic, personal, and professional success later in life. The Benefits of Reading Talking and reading to babies and young children promotes brain development and boosts the child’s cognitive skills. Communication between adults and children promotes social and emotional development. Reading rhymes and stories aloud to babies is one of the best ways to stimulate your child’s brain development. Reading books and stories to young children also can: Help your child expand their vocabulary Help your child learn sounds and words Increase their exposure to language and boost early literacy skills Improve their listening skills Spark your child’s imagination and creativity Spur their curiosity Provide an opportunity to bond with your child Instill a love for reading and learning Enhance memory, problem-solving, and other cognitive skills Improve your child’s communication and social skills Teach them impulse control and patience Improve your child’s attention span and ability to focus Help them distinguish between reality and make-believe Nurtures your child’s social and emotional development Teach your child about the world Promote diversity and acceptance, teaching your child about your own and other cultures Reading and Language Development Language and literacy are the backbones of a child’s future learning, and books are the best way to promote language, literacy, and speech development in babies and young children. Reading stories helps young kids learn the alphabet at a young age. It teaches them letters and enables them to learn sounds, words, and language. It develops the child’s ability to use language to express their feelings and build a strong foundation for the later abstract thinking processes. Reading to Your Child Studies show that books with many colourful images, contrast, and illustrations are the most stimulating for the baby’s brain. Here are a few tips for reading to babies and young children. Start reading to your baby from the earliest days. Make reading a part of your daily routine and share a variety of picture books, nursery rhymes, alphabet books, and any other age-appropriate books that you or your child find interesting. While reading aloud, show pictures in the book to your child, point to various objects and make sure to name them. Ask your toddler to recognise the letters of the words and the sounds each letter makes. Allow the toddler to choose the book to read Encourage preschoolers to trace and write the letters and to identify uppercase and lowercase letters. Share stories that display a variety of characters and social situations to help your child understand the emotional expression and develop empathy Key Takeaways Babies and young children enjoy books and stores. Take advantage of this natural interest to instill the love for learning. Reading and storytelling promotes brain development in infants and young children. Reading sparks creativity and imagination, promotes language and literacy development, and encourages emotional expression. Singing songs and rhymes also nurtures early literacy skills. Reading books together helps bond with your child, promoting secure attachment. Below are a number of useful resources for more information on this topic: https://raisingchildren.net.au/babies/play-learning/literacy-reading-stories/reading-storytelling https://www.nytimes.com/guides/books/how-to-raise-a-reader https://www.education.vic.gov.au/documents/about/research/readtoyoungchild.pdf Don’t forget to share this via Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Buffer, Digg, Tumblr, Reddit, StumbleUpon, Delicious, WhatsApp, Line and Naver.
Protective Behaviours Protective Behaviours are an empowerment process that raises self‐esteem and self‐confidence and enhances assertiveness in the context of feeling safe (Rose, J 2004). It also refers to developing consciousness of the situations in which the child’s personal space and safety may be compromised, so that he or she can respond according to particular circumstances. Protective behaviours education is important for empowering young children. It focuses on teaching self-safety, self-esteem, decision making, communication, emotional management and necessary skills to identify unsafe situations. In this blog we explore ways in which can we teach young children Protective Behaviours: How to Teach Protective Behaviours Teaching protective behaviours to children is often viewed as difficult because all too often we can shy away from uncomfortable conversations. Start From Conversation It is better to start with a natural conversation and discuss what safety ‘feels like’ in situations that the child will identify with — safety when crossing the road, wearing a helmet while riding, wearing a seat belt etc. Ask Simple Questions Ask simple questions to evaluate the comprehension level of your child and to enhance their curiosity for further learning. The questions should be age-appropriate: How do you feel when you are safe? When do you feel most safe? What makes you feel safe? What makes you feel unsafe? Build Connections Connect this discussion with feelings and emotions and our physiological reactions. How do their bodies feel when they feel unsafe or afraid or something feels ‘just not right’? Discuss physical reactions such as a fast heartbeat, sick feeling in the stomach etc. Building these connections help children to identify people or situations that make them feel unsafe. Enhance Vocabulary to Convey Feelings Children should be able to understand their feelings first and then have words to convey them. To enhance this, it is important to create opportunities for children to speak openly about their feelings. Not only will this help them to let you know when they have had experiences where they have felt unsafe, it will also improve their communication skills and even self esteem. Teach How to Ask For Help It is important that your child feels safe in asking for help. To facilitate this, identify a number of ‘Safe Adults’ – adults with whom the child feels safe and can easily talk to. It is then important to encourage the child to talk to these ‘Safe Adults’, without hesitation, about any situation where they feel or have felt unsafe. How MCH promotes Protective Behaviours My Cubby House Early Learning promotes the importance of teaching children protective behaviours through group discussions, Storytime, and Social stories. We discuss with the children about 5 ‘Safety Hands’, where they can name 5 people they can trust and turn to for help when they feel unsafe. We talk about the butterfly feelings that they feel in their tummies that signals to them that they are feeling unsafe in a situation. Raising awareness of signs of feeling unsafe helps children understand and make safe choices and ask for help. Water, fire, Road, Insect and snake safety lessons are also incorporated and implemented as part of the My Cubby House Protective Behaviours programs. We also offer Braveheart-Ditto’s Keep Safe Adventure Show that teaches children protective behaviour strategies and about personal safety in a fun, interactive and engaging way. https://bravehearts.org.au/ Exploring and teaching Protective Behaviours should not be treated as a ‘one off’ conversation. These conversations should be part of the ongoing education of your child so that they understand what feeling and being safe means and how they can seek help if needed. Keeping Kids Safe Resources The Daniel Morcombe Foundation provide a number of great video resources to help you to facilitate this important child safety education: https://danielmorcombe.com.au/keeping-kids-safe-resources/ Sources: Freda Briggs – Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freda_BriggsGelenter, C., Riley, B., & Prescott, N. (2017). Teaching Protective Behaviours to Young Children: First Steps to Safety Programme. Routledge.Rose, J. (2004). Protective Behaviours: safety, confidence, and self‐esteem. Journal of Public Mental Health. Don’t forget to share this via Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Buffer, Digg, Tumblr, Reddit, StumbleUpon, Delicious, WhatsApp, Line and Naver.
Sept 1st is MCH Educators Day! It is a day when we recognise and thank our amazing educators for their tireless dedication to the care and education of the children in our care! Thank you for all that you do! Here is a little video to show our appreciation! Don’t forget to share this via Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Buffer, Digg, Tumblr, Reddit, StumbleUpon, Delicious, WhatsApp, Line and Naver.
We found this great resource from Red Nose Australia about the best bedding to ensure your baby is safe while sleeping. Overheating is one of the major risk factors for SIDS and SUDI, but how do you know how much or what sort of bedding to use to keep baby both warm and safer while sleeping? This information can help. Key points on how much bedding should be placed on baby in a sleeping environment Dress baby and use layers as you would dress or use layers yourself: to be comfortable, neither too hot nor too cold. Research has shown that baby’s risk of dying suddenly and unexpectedly is increased if baby is sleeping on the tummy and that risk is even further increased if baby is sleeping on the tummy under heavy bedding or if baby’s head becomes covered by bedding in any position. Babies manage heat loss very efficiently when placed on the back to sleep with the head uncovered. Sleep baby on the back and keep baby’s head uncovered during sleep to reduce baby’s risk of sudden unexpected death. Make up baby’s bed so baby sleeps at the bottom of the cot and the blankets can only reach as far as baby’s chest, ensuring baby cannot move down during sleep and get his/her head covered by bedding. Consider using a safe baby sleeping bag (one with fitted neck, armholes or sleeves and no hood). Dress baby for sleep and add/remove lightweight blankets to ensure baby’s back or tummy feels comfortably warm to the touch. Remove hats, bonnets, beanies and hooded clothing from baby’s head as soon as baby is indoors. Overheating Since the introduction of public health programs promoting ‘back-to-sleep’ to reduce the risk of SUDI, there has been a significant reduction in the number of babies dying suddenly and unexpectedly.1 However, tragically, around 113 babies die suddenly and unexpectedly every year in Australia2 and it is important to keep following evidence-based recommendations on ways to avoid risk factors related to baby’s sleep environment.3-4 The association between overheating and SUDI has been known for several years particularly if baby’s head is covered.5-8 Current research confirms that if your baby becomes too hot, the risk of SUDI is increased.9 Overheating can be caused by room heating, high body temperature, excessive clothing or bedding and head covering.10 To reduce the risk of this, Red Nose recommends that you, as baby’s parent or carer, use your own judgement, taking into account factors such as where you live (climate, whether it is summer or winter), whether you have heating in the house, and whether baby has a cold or minor illness (which may cause their temperature to rise). A useful guide is to dress baby as you would dress yourself: to be comfortable, neither too hot nor too cold. If baby has a minor illness and has a temperature it is common for parents or carers to overdress baby for sleep11 but in fact, fewer bedclothes should be used or, at times, none at all. If parents or carers are worried that baby is ill they should talk to their baby’s doctor and have the baby assessed. Both hyperthermia (unusually high body temperature) and hypothermia (unusually low body temperature) are important to avoid during infancy.8 Baby’s face and head should always remain uncovered. Baby’s head (particularly the face) is the main route for heat loss.12 Overheating has been found to be related to SUDI and the risk of overheating is increased if baby is sleeping on the tummy.5 This is especially dangerous if baby is under heavy bedding as, if baby should roll over onto the tummy, then the risk of overheating is even further increased. In fact, research has shown that babies sleeping on the tummy are at ten-fold the risk of SUDI while sleeping in a heated room.6 Increased temperature has been shown to alter infant physiology by increasing respiratory and heart rate and in some studies the frequency of central apnoeas. Increased temperature, whether due to head covering or by increasing room temperature depresses arousal responses and reduces autonomic control of heart rate.13-16 Both impaired respiratory control, arousal from sleep and autonomic cardiovascular control have been implicated in the final mechanism of SIDS.9,17 Bedding for babies who have a cold Research has shown that babies with symptoms of a common cold are often given more bedding than they need due to care giver concerns that babies showing signs of a cold need to be kept very warm.11 In fact, providing assistance to babies with a common cold to effectively regulate their temperature is very important. This can be best achieved by placing them on the back to sleep with the head uncovered and removing some bedding or clothing. If baby is overly warm to touch, or showing signs of heat stress (irritability, looking unwell, floppy, drier skin, refusing to drink or having fewer wet nappies than usual) then see your doctor or health professional immediately. Can we say exactly how many blankets to use when baby is placed to bed? The simple answer is – No. Red Nose recommend that rather than state how many bedclothes can be safely placed on a baby, parents can work out the amount of bedding to be used after considering these factors: The room temperature where baby is sleeping. How hot does the baby feel? A good way to check baby’s temperature is to feel baby’s back or tummy (don’t worry if baby’s hands and feet feel cool – this is normal). Whether the baby has a cold or infection or another special need. Consider how many layers that you as the baby’s carer are wearing comfortably. Sleeping baby in a safe baby sleeping bag: one designed especially for baby with fitted neck and armholes and no hood, has a number of features that help baby sleep safely. Research has shown that sleeping bag use will reduce the risk of bedclothes covering the baby’s face, will delay baby rolling onto the tummy during sleep until baby is past the age of peak risk of
At My Cubby House we believe that by creating and providing a sustainable environment where our children will learn to care and appreciate their world. We embed sustainable practices every day in all relevant learning areas. Sustainability education can be fun, engaging and empowering for children. It allows them to take responsibility for their actions and to contribute their vision for a sustainable future. In our centre some of the practices the educators and children follow: • Turning off all lights and air-conditioners when no one is in the rooms • Turning taps off • Using the half flush on the toilets • Recycle • Used recycled materials in play and learning • Reduce food wastage • Purchase locally • Grow our own vegetables • and much more!!! • Sustainability is more than gardening and turning off taps. All life on Earth depends on the environment. Sustainability is the idea that humans must interact with the environment in a way that ensures there will be enough resources left for future generations. In addition to our daily practices we provide fun monthly sustainability themes that the rooms incorporate into their teaching. We are currently having a look at pollution for the month of May. The children have enjoyed sensory play in the water seeing how our local waterways all are interconnected and if one gets polluted, so do the neighbouring waterways. Another pollutant is landfill which we begin learning what we can recycle instead. The children have thoroughly enjoyed this theme. Check out your rooms daily stories and the Sustainability monthly newsletter on Storypark and have a look at the cool pictures! For the month of June we go into the “Under the Sea” theme. Educators are excited and have some wonderful learning opportunities for the children. My Cubby House collaborates with some incredible community programs to provide a wider range of learning opportunities for our children. We have the wonderful Nikki from the Kids in the Garden program on Monday’s in the tractor yard. Nikki has a world of knowledge and also helped teach us how to use a worm farm to provide quality fertilizer for our gardens. On the 2nd of June we were delighted to bring the RecycleMan Show to the centre where we get to learn about the importance of recycling. We LOVE our families involvement and support! Thank you to all the families who support our big ideas. Our families have been helping us create the new boatyard garden beds and donating all of the Woolworths Discovery Garden seeds! The children had a blast growing them. We appreciate any recycled donations from families as we use many materials in our rooms for creative learning. Items like bread clips, bottle lids, jars, alfoil and cling wraps rolls all have open possibilities of fun! Please talk to your child’s teacher if you would like to donate. “No job is too big, and no job is too small. The care of our Earth is a job for all of us”. Kirsten Webber – MCH Sustainability Champion. If you have any questions about our approach to sustainability, or would like to be involved in some way, please contact our office on 07 5527 1679 Don’t forget to share this via Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Buffer, Digg, Tumblr, Reddit, StumbleUpon, Delicious, WhatsApp, Line and Naver.
Outdoor play in an early years setting provides great opportunities for children to play where they can learn to handle new situations and assess risk for themselves. Children that are energetic in their early years usually continue to be more active as they grow up. By encouraging younger children to spend more time outside and less with digital devices, you’re not only supporting your child’s physical health, but you’re supporting them to develop their intellectual and emotional well-being. The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), places a strong emphasis on the importance of everyday outdoor practices for children’s learning and growth. There is so much for them to see, discover and learn. Children who play in green spaces feel more focused, less tense and happier. There are numerous health benefits to playing outside. Here we mention the Top 6 benefits of outdoor play 1. Brain Development Outdoor play is essential to a child’s healthy brain development. When they are playing outside, they are designing games, exploring the world around them and coming into contact with feelings of independence. As children play, they learn more about the importance of making and following rules. The outdoor environment is particularly important to those children who learn best through active movement. Through their sensory and physical experiences, young children learn predominantly which supports brain development and the formation of neural networks. 2. Encourage a physically healthier lifestyle. Outdoor play maintains the growth of a healthy and active way of life by offering children opportunities for physical activity, freedom and movement. Through challenges and physical activity, outdoors play supporting children to sleep, eat, and live more healthily. This encourages them to form healthy living habits.. Children playing outside get aerobic exercise and develop skills, for example pushing and pulling outdoor play tools. Playing in the sun helps to develop vitamin D in the body, which means stronger bones and less likelihood of chronic diseases. The feeling of having physical space in which to move often results in a child being more ready to open up and talk about things with their parent or caregiver. Playing and learning outside also supports children to know and respect nature, the surroundings and the interdependence of animals, humans, plants, and life cycles. 3. Developing Motor Skills Young children need the opportunity to use their full body and grow their gross motor skills. Children who play outside are more likely to enjoy activities like running, walking and cycling. When children are outside, they have the space to run, walk, jump, swing and experience involvement through all their senses, which in turn strengthens their physical and ‘mental’ muscles. Children need an outdoor environment that can provide space, places to explore, experiment, discover, be active and healthy, and develop their physical abilities. 4. Improve sensory skills Outdoor play offers children a variety of sensory experiences which then helps to process them as they continue to develop and grow. The varying nature of the outdoors makes it an amazingly stimulating and multi-sensory place to play. 5. Social development Children must learn how to work together and make new friends, how to share and collaborate and how to treat other people. Organised settings, for example school or sports teams, do not always provide the environment for children to develop social skills independently. Outdoor play can help children to develop social skills and how to cooperate with other children away from adult control. 6. Independence and emotional resilience of a child The outdoor space in which children play can also provide opportunities for the child to develop independence, even when playing in groups. They can often attempt tasks and activities they wouldn’t be able to do indoors and apply problem-resolving strategies. The confidence that results from this will help them to develop their self identity and independence as they continue to develop. If you have any questions or would like to find out more about the outdoor play opportunities at our centre, please call our office on 07 5527 1679. Don’t forget to share this via Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Buffer, Digg, Tumblr, Reddit, StumbleUpon, Delicious, WhatsApp, Line and Naver.
Staying healthy in childcare At My Cubby House, we take the health and wellbeing of children in our care very seriously. As such, all of our staff and educators are trained in, and follow strict health and safety procedures, as outlined in the National Health and Medical Research Council’s publication: Staying Healthy – Preventing infectious diseases in early childhood education and care services. Staying Healthy provides educators and other staff working in education and care services with simple and effective methods for minimising the spread of disease. It contains more ‘how to’ advice on procedures and discussing exclusion periods with parents. The advice is presented in six parts: concepts of infection control monitoring illness in children procedures issues for employers, educators and other staff fact sheets on diseases common to education and care services forms, useful contacts and websites. For ease of access, below are links to a number of useful resources that you may like to download: Breaking the chain of infection – Information for families What causes infections – Information for families Exclusion periods explained – Information for families Part 5 Fact sheet – Croup Part 5 Fact sheet – Warts For more information, you may like to download the entire document: Staying Healthy: Preventing infectious diseases in early childhood education and care services (5th Edition) If you have any questions or would like to find out more about how we care for the health of children in our care, please call our office on 07 5527 1679. Don’t forget to share this via Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Buffer, Digg, Tumblr, Reddit, StumbleUpon, Delicious, WhatsApp, Line and Naver.
We recognise that Cultural Diversity in childcare is essential if we want to live in a society that values equality and justice for all. The first five years of life are considered a period of rapid and radical changes in child development. During this period, a child’s brain develops quickly and radically – more than a million neural connections are created every second during the first five years of life. New experiences help children learn and form a sense of identity. In other words, children from very young ages learn about the world around them and their place in it. They internalise social messages from their parents, caregivers, early childhood educators, and other caring adults. These agents of socialisation often send messages about what is and what is not acceptable and valued. Young children from the earliest age internalise lessons about privilege and power, ethnicity, race, language, and sexual orientation. Such messages can have long-lasting consequences not only for a child but also for a whole society. Cultural Diversity in Childcare Centres In a society that strives for cultural diversity and social justice, respect for diversity in childcare is a foundation for raising generations who highly value equality and fairness. A lot of families in our centre come from different cultural and often multi-lingual backgrounds. For many families, immigration and a struggle to assimilate in a new culture can often disrupt family dynamics and often, they may feel torn between cultures. Cultural diversity in childcare provides opportunities to understand, respect, and celebrate diverse cultures among families, children, teachers, and Australia’s indigenous culture.[i] We recognise that our educators and staff need to address injustice and show their respect for diversity by celebrating differences in age, gender, disabilities, race, ethnicity, social, cultural, and economic backgrounds. [ii] Social Justice in Childcare As defined by the United Nations, “Social justice is the view that everyone deserves equal economic, political, and social rights and opportunities.” Social justice in childcare settings means that every child has equal rights, equal opportunities, and equal treatment. It means that children who are traditionally disadvantaged have the same educational and social opportunities.[iii] How to Promote Respect for Diversity in Childcare We recognise that our early childhood educators have a social and moral responsibility to promote social justice and support equity for children of different gender, abilities, diverse cultural and socio-economic backgrounds, and sexual orientations.[iv] To nurture cultural diversity in our classrooms, our centre and educators strive to adopt the following guidelines: Keep in mind that each family is unique Get to know each family Develop relationships with families that promote trust Encourage families to participate in cultural activities Encourage families to discuss cultural diversity at home Nurture and model inclusive behaviour Express interest in diverse cultures Ask questions to avoid misunderstanding or offending our families Choose themes for our classroom that celebrate diversity and inclusion Celebrate diversity through children’s artwork Keep a calendar of Cultural and Religious Dates across our centre and classrooms Help children and families socialise with others in our community Our educators strive to show respect for diversity and celebrate differences to strengthen each child’s self-identity and confidence while promoting inclusive practice in childcare and the community. If you would like to know more about how we approach cultural diversity in our centre, please call us on (07) 5527 1679 Sources: [i] https://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Parliamentary_Departments/Parliamentary_Library/pubs/rp/rp0809/09rp29 [ii] https://child.unl.edu/cultural-diversity [iii] https://www.un.org/esa/socdev/documents/ifsd/SocialJustice.pdf [iv] http://www.resourcingparents.nsw.gov.au/ContentFiles/Files/diversity-in-practice-tipsheet-2.pdf Don’t forget to share this via Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Buffer, Digg, Tumblr, Reddit, StumbleUpon, Delicious, WhatsApp, Line and Naver.
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