Check Your Space – Look first at your physical environment.  Use non-stereotypical pictures, posters, books, puzzles, dolls, toys and materials that show a variety of cultures as they appear today.  Avoid things like Native Americans in feathered headdresses, Dutch children in wooden shoes, and similar items.  Appropriate materials include artwork and articles from existing cultures like fabrics, wall hangings, picture collages, musical instruments, paintings, post cards, photographs, and current travel posters. 

Make sure there is great variety in materials and equipment. I insist that ALL learning centers have pertinent and relevant books in them. If possible, include some books written/published in countries other than the US. Put maracas, kimbas, bongos, gongs, gourds, rattles, and conch shells in the music center; terrariums, gardens, texture collages, and animal photos in the science center as well as grains, rice, beans, corn, and grits in the water table; multiethnic foods, utensils, and menus in the home or role play center as well as non-specific and non-stereotypical materials for the children to create their own costumes; (not just Disney Princess dresses)and dolls and family figures of all ethnicities and abilities in the home center and put all kinds of homes and environments in the social studies (blocks) center like desert, mountain, tropical, arctic, rural, and urban settings.

Check Your Plans – Look at your experience plans and make sure to use themes and units that offer information that is fact-based and relevant. Avoid units entitled ‘Chinese New Year’ in which you gather chopsticks and fortune cookies as props and bring in coolie hats and kimonos. Avoid celebrating Cinco de Mayo by serving tacos for snack. These are misrepresentations of Asian and Mexican culture that is a conglomeration of stereotypical and non-factual information. It serves no purpose but to confuse the children and encourage stereotyping.  Keep your AE units broad and relevant.

Instead, use a more general unit like, “Places Far Away” in which your kids can see photos of modern children from distant places. Your children can compare games, make and eat food, see and recreate artwork, read stories from chosen countries and even “write” letters to children in the places around the world.  Not every theme in a ME/AE curriculum is based on teaching about “foreign countries”.  The point of is to let the children have a factual picture of the real world around them and to begin to lessen the fear of “difference”. I kind of flip-flopped on my blog order here – check out the concepts and suggested themes in the earlier blog!

Check Yourself – Look at your personal feelings about teaching, sharing, communicating, and creating a classroom environment of peace and safety and look at your methods to ensure they are conducive to accepting and respecting each and every child.

Speaking From My Heart – I had a daddy in my Presbyterian preschool program who was a member of a more fundamental faith. He became angry when books and materials at school depicted families of various ethnicities and compositions different from his own. He wrote letters to my Board demanding a change and insisting that he had chosen our program because of his interpretation of our faith-based philosophy and he did not want his children exposed to “foreign” influences. He left the program. I did not. It is my fondest wish that we, as early educators, stand strong in the faces of those who see authentic education and inclusiveness as a political encroachment rather than a method of assisting each child in our care to reach wholeness through understanding and respect for all.

For some more information and resources on ME, look at:

• The Early Childhood Research Institute on Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services identifies, evaluates, and promotes effective and appropriate early intervention practices and preschool practices that are sensitive and respectful to children and families from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. http://clas.uiuc.edu
• The National Association for Bilingual Education is devoted to representing bilingual learners and bilin­gual education professionals. http://www.nabe.org
• The National Association for Multicultural Educa­tion fosters respect for and appreciation of cultural diversity, promotes the development of culturally responsible and responsive curricula, and facilitates the acquisition of the attitudes, skills, and knowledge to function in various cultures. http://www.nameorg.org
• The National Task Force on Early Childhood for Hispanics endeavors to enhance educational achieve­ment and opportunities for children of Hispanic de­scent and to influence education policy decisions that most affect this population. http://www.ecehispanic.org
• The National Black Child Development Institute aims to improve and advance the quality of life for Black children and their families through advocacy and education. http://www.nbcdi.org
• http://www.naeyc.org/files/yc/file/200811/BTJRaceClassConversations.pdf
• https://www.naeyc.org/files/yc/file/200511/DermanSparksBTJ1105.pd

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