Creating Affirming Environments



I envision my family daycare home to be a safe haven for children and their families.  My goal is to create an enriching environment that empowers equality and justice for all.  The only way that I can truly accomplish this is by creating an anti-bias educational family childcare home that empowers acceptance and respect for others.  I know that this is not an easy task to accomplish; therefore, I must take into consideration all the families I work with and ensure that their culture is embedded and reflected throughout the environment, because I want the families to feel welcomed.

I think that it is important that parents know what is going on with their child and how they are spending their day while in my care.  Therefore, I would create a Parent Information Board close to the front door. The board would include my license; so that they would know that I am running a legitimate business; a daily schedule, so if they want to stop by for a visit, they will know if it is lunch time, nap time, outside time and so on; a menu, so they will know that their child is receiving nutritious meals; sign-in and out sheet with emergency contact numbers just in case I need to reach them, a newsletter informing them of any upcoming events, parent resources information, and so on.  

I would also have a mail-board where parents could leave notes for me about their child and I can leave notes for them informing them of items their child may need such as wipes, diapers, formula, and any information needing to be passed on.  I like the idea that BJ Richards shared about sharing anecdotes about the child (Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2010). I could make a copy to place in the child’s mailbox for the parents to take home or I could e-mail them a copy of what I observed their child doing or saying while playing in block area and so on.  I feel this is important in order to keep the communication flowing between the teacher and parent in case the parent is rushing when dropping off or picking up their child.  I decided to create this board because in the video, Adriana Castillo, shared how parents could use the writing board to leave messages for her (Laureate Education, Inc, 2012).  I wanted to be able to communicate with the parents in this way, but in a more private way; therefore, I felt that if each family had his or her individual mail-box with a photo of the family attached to it, it would make the transitions go smoother.

I then have to create a healthy learning environment that is going to meet the needs of all of my children and their families individually. I would start off by creating learning centers; dramatic play, art, music, manipulative, science, library and computer, blocks and constructions and quiet area.  Of course, I would have to set up the environment in a way to promote healthy learning.  I would set up the music, block, and dramatic play next to each other and the library, computer, quiet area close together, and the art, science and manipulative adjacent to each other. I would separate these in this way so that the children using the quiet and relaxed areas are not interrupted by the children using the high stimulating areas. 

I would then add developmentally appropriate material to foster a child’s self-concept and empathy for others by empowering healthy intellectual, physical, social, emotional, and moral development (Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2010). The material will include anti-bias books, a variety of musical instruments and CDs, diverse dolls and puppets with varying age gaps, race, gender, body type and disabilities. The dramatic play area will include a variety of clothes, toys, and props for both male and female’s roles. There will be prop boxes to support various themes such as a grocery store, hospital, post office, home environment and others for children to freely role play; thus, making sense of the world in which they live.  The manipulative area will consist of a variety of diverse games and puzzles, with both domestic and store bought items. The art area will contain paper, markers, crayon, play-doh, and paints depicting various skin tone colors. It will also have both right-handed and left-handed scissors, large and small paint brushes and paper and so on. The library would have hard and soft books both domestic and store bought for children to read and tell stories. 

 The overall environment will have photos of the children and their families, children’s art work with their names on it, at their eye level. Children’s long term projects displayed throughout the environment such as Lego designs, science projects, and more.  There will be posters, paintings, and quilts reflecting the culture of the families (Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2010).  Everything will be labeled using the language of the families in my program. 

Children will have their individual cubby, toothbrush, blanket, and mat/crib with their name on it, to make them feel a sense of belonging. They will have the opportunity to participate in a group setting or alone if they so choose.  A quiet area with lots of pillows, books, paper and pencils, will be available for children to utilize at their leisure.  I was encouraged to add this to my environment when I saw Adriana’s transition room where the children are encouraged to express his or her emotions as well as deal with conflict. I wouldn’t want to have a separate room because I want to be able to see them at all times, but I do want to provide them with a place where they can go and think about what they are feeling and why.

There are many things to consider when creating an anti-bias educational family childcare home; therefore, it is essential that we have the child’s best interest at heart. Instead of becoming over stressed and overwhelmed, we need to take it one step at a time (Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2010). By becoming overly excited, often leave room for mistakes and short cuts that can limit our ability to fully meet the needs of the child and his or her family.  Slow down, get to know the children and their families and let them get to know you.  This will begin my process of creating an environment that promotes respect, acceptance, and appreciation of others.

Reference

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).

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). Welcome to an Anti-Bias Learning Community (2012) [DVD] Strategies for Working with Diverse Children. Baltimore, MD: Author.