Creating Affirming Environments

Being a child care director I have had the opportunity to put together a center but using the materials that were bought for me by my superiors. Not having the chance to purchase the items that I thought were necessary for the classrooms was a disappointment and I knew we were missing some key items. Getting the chance now to think how I would design a Home Center gives me that opportunity to list the items that I knew were missing from my own school’s first purchase. Derman-Sparks and Edwards (2010, p. 43) states “an environment rich in anti-bias materials invites exploration and discovery and supports children’s play and conversations in both emergent and planned activities”. I feel that not only can conversations be built by children between their teachers and other children but also between the children and their parents which is very important as well.

My center will have many areas for exploration and discovery such as a dramatic play/dress up, kitchen, library/quiet area, art/sensory, building/blocks, and a manipulative/puzzle area. I feel many different areas gives children options and a chance to accomplish what it is they want to do at that time. Throughout all of these areas of the center will be pictures of them, whether it be playing and working together with a friend or working alone on a project. My students always love seeing themselves on the walls and always point them out to parents or family when they come into the classroom. Again, this gives the children and families another chance to communicate about school and their achievements. Along with pictures of the students will be pictures of our families so the children can feel the sense of home when at school by seeing their families with them daily. I would have parents bring in pictures of all kinds, not just of family photos but pictures that have meaning in the respect of their culture and items that are important to their family. All children apart of the center them gets the chance to learn about the cultures of their friends and the differences and similarities of us all. “In programs the serve the children whose lives are too often made invisible by the dominant culture (children of color, children from poor families, etc.), plentiful images of themselves, their families, and their communities- in all of their diversity- help to counter the harm of invisibility” (Derman-Sparks and Edwards, 2010, p. 44). I enjoyed the “family share area” that Adriana Castillo (Laureate Education, 2010) incorporated into her home center that allowed families to share with everyone a part of their culture. This also gives the children a confidence seeing a part of their family when they walk into school every day and a chance for them to share with their friends why they are proud of whom they are.   

The materials that occupy these certain areas will show the diversity of our whole school and not just focus on one culture and will have many different themes incorporated based on our themes according to the curriculum. Within all books, dolls, puzzles, clothes, paint colors and paper, food, and learning games all ethnicities will be apparent so no one has the chance to feel invisible. According to Derman-Sparks and Edwards (2010, pg. 44) “one of the best  tools you can have for anti-bias work is a camera, which will permit you to make books, posters, class bulletin boards, and learning materials specific to the families and children in your program”. This also pertains to what I was saying earlier about having pictures up around the classroom for all to enjoy throughout the day. I noticed one of the games that was introduced to us during Adriana’s tour (Laureate Education, 2010) showed individuals of many different ethnicities as well as the puzzle that was on the shelf.

I have come to the realization throughout my years of working with children that it does not become easier watching a crying child separate from their mom or dad in the mornings. I loved Adriana’s idea of the “nap room” which gives the children who are having a hard time saying goodbye in the morning a chance to express their feelings and emotions and get themselves together in a sense in order to learn and grow during the day while at school (Laureate Education, 2010). She provides a comfy couch and pillows along with a song that they sing once they have made it through the second step of trying to calm down. This sounds like it would be a great are for those children that need a few extra minutes to get settled down in the morning before they join the group. I would also love for the parents to join our circle times or any other times throughout the day that they can in order to be a partner in their child’s learning and get to know the other families of other children in order to create a sense of community. “Relationships and interactions with children and families, the visual and material environment, and the daily curriculum all come together to create the anti-bias learning community” (Derman-Sparks and Edwards, 2010, p. 51).

References

Laureate Education, Inc. (2011). Strategies for working with diverse children: Welcome    to an anti-bias learning community. Baltimore, MD: Author

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