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CHCIC511A: Implement and promote inclusive policies and practices

Promote respect for diversity among children

Contents

Ensure language used does not convey bias 3

Gender stereotypes 3

Discuss potential negative impacts of comments that are unfair or biased 6

Ensure own interactions respond to all children in the service 7

The early childhood educator’s position 7

Ensuring your own interactions respond to all children in the service 10

Explore options for children to participate in their community 12

The community 12

The family 12

The children 13

Where appropriate, if children appear to have experienced exclusion, sensitively seek to obtain information about the nature of those experiences 14

Provide positive experiences to support children who may have experienced exclusion 15

Supporting children with differing abilities 16

2 Diploma of Children’s Services: CHCIC511A: Reader LO 9368 © NSW DET 2010

Talk about differences as a positive resource

Ethnicity and identityChildren develop an awareness and even prejudices based on cultural, gender and ability differences at a very early age. These attitudes are learnt rather than being something children are born with. In the light of this information the role of carers in promoting respect and acceptance of diversity is very significant.

As children learn to define themselves as separate and distinct from others, their sense of ethnic identity plays an important part in the development of their concept of self. This seems to be particularly true for children from minority groups. According to Rosalind Millam (1996) children from minority backgrounds need to have a positive image of their particular ethnic group in order to develop a strong personal identity and self-esteem.

During middle childhood ethnic identification becomes an increasingly important element of children’s self-concept. If children feel that their particular ethnic backgrounds are valued and respected, they are likely to develop strong self-concepts. Children who experience prejudice and discrimination, on the other hand, are likely to have a poor sense of self and low self-esteem.

It is important to talk openly with children about different cultural characteristics. Talk about the children’s different hair types and skin colours. Encourage the children to compare the colour of their skin with that of their friends and other children. Wherever possible, provide paint and crayons representing different skin colours so that children can represent themselves accurately in their drawings. Make sure that the books and posters that you provide represent a range of different cultural groupings doing ordinary day-to-day activities. Children also feel that their cultural backgrounds are valued and respected when they are able to celebrate festivals and associated rituals without their particular community. It is important that caregivers are aware of special occasions and appropriate ways of celebrating them with the children.

Diploma of Children’s Services: CHCIC511A: Reader LO 9368 3© NSW DET 2010

Physical characteristics and self-conceptAlthough toddlers may notice physical differences between people, they take little interest in them at this age. They may show some anxiety when first confronted with obvious physical differences, for example, meeting a person who uses a wheelchair for the first time, but this is part of their general anxiety over different and unfamiliar events or people. If they are encouraged to relax in the presence of the unfamiliar person through social referencing they are likely to pay little attention to differences in physical characteristics.

In the same way in which preschool children begin to notice differences such as skin colour, they also begin to notice differences in terms of ability and other physical characteristics. For example, they may ask why a child with a disability must use a wheelchair, or why a child in their group cannot walk independently. During middle childhood children may develop negative attitudes towards difference if they are not encouraged to value differences and diversity. Caregivers can assist children develop a strong sense of self and a positive attitude towards difference by providing opportunities for children to explore and further develop their understandings of difference.

Activity 1


Challenge or restate communications that promote superiority or prejudice to encourage the child’s learning about diversity

What do you think of the following statement?

Children are aware very young that colour, language, gender, and physical ability differences are connected with privilege and power. They learn by observing the differences and similarities among people and by absorbing the spoken and unspoken messages about those differences. (Derman-Sparks 1989)

I have come across research that found that by the age of three years, children take into account gender in their play and relationships with others. By the age of five years, children think the female role is less valued than the male (MacNaughton (1999). I have read about research that found that children from same-sex families freely tell other children about this fact when they are about five or six years old. However by the time they go up to about Year 3, they keep this fact a secret.

When we look at the above quote and research findings how do you feel? I hope it makes you realise what an important job you have!

Discussing the unfairness of comments Let’s revisit some examples of prejudice.

• Marc, a five-year-old boy, wants to play with a fire engine that another child is already playing with. He tells her, ‘You are a girl! You can’t be a fireman!’

• ‘I don’t want to play with Danielle. She’s just like baby,’ a three year old tells her teacher. Danielle is four years old and uses a wheelchair.


• Quan, who is 2½ years old, refuses to hold the hand of a Black classmate. ‘It’s dirty,’ he insists. At home, after bathing, he tells his mother, ‘Now my hair is white because it’s clean.’

• Two five-year-old boys are playing a board game. Darren, a Korean boy, asks to join them. ‘No! You can’t play with us, you’re Chinese,’ one of them says. Then they pull their eyes into a slanted shape.

All of the children in the above examples are dealing with concepts of difference, race, gender and abilities. The children who are discriminating are feeling the effects of power in a relationship. They are learning to believe they are superior. The children who have been discriminated against are struggling with bias. Their ‘difference’ means they cannot fully participate in the experience and that they are not being accepted.

Remember that often prejudice and discrimination are not always overt—an example of covert prejudice and discrimination is ignoring or avoiding another child.

Promoting awareness and respect for differencesWhat does promoting inclusive awareness and respect for differences mean in relation to working with children in group settings? It simply means building awareness among the children that there are various ways of looking at and being in the world—and that these different ways of looking and being are important and necessary.

If you are stereotyped into particular gender roles, you quickly adopt these and accept limitations that are placed on you. If you talk to someone about growing up in the 1950s in Australia they will tell you how difficult it was to break out of the traditional role for a man or a woman.

If you belong to a dominant culture you are often hardly aware of the culture as so many day-to-day activities are immersed in the dominant culture. For example, in Australia, if you are Anglo-Australian the majority of people speak English, eat similar foods, have similar histories, celebrate similar festivals and anniversaries and have similar beliefs and values.

On the other hand, if you come from minority cultures, for example, Aboriginal, African, Asian and Middle-Eastern cultures, you are reminded daily that Australian society consists of people from a variety of different cultures. This is because you are confronted all the time by people who may speak a different language, have different beliefs and values and have different experiences from your own.


If we belong to the dominant culture, it is easy to become complacent and intolerant of differences when we do encounter them. For this reason, it is important to develop sensitivity, understanding and respect for cultural differences among the children we care for in services.

So, what can we do?

Be aware of our own language, biases and actionsFirstly, we need to be aware of our own language, biases and actions. Remember, children model their behaviour and relationships on significant people in their lives. As an educator, you are definitely classified as a significant person. If we use gender specific terminology—ie, if we say ‘policeman’ rather than ‘police officer’—we are conveying that it is okay to refer to people by their gender and that certain genders are associated with certain jobs. If we question the child-rearing techniques of a family from a Asian background but don’t question the techniques from a family with an Anglo background we are reinforcing the differences.

I think we all have our biases—those of us from the dominant culture and religion as well as those of us from minority cultures and religions, those of us who are ‘straight’ as well as those of us who are ‘gay’, those of us who are able-bodied as well as those of us with a disability and so on.

If we are members of a dominant group, we come from a position of power, our prejudices and unfair practices can have a lot of impact.

Whatever our background or identity, it is part of our growth as human beings living in a society that we honestly confront and challenge our prejudices. It is not too late to change! In our role as educators, we owe it to the children!

Challenge children to think about their behaviour and attitudesWe also need to challenge children to think about their behaviour and attitudes towards others. Take the example of a child from a same-sex family who is scorned by another child because he has two mums.

Without threat or fear of punishment, we have a responsibility to challenge this child’s thinking. How do you do that?

Build up trust and confidence between you and the child. If children are supported and treated as capable, reasoning beings who can empathise, we communicate a sense of trust and confidence. Help the child understand what it means to be a child of gay parents being scorned.


Give reasons to why the behaviour is inappropriate and hurtful. When children are supported and given reasons why their behaviour is inappropriate and also ideas or examples of what they can do and say, it easier for them to internalise.

Strategies for working with children to eliminate prejudiceWe need to help children learn how to think for themselves—and to be able to judge whether a comment they hear is ‘fair’ or ‘unfair’. In other words, we can help children think critically—a skill that will become increasingly very important as they grow up.

Below are a few strategies to start with:

• Encourage children to put themselves into the shoes of other children. You might begin by saying, ‘Imagine if we all went to another planet. We cannot speak their language and they cannot speak ours. How would you feel?’ Later, talk about how they think they would feel if other children wouldn’t let them play just because of how they look, or what they wear, or how they talk.

• Encourage children to see everyone as an individual. You might begin by asking them what their food preferences are. Are they the preferences the same for everyone in their family? ‘We don’t all like the same things, do we?’, you might say. Later, you could talk about other differences as well as individual ideas and choice.

• Help children understand that there are differences among people identified as belonging to a group. You might say when reading about a child who celebrates the festival of Diwali, ‘Vijendra comes from a Hindu family. Not everyone from India is Hindu though. Some are Christians. Some are Muslims. There are many more religions in India. Some may not really follow a religion.’ Later, you can even talk about differences within smaller groups.

• Encourage children to understand that we have similarities—not just differences. This is how you might begin—when reading about a child from Europe who loves music, ask the children if they enjoy music. Do they think people in other countries enjoy music? Talk about how people all over the world enjoy music. You can show them pictures of musical instruments from various countries and play them songs and music from these countries. On another day, you might talk about feelings of hurt and joy that children share universally as humans after reading a story about a child from another culture. Later, you might talk about universal sentiments and values we share with people in our community, people all over the world as well as other people who are different from their families (in lifestyle, identity, religion etc).


Here is a website that you might like to look at for further ideas. http://collections.ic.gc.ca/child/docs/00000934.htm

Gender rolesChildren need adult assistance to go beyond stereotypic gender roles. You can help by:

• Expanding children’s play options. For example, by reorganising play areas – putting the home corner and block corner together.

• Actively and directly involving children in new activities. For example assigning boy and girl teams to the block corner or the home corner.

• Expanding children’s awareness of gender roles. For example, by reading books about characters who contradict gender stereotypes.

Above all promoting respect for diversity among children means being alert to the opportunities that arise to discuss and challenge children’s ideas whether about culture, gender, ability or family differences.

Work with familiesAdditionally, we also need to work with families. We know the family is the most influential people in a child’s life.

Provide opportunities for children to develop understanding of different experiences and perspectives

Children need time and support as they learn about differences. Think about a time you moved outside of your comfort zone, how did it feel?

I recently went sky-diving for the first time. My best friend and I thought it would be a great experience, and it was! However, being strapped to a man I didn’t know and peering out of a plane at 13 000 feet was very different. Let me tell you, I was glad to have my friend for support and encouragement and very glad to have an instructor who knew what he was doing. In the same way, children look to us, in our role as educators, to support them and help them understand new and different experiences.


Planning opportunities for children to develop an understanding of differencesProviding resources that support the development of cultural identity is important but there are other reasons for ensuring that programs for children reflect a cross-cultural perspective. For example, we live in a democratic society where the rights and responsibilities of individuals are respected and honoured. This includes our right to practise our religious beliefs, follow our cultural practices, live with those we choose and participate fully in society regardless of our individual differences and without prejudice. For these reasons it is important for children to grow up valuing the many differences among people in our society. Designing programs that reflect a cross cultural perspective can contribute to this.

Variables of diversityAustralian society consists of many distinct groups who have their own particular histories and experiences. In children’s services, we come across many different people from various walks of life.

Activity 2

All these differences are considered to be variables of diversity in Australian society. Because Australia has a commitment to acknowledging and valuing people from all walks of life it is important that early childhood programs reflect the diversity of variables listed here.

Upholding our commitmentThere are many different ways in which we can ensure this commitment is upheld. These include:

• selecting resources that help us discuss differences among people in our community

• choosing experiences that foster awareness, understanding and a valuing of differences among people in our community

• selecting materials and resources that are inclusive.

Responding to the spontaneous learning opportunitiesWhen adults respond to children’s curiosity and questions, valuable learning occurs. Take this example:


During an excursion to the local library, Gwyneth, aged 2½ years, stares at an older child who is in a wheelchair. Aisha, one of the childcare workers notices this. She bends over and says to Gwyneth, ‘Do you know that girl is sitting in a wheelchair?’ Gwyneth nods and Aisha explains, ‘She is sitting in the wheelchair because she cannot walk. Her legs are not very strong.’ (Note: This explanation is simple as Gwyneth’s only 2½ years old. With an older child, you would be more exact in your explanation.)

Gwyneth looks thoughtful and then asks, ‘She cannot run and jump?’ Aisha says, ‘No. The wheelchair helps her to move around. Come on now, let’s go and join the others.’ Aisha gives the girl in the wheelchair a smile before they leave. Later, back at the service, Aisha follows up by showing the children pictures of people in wheelchairs and talking to them about how wheelchairs work and why people might use them.

Do you see how this spontaneous learning opportunity supported a child’s understanding about differences? I wonder what would have happened if the carer had told Gwyneth, ‘Don’t stare at poor people like that’ and then later tells the children that they must not stare at people in wheelchairs because it is rude. Would the child’s knowledge have been increased? No, how do you think the child in the wheelchair would have felt? Not very good, I would imagine.

Providing opportunities for childrenUsing the scenario above, here is a curriculum web for planning ideas for Gwyneth


Sample curriculum web for interest in wheelchairs

Activity 3


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