Creating Affirming Environments

This week’s blog as us to describe how a family/home child care would look and run! As a preschool teacher and mom of young children, I have often thought “why don’t I stay home with my own children and take on others instead of sending mine off to daycare” so this assignment excites me a little. (And just so you know, my husband and I talk about me staying home almost monthly during the school year and now that it is summer, I am aching to go back to school – the best of both worlds!)

While watching the video with Adriana Castillo, I really like the “the napping room” where children and parents could go to at drop off time to say good bye, read a story etc. (Laureate Education, 2011). I think along with this, a hello/good bye window could be very helpful for children of all ages.   
I would like to have a separate space for the main portion of childcare if I ran it from home – either a finished basement with large play areas or a bonus room etc.  I prefer this because then I can really transform that space to reflect the children and families in my care – just like I would do in a classroom. I would most definitely post a daily schedule so parents are aware of what we do, lots of pictures of the children and their families, space divided into interest areas for play.  Visually, the space would be exciting and inviting for the children coming to my home. I would like to have lots of windows or mirrors in the room for explorative play.  “An anti-bias environment is culturally consistent for the children and families it currently serves” (Derman-Sparks & Olsen Edwards, 2010, p43).  I would also use as much non-stereotypical pictures/posters and materials as possible.  As an educator (and parent), I really try to stay away from the commercialized toys that are available.  Much of what is sold in stores can be gender specific – My little Ponies are found in the “girl aisle” while Super Hero toys in the “boy”.  I would much rather use regular farm horses that look like real animals and people figures. 

Derman-Sparks & Olsen Edwards (2010) suggest “invite families to participate in the classroom”(p.42).  A way that I do this already and could transfer to a home daycare would be ask the families to donate something to our classroom from their home culture – maybe it is an item from where mom or dad work, something important to their home life etc.  I have had some children make a small book about their family for our library area, dads donate real tools from their jobs, moms send in scrubs, bandages, and other tools from their job.  What I love, is that most of the items are non-gender specific and each year, it is something different and new to talk about.  We talk about who brought it in and what their parent does, but the children love to use these items in their own way.  It is a good way to learn about each other and to include the family.  Other suggestions for family involvement include “bring in something red that represents your family, what are your families three favorite foods” (Derman-Sparks & Olsen Edwards, 2010 p43). 

I think the hardest part of a home daycare would be to not push my own culture onto the children as in tourist curriculum.  My cultural celebrations would surely be present in my home as I usually decorate for Halloween, Christmas etc.  I would have to work really hard to include much more meaningful connections to my home culture as well as the children’s cultures in my care.

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).

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