Welcoming Families From Around the World

You are working in an early childhood setting of your choice—a hospital, a child care center, a social service agency. You receive word that the child of a family who has recently emigrated from a country you know nothing about will join your group soon. You want to prepare yourself to welcome the child and her family. Luckily, you are enrolled in a course about diversity and have learned that in order to support families who have immigrated you need to know more than surface facts about their country of origin.

I will be welcoming a child from the Czech Republic into my classroom.

At least five ways in which you will prepare yourself to be culturally responsive towards this family:

1. Prepare questions for the family that will aide in understanding the families deep culture.  If the parents do not speak English provide a translator.  

2. Conduct research about the Czech Republic including language, schooling, family traditions, holidays and culture.  However, don't assume the family will be exactly like the family life you researched.

3. Prepare  paraprofessionals and classroom volunteers with information that will allow for a smoother transition for the child and his or her family.

4. Prepare the classroom's visual and material environment to support the child's culture.
 
5. If the child will be starting in the middle of the school year.  Prepare the children to embrace the new child.  

Preparing the classroom environment, the adults who will be working directly and indirectly with the child, and the students will allow for a smoother transition for both the child and his or her family.  It is extremely difficult to be the "new kid" especially when you are entering a completely different culture.  It is essential that the program and the environment be adequately prepared to meet the needs of the child and his or her family.