Welcoming Families From Around the World

The name of my family's country of origin is China. The family speaks Chinese and o.k. English. The scenario is receiving a new child into my preschool classroom. 

Five ways in which I will prepare myself to be culturally responsive towards this family includes the following;

1. Assessing my own personal biases about the Asian culture. Han & Thomas (2010) state that being willing to be honest with ones feelings and attitudes and remaining open to new information helps to build a strong foundation for multicultural responsiveness.  
2. I will review the enrollment paperwork including information about sleep patterns, toileting habits, the child’s personal interests, favorite foods, interest level in parent involvement, holidays/ celebrations, fears etc. prior to meeting with the child and his/ her family. 
3. I will gather credible, general information about the family’s cultural background i.e., customs and mannerisms through investigative means to determine if they are from a high context culture (one that values social identity) or low context culture (one that values individual identity) Han & Thomas (2010). According to Han & Thomas (2010), China is considered to be a high context culture. Also, parents generally have high expectations for their children’s academic performance and are more likely to avoid conflict. For most Asians, it is customary for young people not to look an old person in the eyes as it is considered disrespectful.  
4. Although the above general information could prove to be useful, I will extend my investigation further by preparing a series of open ended questions to spark conversations during the orientation.  Through dialogue I will be able to learn about the family’s deep culture i.e., values, goals, aspirations, and taboos.  Han & Thomas (2010) referred to the gathering of such information as “Multicultural Knowledge”. 
5. I would arrange time for the child to visit the center to explore his new environment prior to his/ her first day of school and ensure that the environment includes representation of the family’s culture. 

The benefits for making preparations prior to receiving this family into my care include clearing up any presumptions that either of us might have, making my self and the family feel comfortable with each other, helping the family to feel a sense of belonging and being able to respond to the needs of the family and the child respectfully and appropriately.

References

Han, H., & Thomas, M. (2010). No Child Misunderstood: Enhancing Early Childhood Teachers’ Multicultural Responsiveness to the Social Competence of Diverse Children. Early Childhood Educational Journal, 37(6), 469-476. doi: 10.1007/s10643-009-0369-1