Responding to linguistics and cultural diversity recommendations for effective early childhood education.

Responding to Linguistic and Cultural Diversity Recommendations for Effective Early Childhood Education. ( A position statement of the National Association for the Education of Young Children. )

So, this is what I have taken away from this particular article.

  Being aware and respectful of a child's home language and culture, as well as being open-minded and encouraging of that home language and culture, promoting the sharing and understanding of different home cultures and languages.
  This does not only refer to those children who speak a language other than English, there may be children whose primary language is English, but they originate from England, thus their language and culture will be vastly different in some respects. That home language and culture still needs and deserves respect.
  The second a child's home language and culture is devalued, that is when they will start to disconnect from their home language and culture. This is extremely detrimental to the child, the family, and to the educators. There will be a barrier between the child's family and their education. 
  When a child "loses" their home language and culture, they lose a part of their identity. Learning will become difficult, the communication barrier between the child and their family will hinder the sharing of knowledge and information.
  Children who are encouraged to embrace, hold on to, and share about their home language and culture, will value their home culture and those of others, more. They better understand how important their home, and the homes of others are. Also, children that gain mastery of their home language, will be better equipped to gain mastery of English. It is also important to remember that every child will absorb English in a different way, as well as at a different rate.
  Encouraging respectful curiosity is of the utmost importance. By sharing cultural information we realize how we are similar, and also how we are different. Sometimes our differences are minor and relatively unimportant, and sometimes they are huge differences,  and those differences both big and small are chances to learn from each other.


  Everyone's culture is deserving of respect.