"You don’t always have to be right!” says veteran early-childhood educator Jennifer Boyden, who’s worked with many immigrant children and their families.

For example, when faced with a Chinese child lovingly wrapped in more layers of clothing than she feels are needed, Boyden has learned to stop and think before objecting. Chinese parents dress children warmly, explains Chinese American dentist and mom Stella Dijamco, because “if the kids are cold, their bodies have to fight the cold, and (they’re) more susceptible” to getting sick.

So, Boyden says, if it’s really warm, “I ask the parent, ‘Is it OK if I take off some layers?’ If it’s 65, I let it go. You have to respect the parents as experts on their own child.”

Half the preschoolers in California have at least one immigrant parent. How can early childhood professionals work effectively and respectfully with immigrant families?

Empathize and negotiate

Darlene Morales, whose Little Star preschool program in Los Angeles serves 80% Latino immigrant families, immigrated at age nine from El Salvador. She understands that parents have values that may conflict with U.S. preschool expectations.

Many, for instance, “feel children have to be clean and presentable all the time,” she says. They sometimes get upset: “Oh my God! My child has red paint on his shirt!” Morales tries to respect parents’ values by keeping children as neat as possible and giving parents advance notice of messy activities. Parent Maria Angeles says she appreciates those efforts, as well as the mandiles (aprons) the children wear to keep their clothes clean.

Explain U.S. ways

Morales says some parents give her permission to spank their children. “I understand!” says Morales. “Spanking is completely normal for their experience and may be OK where they grew up—but it goes against regulations in the U.S.” Morales explains the law but also shares ideas about alternatives: “The goal is proper behavior,” she agrees. “Let’s try a different way.”

Draw on cultural strengths

Unlike individualistic American culture, many immigrant cultures emphasize the importance of the group, says Cal State L.A. professor Marlene Zepeda, who developed the Bridging Cultures in Early Care and Education training program. “Of course you can’t put people in boxes,” she says, but early childhood professionals can look for the positive values of different cultures.

U.S.-born teachers, for example, are sometimes disapproving when immigrant mothers feed their preschool children. But the parent’s perspective, says Zepeda, is “I’m teaching my child to (give and) receive help” and to feel nurtured.

For many immigrant parents, says Lancaster preschool provider Marianella Ortega Leiva Hickery, “culture is everyone helping each other”—and teachers who understand this have no shortage of parent volunteers! In her program parents help in the classroom, bring one another’s children to school, and prepare feasts for year-end celebrations.

Actively support diversity

At Hickery’s preschool, she says, one Latina mom confided that her son was afraid of African Americans —and that neither of them had ever met an African American person. Hickery knew some African American children would soon enroll in her preschool so, she says, “I started preparing the kids.”

She brought in black dolls and books with pictures of black kids. She talked to the children about the importance of being friends with everybody. When the African American kids arrived, Hickery had the boy who was afraid sit next to the newcomers during circle time and paired them up for games. It took about three days, she says, but the child “found out (the new kids) are great people, like everybody else.”

Show respect for home languages

Angeles says it’s important to her that staff in Little Star preschool speak to four-year-old Eduardo in both English and Spanish, so he doesn’t forget his first language. San Francisco-based Wu Yee Children’s Services hires staff who speak both Cantonese and Mandarin, the community’s two major languages.

But you can show respect without being fluent. For example, when families speak languages she doesn’t know, Boyden learns polite phrases in their languages and peppers her speech with familiar words to help the children feel more at home.

At Wu Yee, some families speak neither Cantonese nor Mandarin, but Toishanese, a lower-status “country” dialect. Resource and Referral Manager Mel-Lin Jue tells of one young manager who showed respect to Toishanese-speaking grandparents by asking them how to say things properly in Toishanese.

Support children’s heritage

When early childhood professionals show respect for children’s culture, says Cheryl Hughes of Wu Yee, children feel more comfortable and confident in their ability to learn. In the long run, this support helps children hold onto their home language and cultural heritage. Without it, says Antonia Lopez of the National Council of La Raza, “As we have second, third, and fourth generation immigrants, they become less competent in their native languages and cultures and lose the understanding of how to be part of another world.”

Get involved!

Advocate for Policies that Support Culturally Competent Preschool Programs:

1. Join the English Language Learners Standards Coalition. Spearheaded by the National Council of La Raza, this coalition is working at the state level to ensure the new preschool standards being developed by the California Department of Education reflect the concerns of immigrant families and English Language Learners. Contact: Antonia Lopez, NCLR, 916-448-9852

2. Support the First 5 Advisory Committee on Diversity in pushing for culturally and linguistically competent preschool programs. Go to www.ccfc.ca.gov/ for more information on the committee and a copy of the First 5 equity principles.

3. Get involved in planning for preschool programs in your county, especially if the Universal Preschool Initiative passes (see Proposition 82: Preschool for All).

Resources

• Reaching for Answers: A Workbook on Diversity in Early Childhood Education, BANDTEC (the Bay Area Network for Diversity Training in Early Childhood), 415-485-9468

• Bridging Cultures in Early Care and Education: A Training Module by Marlene Zependa et.al, WestEd, 877-4-WestEd, www.wested.org

• Your county’s First 5 office—find contact information at www.ccfc.ca.gov.

Extra resources from the Children’s Advocate bulletin:

• Bridging Cultures in Early Care and Education is a training module that uses real-life dilemmas from early care and education settings to facilitate discussion about cultural norms. Includes workshop script, facilitation notes, handouts, and resources. $20. WestEd, 877-4-WestEd; summary online at http://www.wested.org/cs/we/view/rs/800

• Children of Immigrants, from Connect for Kids, offers links to resources about immigrant families. Topics include statistics, children of immigrants, challenges in school, immigrant parents in low-paying jobs, and proposed legislation that would benefit immigrant families. Online at http://www.connectforkids.org/node/4016

• Developing and Supporting a Skilled, Ethnically and Linguistically Diverse Early Childhood Workforce discusses the need for a high-quality, diverse early childhood workforce. Includes research, a discussion about why this issue is urgent, challenges, and federal, state, and local policy recommendations. $7. California Tomorrow, (510) 496-0220; online at http://www.californiatomorrow.org/resources/
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Updated 6-09

• Influence of Culture on Early Child Development, from Zero to Three, summarizes research on the impact of culture on early childhood services.
  
• Serving Diverse Families: Strategies for Early Childhood Service Providers, an archived webinar from the Parent Advocacy Coalition for Educational Rights, is designed to help early childhood special education professionals work better with young children and families from diverse cultures.
  

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