The Bernard van Leer Foundation has released a working paper (another in its series on child development). Developing Programmes to Promote Ethnic Diversity in Early Childhood reviews case studies from Northern Ireland for promising practices in promoting ethnic diversity in early childhood.
The paper examines the effects of ethnic divisions on young children and explores some of the responses of the early childhood sector and concludes with challenges and suggestions on the Joint Learning Initiative on Children and Ethnic Diversity, co-founded by Paul Connolly, one of the authors of this working paper.
Category: Resources
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Diversity and children in Ireland
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Dual language books
Some dual language picture books (and publishers) recently recommended on the child_lit listserv:
Titles
Sun Stone Days/Tonaltin/Dias de Piedra. 2007. Ianna Andraadis. Ill by Felipe Divalos. Groundwood Press.
Angels Ride Bikes and Other Fall Poems/Los Angeles andan en bicicleta y otros poemas de otoao. Francisco X. Alarcan, Ill by Maya Christina Gonzalez. Children’s Book Press. 1999.
My Diary from Here to There/Mi diario de aqua hasta alla. 2002. Amada Irma Pirez. Ill by Maya Christina Gonzalez. Children’s Book Press.
Arrorra, mi Niao: Latino Lullabies and Gentle Games. 2004.
The Bossy Gallito/El gallo de bodas: A Traditional Cuban Folktale. 1994.
A Gift from Papa Diego/Un regalo de Papa Diego. 1998. Benjamin Alire Saenz. Ill by Geranimo Garcia. Cinco Puntos Press.
Mama Goose: A Latino Nursery Treasury/Mama Goose: Un tesoro de rimas infantiles. 2004. Alma Flor Ada and F. Isabel Campoy. Ill by Maribel Suarez.
Hyperion Books for Children. Lucia M. Gonzalez. Ill by Lulu Delacre. Scholastic.
Calling the Doves/El canto de las palomas by Juan Felipe Herrera. 1995. Children’s Book Press.
Counting Ovejas. 2006. Sarah Weeks. Ill by David Diaz. Atheneum Books for Young Readers.
The Empanadas that Abuela Made/Las empanadas que hacia la abuela. 2003. Diane Gonzales Bertrand, Ill by Alex Pardo DeLange. Pinata Books.
Icy Watermelon/Sandia fria. 2001. Mary Sue Galindo, Ill by Pauline Rodriguez Howard. Pinata Books.Deditos/Ten Little
Fingers and Other Play Rhymes and Action Songs from Latin America. 1997. Jose-Luiz Orozco, Ill by Elisa Kleven. Dutton Children’s Books.
Magic Windows/Ventanas magicas. 1999. Carmen Lomas Garza. Children’s Book Press.
Paco and the Giant Chile Plant/Paco y la Planta de Chile Gigante, Ill by Elizabeth O. Dulemba. Raven Tree Press.
My Colors, My World/Mis colores, mi mundo. 2007. Maya Christina Gonzalez. Children’s Book Press.
Publishers
Review Article
The Winter 2007 issue of MultiCultural Review includes a piece on the publication and selection of bilingual (English/Spanish) picture books. See “Descubriendo el sabor: Spanish Bilingual Book Publishing and Cultural Authenticity” by Jamie C. Naidoo and Julia Lopez-Robertson.
Any other recommendations?
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Supporting GARs
First published in International Settlement Canada (INSCAN), Vol. 22, No. 3, Winter 2009 by authors Yasmine Dossal, COSTI Immigrant Services and Rebecca Hill, YMCA of Greater Toronto, Supporting Government Assisted Refugees: A Coordinated Service Delivery Model.
The paper looks at the Resettlement Assistance Program (RAP), reviews the needs and gaps and proposes good practices, including the need for child care services and supports. -
TVO and HIPPY partner for immigrant children's literacy and language development
Announced yesterday, TVO and HIPPY (Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters) will partner to develop and deliver literacy programming for newcomer children. From the press release:
Phase I of the partnership, currently underway, involves the integration of new TVO resources for early learners into HIPPY’s in-home training programs for parents.HIPPY home visitors will now be using special epidsodes of Gisèle’s Book Club, helping kids and parents discover together the joys of reading and diversity as well as the complete Gisèle’s Big Backyard Get Ready for School DVD and CD-ROM, which helps demystify the transition from preschool to kindergarten.
For phase II TVO is creating a user-friendly online community set to launch in the Fall of 2009. The site will focus on two key areas of need: delivering skill-based literacy tools that parents can use with their children and addressing the challenges and opportunities related to instilling a sense of cultural identity in New Canadian children as they prepare for Ontario’s school system. Web content will include panel discussions on cultural identity; video profiles of New Canadians telling their stories; instructional videos on How to Read with Your Child … as well as a variety of interactive opportunities, research articles and multi-lingual resources. -
Settlement needs of BC immigrant and refugee children
Last June, Welcome BC held a Learning Forum and Consultation on the Settlement Needs of Immigrant/Refugee Children 0-6 years of age and Their Families.
The purpose of the day was to provide government with specific advice regarding appropriate programs for newcomer children from birth to age six, and their families “in the intersecting areas of Early Learning and Early Childhood Development”.
Available online now are some very useful resources and materials prepared for the conference by various BC government departments, including: the Attorney General; Children and Family Development; Health; Education; Public Library Services Branch; and from the Burnaby ECD Table. Resources include current (2006) demographic information on countries of origin, home languages, strategic directions of the various departments and etc. There is also a written report on the learning results/outcomes of the conference consultation and participant evaluations:2 page Executive Summary
Report on the Results of the Learning Forum and Consultation on the Settlement Needs of Immigrant/Refugee Children 0-6 Years of Age and their Families. Prepared by Karen L. Abrahamson. -
New York Times series on immigration: Teaching newcomer children
Beginning today, the New York Times will run a series on immigration, inviting a national debate on the topic in the United States. The first installment is a discussion on how best to educate immigrant children. To be followed up this Sunday.
The series will be interactive, inviting comments from readers and includes a searchable database of the history of ethnic diversity in each school district and an interactive map showing census data on settlement over the past century.
Today’s stories include:Robert Linquanti comments on “No Child Left Behind: Pros and Cons”. Linquanti is with WestEd research agency in San Francisco.
Chicago superintendent Roger Prosise writes a piece entitled “For Bilingual Education, You Need Bilingual Teachers”
Co-directors at NYU Immigration Studies, Marcelo Orozco and Carola Orozco write on “Teach in Two Languages”.
A California principal, Linda Mikels counters with a piece entitled “No, Teach in English”.Looks like a fascinating series. Follow it online at the New York Times “Room for Debate” webpage.
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My New Home, TVO documentary about immigrant children
From the press release:
TVO examines the immigrant experience through a child’s eyes in a special interactive event beginning with part one of the two part documentary, My New Home. The film is followed by a live, interactive webcast discussion on Your Voice at tvoparents.com on the immigrant experience in Ontario. This event airs during Belong or Bust: Where Do I Fit In?, a week of premier documentaries, dramas and current affairs programs that explore a variety of viewpoints on the themes of culture and identity and our place in society.
My New Home premieres Sunday March 22 at 8pm and again on Sunday March 29 at 8pm on TVO. Directed by Daisy Asquith and produced by Ricochet Productions.
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Social Policy Report: Children in immigrant families
The Society for Research in Child Development has released a Social Policy Report entitled “Children in Immigrant Families: Looking to America’s Future”. From the Abstract:
Children in immigrant families account for nearly one-in-four children in the U.S. They are the fastest growing population of children, and they are leading the nation’s racial and ethnic transformation. As a consequence, baby-boomers will depend heavily for economic support during retirement on race-ethnic minorities, many of whom grew up in immigrant families. Because the current circumstances and future prospects of children in immigrant families are important not only to these children themselves, but to all Americans, this report uses data from Census 2000 to portray the lives of children with immigrant parents and highlights policy and program initiatives that will foster the future success of these children.
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Multi-language injury prevention resources
Safe Kids Canada has launched an Ethno-Cultural Program, with the development of multi-language injury prevention resources, providing “culturally relevant safety messages for parents and partners to raise awareness and reduce child injuries within ethnic communities”.
Currently, resource sheets and audio clips on the topic “Keep Your Child Safe at Home” are available in simplified Chinese, Punjabi and Portuguese. -
The influence of culture on early childhood
Zero to Three has release a comprehensive overview of the influence of culture on early childhood in the US. The Changing Face of the United States: The Influence of Culture on Early Child Development, by Beth Maschinot, PhD, with funding from the Annie E. Casey Foundation and the Bernard van Leer Foundation posits a new definition for understanding culture in the context of early childhood as:
Culture is a shared system of meaning, which includes values, beliefs, and assumptions expressed in daily interactions of individuals within a group through a definite pattern of language, behavior, customs, attitudes and practices.
This reworked definition of “culture” provides a way of expanding the discussion and extending it to young children and families. The report challenges early childhood practitioners in reexamining how useful traditional research studies have been in helping better understand “culture”.
The report summarizes the findings of a 2007 literature review, conducted by Zero To Three and offers information and resources for early childhood practitioners on how to address the needs of a growingly diverse population. The report suggests that “differences in parent-child interaction styles between ethnic groups may be a function of the group’s place in wider society rather than a cultural difference per se”.