Welcoming Families from around the World

In preparing for this assignment I decided to select the country of Poland as the country of origin for this family. Working with families and children is one of the most rewarding jobs however it comes with a lot of planning and preparing. I would want to try and make this child’s transition into a new learning environment as pleasant as possible with as much familiarity as possible. The first step would be to find out where exactly where in Poland the family was from. I would want to learn a few words in Polish especially thank you, please, and the town’s name. I would also try to write these words and others in English and Polish so the parents and staff could begin to recognize them. Being as knowledgeable as I can be with this diversity is essential to helping the family feel safe and comfortable. The second step would be to have a specific orientation with the family and maybe an interpreter so that they felt more comfortable and at ease with the center and classroom setting. Families who have a hard time communicating sometimes feel they are not appreciated or their family is not important. I want to make sure the family builds a bridge with us and their child’s classroom. I want to welcome their culture and diversity into the center and help them to feel as comfortable as possible. The third step would be to familiarize myself and the other staff with specific culture and religious attributes that would show our respect and understanding for the family. I would try and have a family questionnaire filled out with a translator if possible during the orientation. As much information about the child and family would be of great benefit for the staff and teacher at the center. The communication barrier will be a tremendous obstacle to overcome and key information from the family is important. The fourth step would be to bring in pictures, words, etc. into the classroom that originate from Poland and maybe even from their small town. The internet has valuable resources when it comes to finding unique pictures and memorabilia from different parts of the world. You can even get words translated into other languages to help with identification and pronunciation accuracy. The fifth step would be to involve the family into the learning environment and center. We want the family to feel they are valued and that their children are just as special as any other child. We are here to support families and children and we need to make sure that their diversity is embraced just as any other diversity. I think these five steps will help to plan and prepare for the family. When we reach out and make an effort to identify and familiarize ourselves with other family’s culture and diversity we are helping to build that bridge that is needed for them to fit into society without losing their diversity and culture.