Affirming Environments

Welcome to my center, as you walk in the door you will be greeted by photos of the staff and a photo of me.  I want the people that walk through the doors to know who will be greeting them and working with them. It is also a way for us all to feel connected to each other. I like the transition space that was talked about in Adriana’s tour, so in each of the rooms that I would have there would be a space that I would call the collective space.  A spot where there would be a comfortable place to sit with books and smooth jazz playing.  I would start the year out with selections of music that are my favorite and the staff’s favorite and invite our children to share their favorites that it would reflect all of us.  Towards the back of the room I would have a dramatic play area that would have games and clothes that look like the things that we wear to work and we would add on as we talked about the different jobs that our love one’s wear and the clothes that are seen in our community. Within the dramatic play section we will have dolls that are male and female and will be diverse (Derman-Sparks & Olsen Edwards, 2010). The art section will have different mediums of materials. There would be all kinds of colors and a color wheel so that we can talk about combining colors and making new colors.  There would be a block section along a wall that will also have manipulatives, and an international section that would have flags and different pictures and info cards on different nations with maps and a globe, and stories of the food of those nations; and beside that would be the computer section. I think it is important that we know our world and if we are going to have people from all over the world than we need to know where they come from.  Next to that space would be a science space and then the door to the playground, so we can easily reach nature. On the other side of the door a cubby space. We would have a space where the children could place pictures of their family and the things that their family likes to do.

Mu ideal would be to start with a who we are, as in the starting with Who Is, by Julie Bisson, then we could build on a who we are and we get to know each other. We will share we are and if there are people that are not represented within our group we will bring in photos.  The books would be alongside of the collection space.  Everything that we will have in our center will be anti-bias and will reflect that that is who we are.

References:

Derman-Sparks, L., & Olsen Edwards, J. (2010). Anti-bias education for young children and ourselves. Washington, D.C.: National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).

Laureate Education, Inc. (2011). Strategies for working with diverse children. Baltimore, MD: Author