Infant & Toddler Group Care
Self-Awareness &
Cultural Perceptions
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Learning Objectives
Participants will be able to:
• Examine their own cultural beliefs.
• Discuss caregiving practices that may be
subject to cultural conflicts between the
teacher and parent.
• Implement the culturally responsive caregiving
process of acknowledge, ask, and adapt
when negotiating cultural conflicts.
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Ground Rules
• What behaviors do
you think are
respectful in the
training setting?
• How can we ensure
that we and others
maintain dignity and
self-respect?
• What ground rules
can we agree upon
for this session?
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Revisiting Handout #20: Defining a
Cultural Context
Pull out your completed Handout
#20 from the prior session.
In small groups, discuss the
following:
• What are similarities and
differences among group
members?
• Identify the values underlying
particular practices.
• Reflect on how these values
influence one’s present
beliefs and actions.
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Essential Connections:
Key 6 – Uncover Your Cultural Beliefs
Essential Connections: Ten Keys to
Culturally Sensitive Child Care, 1993.
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Large Group Discussion:
After watching the
video clip, do you
have any further
thoughts about either
your or other group
members’ responses
to Handout #20?
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Essential Connections:
Key 7 – Be Open to the Perspectives of
Others
Essential Connections: Ten Keys to
Culturally Sensitive Child Care, 1993.
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Dyad Discussion:
• Reflect on a past
cultural difference in
caregiving beliefs or
practices that really
surprised or upset you.
• Share this experience
with a partner.
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Essential Connections:
Key 8 – Seek Out Cultural and Family
Information
Essential Connections: Ten Keys to
Culturally Sensitive Child Care, 1993.
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Small Group Discussion:
• What format/process do
you use to gather initial
family information?
• How often is the
information updated?
• What if something new
comes up? How do you
seek the family’s
perspective?
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Essential Connections:
Key 9 – Clarify Values
Essential Connections: Ten Keys to
Culturally Sensitive Child Care, 1993
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Dyad or Small Group Discussion:
Clarifying Values
• Clarify expectation of
parent and teacher.
• Teacher needs to respect
parent’s perspective.
• Need to have a true
dialogue/partnership with
parent.
• Together, parent and
teacher determine what is
best for the child.
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Essential Connections:
Key 10 – Negotiate Cultural Conflicts
Essential Connections: Ten Keys to
Culturally Sensitive Child Care, 1993.
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Define Terms:
Culturally repressive:
Behavior shows no
recognition of the
validity of a different
belief or practice, and
there is no desire to
discuss the difference.
Culturally responsive:
Behavior acknowledges
differences with respect;
there is a desire to gain
understanding and a
resolution, if needed.
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The Steps for Culturally Responsive
Care
Step 1: Acknowledge differences. Recognize the
existence of different cultural assumptions.
Step 2: Ask for information. Get information about
the parent’s and your cultural values and beliefs
so you can solve the problem together.
Step 3: Adapt through negotiation. Use information
gathered to resolve conflicts caused by cultural
differences and find the most effective way to
support each child’s growth.
Developing Culturally Responsive Caregiving Practices:
Acknowledge, Ask and Adapt, Louise Derman-Sparks
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Activity: Handout #37, Assessing
Cultural Responsiveness
Scenario #1: A Baby is Crying
• Read the situation and each
response, along with the rating
for each response in the
article.
• How would you rate each
response -- repressive or
responsive?
• Compare your rating with the
one in the article. Discuss your
rating with a partner.
Developing Culturally Responsive Caregiving Practices:
Acknowledge, Ask and Adapt, Louise Derman- Sparks
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Activity: Is it a developmental issue,
or a cultural difference?
Scenario: A toddler refuses to use a spoon.
• With a partner, outline the steps you will take
to determine if the reason the toddler refuses
to use a spoon is a cultural difference or a
developmental issue.
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Skills Needed to Become Culturally
Responsive to Families:
• Being able to name our values and beliefs.
• Listening to or being willing to learn from others.
• Gathering information
• Communicating and creating dialogues
• Collaborating and negotiating
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Remember: being culturally responsive is
an ongoing process. Every new
situation, new child and family, new child
care setting, requires that you use the
responsive process of Acknowledge, Ask
and Adapt.
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Revisit the Learning Objectives
Participants will be able to:
• Examine their own cultural beliefs.
• Discuss caregiving practices that may be
subject to cultural conflicts between the
teacher and parent.
• Implement the culturally responsive caregiving
process of acknowledge, ask, and adapt when
negotiating cultural conflicts.
WestEd.org