Welcoming Diverse Families

If I had a family coming into my classroom from a country that I was not familiar with, there are several steps I would take to make sure that I am providing a high-quality and culturally-sensitive environment for this child and their family. If the child was from Guatemala, I would first do a quick internet search about Guatemala. I would want to know about the financial and economic resources of the country and what social classes exist. I would also want to know about the attractions, the climate, and other variables. These may seem insignificant, but small details about a child's family may be helpful. A family from a warmer climate, for example, may not appreciate the extremes in temperatures here in New Hampshire. There are also specific licensing regulations about clothing, so these would be important things to know if the family had not yet purchased winter gear. The next thing I would do is make sure I have a thorough interview with the family in a format that they understand. This may include using an interpreter and would involve the family and I having an open-ended conversation about their child and their family characteristics. This would also be an opportunity for the family to meet me, get introduced to the program, and have any questions they have answered. Another thing I would do is research the religions most prominent in Guatemala. This would be useful information because it would help me to be more aware of what culturally I might expect from the family. Finally, I would want to ensure (and ask specifically) if I was pronouncing each word correctly, including the child's name and the name's of the family member. Depending on the age of the child and the strength of my relationship with the family after our first meeting, I might ask the family to translate a few words for me in their language, like "mommy" "daddy" (or some variation) and "grandma" or "auntie" or "all done". The age of the child and his or her language skills are very important here because it influences what kind of communication you can have. These are the things I would do to begin a relationship with a family and child from Guatemala and have a basic understanding of their culture so that we can begin our journey onto a strengths-based firm-ground relationship that works toward mutual goals in order to support the child.