Creating Affirming Environments

Family Child Care Home
 It has always been a dream of mine to open a daycare/preschool where I would be able to work with young children.  I enjoy working with young children because they are like sponges and you can watch as they just soak up everything around them.  Watching this development is one of the most amazing experiences and to be able to do that on a daily basis with many different children would be spectacular.  If I would be able to open a place like this, the following elements are what I would incorporate to ensure that the children and families that I am working with feel valued, secure, and loved and where we would create an atmosphere of a caring community. 

Welcome Room                             

I would first in my center have a welcome room where I would greet the children and family members in the morning.  I envision this to be a place where the children can ease into separating from their parents.  I would provide maybe some coffee/tea for the parents if they would like to stay for awhile or even provide cups that they could take it with them in case they did not have time to prepare at home.  I would like this to be a place where families could mingle together and get to know one another.  In this room I would provide a Communication Board where the families could write down the things that they would like the teachers to pay attention to that day or any suggestions they may have about their child (Laureate Education, Inc., 2011).  In this room would also be the daily schedule that the center would follow.  I would make a picture board to also put in this room of the children and activities that they have been involved in during the month.  I would change the pictures on the wall monthly.  I would make sure that the room was comfortable with some chairs and small table and I could also use this as a resource room where I could provide information about upcoming events at the center or throughout the community.  I would make this room very inviting so that both the parents and the children feel comfortable in the environment they are apart of. 

Lactation Area 

I would like to provide an area in my center that could be used by breastfeeding mothers if they were able to come to the center during their breaks or lunch and feed their babies.  I was a breastfeeding mother and too often I found that there are not enough of these places offered.  I was not a person who was extremely comfortable in feeding out in the open and so I would create an area like this to make mothers who are breastfeeding know that they would have a place where they could feed and bond with their child still even if they are not in the home setting. 

Reading Area        

I would provide an area full of books or all varieties.  I would put many books for the different age groups.  This area would be a place where the children would go and be read to but also a place where the children could go and look at or read books on their own.  I also think that I would put a little writing center in this area where the children could explore in writing stories of their own to help build their imagination.  As part of the curriculum we would have children make small books about themselves and their families that they can share with all of the other children (Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2010).  This area would be a very comfortable place for the children with a rug, bookshelves, tables, and cushy chairs and couches. Reading and looking at pictures is a wonderful tool not only for the development of vocabulary, but also for the development of imagination and imaginative play.  I would take care to make sure that the books that are chosen represent diversity and do not reflect bias and prejudice.  In this area I would also keep the children's binders that they could read notes that their parents have left for them to help them feel comforted and important (Laureate Education, Inc., 2011).   

Learning Center  

In the learning center I would have materials such as puzzles, games, blocks, alphabet and number tiles, place mats, whiteboards (large and small), and magnetic boards.  This would be an area where the students would go to learn.  The area would have tables and shelves in it where the children could have direct instruction but also could use the area for free play learning.  The puzzles and games would be culturally diverse and I would use pictures from families and magazines to create age appropriate pictures that represent the different cultures in the center (Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2010).  This area would also have pictures of families, children, and common everyday items that would have the words that describe them underneath them so that children can begin to associate items with the words.  A final thing that I would put in the learning center is a family culture share.  I would create a space for families to share about their family culture.  We would take time throughout the month to highlight what the family has brought in and learn more about the parts of their culture that is important to them (Laureate Education, Inc., 2011).  This is a space that would be changed on a monthly basis and I would make sure that each family has a chance to be represented throughout the year. 

Music Center           

I would have a music center where the children could go and listen to music and also be taught songs.  This would be an area where they could sing and dance and learn to enjoy music from various genres and cultures.  We would have age appropriate music that represented the likes of each family and child that is in the center.  I would incorporate music because it helps teach language and expression and it can help children with the emotions that they are feeling.    

Art Area        

The Center would also have an area where the children could do arts and crafts.   This area would have tables and chairs. This would be an area that is equipped with paper, pencils, crayons, paints, stickers, stamps, child scissors, glue, and all other artsy materials that the children could use in creating pictures and projects of their own.  We would be able to use this area and tie the projects in to the curriculum that is being used in the center.  It could also be a free play area for the children where they can go and use their imagination to create masterpieces of their own.  I would have an easel in this area that the children could use to create their pictures and paintings. Children's artwork would be displayed on the walls and I would also hang up pictures for them that family members (moms, dads, siblings, grandparents, etc.) would be invited to create.  This would help the children to feel comfortable and that their families are represented and care about where they are and what they are doing.   

Dramatic Play/Dress-Up Area      

I would create an area that would be full of many different costumes and clothes that the children could use for imaginative play.  This would be an area where there would be many different outfits available that represent culture and gender.  This area would also incorporate a kitchen, baby doll area,  and a persona doll table.  I really liked the persona doll area that was in the media segment and I know that children really enjoy playing with dolls so they could use these dolls to make up stories.  These dolls would be culturally and ethnically diverse and would represent different gender.  The dolls could also be used to teach the children about diversity and bias and to help them with conflict resolution. 

Nap/Resting Area    

The final area that I would be sure to incorporate in my center would be a nap/resting area.  Many of the children in this center would be of ages that would still require daily naps.  I would make sure that this was a very comforting area for the children and a place where they feel calm and peaceful.  I would make sure to include their favorite napping necessities whether it be a blanket or a stuffed animal or any other comfort that would help them to rest.  This would be an area where the children would lay down and rest their bodies even if they did not nap. 

I believe that all of the areas that I have listed would make this center a very welcoming, engaging, and educational experience for families and children.  My greatest goal is that families will know that their children would be cared about and respected while they are in my care.  I want to create a community where the families still feel like they are a part of the child's life even when they are unable to be with them for a certain amount of time during the day.  I also want families to know that their children and their families are very important to me and I will do everything I can do to create an environment of respect, dedication, and love and hopefully this will spread out into the world through the lives of the children and families that I would touch. 

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.(Producer). (2011). Building on children's strengths [DVD]. Building on children’s strengths. Baltimore, MD: Author