Examples of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging in the Preschool Curriculum
The Doll Project
One teacher incorporates a “Doll Project'' into their curriculum. For this project, children begin by choosing a nondescript felt “doll” for their own. At first these dolls are all the same (8” tall, stuffed felt, “gingerbread baby” shaped), with the exception of their skin tone, which varies from a light taupe to a dark brown. The children are not given any parameters regarding choosing their dolls, and it is common for children to choose dolls whose coloring is quite different from their own. During the course of the next few months, the dolls are given faces, hair, clothes, genders, and personalities by their children. Again, the children are not told which features they should choose for their dolls. It is up to them. As the year goes on, the dolls often become part of the class, as they are personified and used for play in centers, carried outside to the playground, included in conversations and note-writing, etc. One of the important goals for this project is for children to have opportunities to talk and think about the physical differences of people in a natural and positive context that is not categorical.
Children's Literature
Another teacher uses children’s literature to expose their students to a wide variety of cultures. In the unit about the “Night Sky,” our teacher focuses a little on the science of the moon and the stars, and a lot on the traditions and folktales that people have around the world about the night sky. Some of the books that are read to the children and are used for the basis of discussions and projects include: Papa, Please Get the Moon for Me (contemporary, American children’s book), How the Stars Fell into the Sky (Navajo), Why the Sky is Far Away (Nigerian), and The Story of the Milky Way (Cherokee), among others. Around Thanksgiving time, the curriculum focuses on love and family. Once again, the teacher uses children’s literature as the basis for their curriculum, and once again being very intentional in choosing books that represent a variety of family types. Some of the books that are read include: Mama, do You Love Me? (Inuit), Papa, Do You Love Me? (Nigerian), The Relatives Came (country relatives visit their suburban kin), Cajun Through and Through (Cajun), Neeny Coming, Neeny Coming (Gullah), and Coat of Many Colors (TN mountain folk), among others. By listening to the text and discussing the lovely illustrations of these books, children begin to become aware that the context of something we all share, love and family, can vary in features and traditions.
Houses and Where We Live
eachers also do units on “Houses'' to teach children about variety in how people live. One teacher has the class look at different sorts of dwellings and the peoples and cultures that create and live in them. This investigation begins with a look at the book Homes Around the World, in which families from around the world are shown in front of their homes. Some of these homes would look familiar to the children, but I bet that even you would be amazed by the variety of building materials, architectural styles, and locations that humans use for building their homes! In this unit, children even have the opportunity to learn that not all people that they might consider to be part of the same “group” share the same culture and traditions. For example they consider the 4 basic “types'' of traditional Native American dwellings. (Do you know them?—Igloos for the Inuit, Teepees for the Cree, Pueblos for the Hopi, and Wigwam for the Mohee.) Learning about people in their homes is a great way to learn about and value the similarities and differences among people around the world and across the street.
In our 4s class we spent several weeks discussing and encouraging the children to share details about their homes, (color, how many windows, doors, garage or no garage, etc). These conversations led to the children wanting to draw their own homes, the individuals who live in their homes, and what they see from their window/neighborhood. We then made a neighborhood on our bulletin board and everyone chose where they wanted to put their home. Each child added curtains to their home with a photo of their family “inside” the house. This led to wonderful conversations about different types of neighborhoods, non-neighborhood housing, roads (gravel “rocks” vs. paved) and even stories about neighbors. These discussions and activities create a classroom environment that encourages learning, discussing, questioning, and celebrating one another's differences.
Children's Developmental Timetable
Our teachers also understand that children follow their own developmental timetable, and “misbehavior” is best corrected with acceptance, support, and caring from the whole community.
Sometimes children may need accommodations in order to thrive in the preschool classroom. We think it's important for children to know that different people have different needs in order to be their best selves; we aren't all the same. We find that honesty about individual needs results in acceptance. Some things we say to the children about these things include:
"Billie sits in a chair for meeting time because it helps her keep her body calm and still."
"Jacob is having a hard time controlling his body. Ms. Cartron will take him outside to use up some energy."
"A quiet space helps her brain focus."
"When you two play together, sometimes you get too excited and it gets too wild. Take a break from each other for a little bit. You can play together again later."
In this way, diversity is made visible, is honored, and is allowed.