Title: Explore cultural, religious, family, and environmental factors that affect a child's development.
Course: Introduction to Early Childhood Education (19153-18) > Section: Exploring Early Childhood Education

Exploration should include the positive and negative effects of factors such as

- physical and biological
- cognitive
- language
- cultural
- economic
- family structure/family functioning
- school
- community
- trauma (e.g., substance use disorders) and a child’s sense of safety
- social-emotional.

Process/Skill Questions:

Thinking

- What approaches could be used to appreciate a child’s culture, religion, family, and environment?
- How can honoring each child’s culture enhance the learning environment for all children?
- What activities can be performed to help children learn about culture and families?

Communication

- How can families, professionals, and children exhibit sensitivity to individual differences?
- How can the school provide families with strategies to support, maintain, and preserve home language learning while facilitating the learning of the new language?

Leadership

- How can cooperation be encouraged within a diverse group?
- How can early childhood professionals engage families in decision making and promote participation in early childhood education programs?

Management

- What steps can be taken to meet diverse needs?
- How might background knowledge be used to understand and value diversity?