Cultural Diversity in Early Childhood Education

Abstract

<p>This article identifies and unpacks key ideas and concepts related to the topic of cultural diversity in early childhood education (ECE). It suggests annotated resources to support understanding the topic, focusing on interrelationships between culture, language, identity, and sense of belonging; critical approaches of multicultural education; and equitable, inclusive, and transformative pedagogies. The word “culture” is multifaceted and does not have a clear-cut definition. It includes symbols (e.g., languages), artifacts (e.g., traditional costumes), and practices (e.g., celebrations of festivals). It structures our ways of life and gives us our identities. Due to global human migration and mobility, cultural diversity is now a common phenomenon in many countries. Diverse cultures, however, do not always manage to coexist. The notions of respecting, embracing, and sustaining cultural diversity are promoted and advocated in an increasing number of international documents, such as those published by the United Nations. Cultural diversity-related issues need to be addressed to promote inclusion, social justice, and cohesion. Education plays a crucial role in supporting children to develop intercultural competences and a disposition to accept and appreciate diversity and difference. ECE is ideal for enacting this role because it is better to cultivate dispositions from a young age. Early childhood, in general, covers the period from birth to age eight. While ECE caters for pre-school-aged children, school entry age differs across countries. Compared to school teachers, ECE teachers are likely to have more opportunities to communicate and work with families, thereby supporting children and families to develop intercultural competences. International researchers have examined the topic of cultural diversity extensively and recommended many teaching strategies. When developing pedagogies to address cultural diversity-related issues, one size does not fit all because each family’s beliefs and practices are unique, and cultural practices evolve. It is pertinent for teachers to be culturally sensitive and responsive so that families feel respected and secure in maintaining their cultures, and children are proud of their heritages and able to develop positive and healthy identities. An inclusive and equitable pedagogy ensures that all cultures will be recognized and sustained. Because ECE is a (comparatively) small field of study, it often borrows ideas from the school sector and other disciplines, such as sociology, psychology, and philosophy. Hence, while some resources suggested in this article are non-ECE-specific, their key ideas are appliable in the ECE context.</p>