Cultural Influence on Development

Families all around the world have very different values and beliefs that vary from culture to culture, we also all have many similarities the closer you look! It is important that as you enroll your child in childcare that you make sure the facility is aware of your child’s cultural beliefs, values, and practices, and work with your child’s teacher so that they can relate to your child. Culture has a large impact on the development of children, and children are raised very differently around the world. For example, some cultures believe in a very nurturing parenting style where children are taken care of, sometimes by grandparents for their first few years of life and everything is done for them, their needs are immediately met to prevent any feeling of stress. Adversely to this, some cultures place a large value on their children’s independence. This culture would encourage children to do things on their own at a younger age such as teaching them to read and write, tie their own shoes, and begin toilet training at a younger age. The difference between these two cultures leads to a difference in development as the child who is not experiencing any levels of stress and staying dependent on adults will be developmentally and physically different than the child who is being encouraged to do more on their own. Neither of these are wrong or right, all people In different cultures hold their beliefs and values and deserve the same amount of respect and understanding. It is important for the educators to be able and willing to meet children where they are at and help them develop their skills further.

As educators, you can have both of these children in your class at the same time and they can have very different abilities and skills. This is why is it important to learn about family backgrounds so that you can have a better understanding of what a child’s life is like at home, and how you can best support them at school. Cultural development can also be dependent on resources and time, a child who is raised in a third world country and doesn’t have proper access to nutritious food will develop differently than a child who is raised in a wealthy family. It is also important to know what language children are raised speaking at home, dual language learners often begin talking later than a child who only is exposed to one language. As an educator it is important to incorporate children’s native language into the classroom and learn some words in their language so that you can build a relationship and a sense of trust with them.

            Here at Alliance Childcare we believe in welcoming children of all cultures, religions and backgrounds and believe that a diverse population grows each child’s learning and makes us stronger as a community! Our teachers come from diverse backgrounds themselves and learn about each child enrolled in their class and plan their curriculum to incorporate lessons from various cultures so that all children are learning about diversity around the world. We want all families and children to feel welcomed and at home here because we believe everyone has a place in our community. We encourage parents to come into the class and prepare a unique experience from your culture, this can be a ritual, singing songs, reading books in your home language, or preparing a meal unique to your culture.