The Importance Of Early Childhood Education

New Zealand early childhood centres are increasingly multicultural. Early childhood educators work with children, and adults from different cultures and beliefs. Te Whaariki (Ministry of Education [MoE], 1996) directs educators to embrace different cultural perspectives and gives importance to child’s family and culture. This essay will discuss various strategies which educators incorporate in their practice to support children and families from diverse cultures.

Culture is the way of life. It includes traditions, protocols, values and beliefs. Culture is the essence of life, which has some explicit and some implicit aspects. The explicit aspects of culture include things which are visible, like food, dress, cuisine, and much more ; whereas, the implicit aspects of culture includes values and beliefs, protocols, and much more. Culture evolves with time but remains as an inseparable part of our identity. It is important for early childhood educators to be aware of the implicit aspects of culture which helps in providing better support and guidance to children and families (Ramsey, 2004; Ritchie, 1960; Terreni & McCallum,2003).

Cultures can be different in regards to their beliefs and values. In low- context cultures individualism and independence are promoted. Children are encouraged to make their own decisions and communicate their thoughts effectively. Whereas, in a high context culture inter-dependence is valued, family comes first, and there is very less communication (Kaiser & Raminsky, 2003; Chan, 2006).

Educators often observe some difference in the behaviour of some children. It is vital to know about the cultural background of those children for a better understanding of their behaviour (Kaiser & Raminsky, 2003). For in...

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Ramsey, P. G. (2004). Teaching and learning in a diverse world: Multicultural education for young children (3rd ed., pp. 104-106). New York, NY: Teacher’s College Press.

Ritchie, J. (1960). The future place of Māori culture in New Zealand society. Retrieved from http://teaohou.natlib.govt.nz/teaohou/issue/Mao32TeA/c8.html

Terreni, L., & McCallum, J. (2003). Providing culturally competent care in early childhood services in New Zealand. Retrieved from http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED475306.pdf

Vajda, M. (2001). Cultural diversity. In E. Dau (Ed.). The anti-bias approach in early childhood (2nd ed., pp. 29-44). Frenchs Forest, New South Wales, Australia: Pearson Education.