Cultural awareness means that in Early Childhood Education and Care the different languages, cultures, beliefs and backgrounds of children, families and staff are valued. The goal is that every child feels accepted and an important part of the group.
In culturally aware Early Childhood Education and Care diversity is seen as a strength. Children\’s own languages, cultures and experiences are part of everyday life, play and learning.
What does cultural awareness mean in practice?
In Early Childhood Education and Care:
- the different languages and cultures of children are taken into account in daily activities
- the maintenance of children\’s own mother tongue and culture is supported in cooperation with guardians
- children\’s learning of Finnish or Swedish is strengthened as part of everyday situations
- diverse material that makes children\’s backgrounds visible is used
- diversity is discussed respectfully and positively
- learning environments are built where different languages and cultures appear as a natural part of activities.
Linguistic and cultural diversity is made visible in cooperation with guardians. This supports the development of children\’s linguistic identity.
In Vaasa\’s Early Childhood Education and Care
In Vaasa\’s Early Childhood Education and Care children are met as equals and with respect for diversity. Activities support children\’s growth into cultural diversity and the integration of children from different language and cultural backgrounds. The child\’s learning of Finnish is strengthened, while at the same time supporting the preservation of their own mother tongue and culture.
Language- and culture-aware pedagogy is also one of the priorities for developing Early Childhood Education and Care. In Early Childhood Education and Care, children\’s multilingualism, language awareness and participation are strengthened through different operating models and pedagogical materials.
Examples from everyday life
Cultural awareness can manifest itself in everyday life as follows:
- children learn words in different languages
- multilingual books and stories are read in the group
- children\’s home languages are visible in pictures, texts and the learning environment
- guardians can tell about their own customs and traditions
- festivals of different cultures are explored from the perspective of the children and families
- each child\’s background is valued and discussed positively.
In language-aware activities all everyday situations are opportunities for language learning and interaction.