Welcoming Families From Around the World

 

 

In my scenario I am working in a child care center and the family’s country of origin is Switzerland.

The five ways I will prepare myself to be culturally responsive toward this family are:

1.       Research the language or languages spoken in Switzerland and try to learn a few conversational phrases. If I was able to find someone who spoke the language I would ask them to join me in welcoming the family to our center.

2.       I would also want to research their education system and talk with the family about their previous experience in a child care setting and what their hopes are for their child’s experience.

3.       I would research the culture of Switzerland and be certain I can bring their culture alive in our center prior to their arrival.

4.       Family relationships are an important aspect of culture. I would want to learn more about family structure and relationships in Switzerland to help us understand the family better.

5.       I would reflect on any biases I might have that would affect my relationship with this family. If I found that I did indeed have biases I would find ways to overcome those biases.

 

I believe that by trying to have a deeper understand of a family’s culture will help us to understand the family and child much better. Being able to communicate with the family is a crucial element in building a relationship with each family. This is vitally important in learning about their goals, values and principles—which will help us to better serve their family. By taking the time to learn about the culture of their country and integrating their culture into our center will help the family become more comfortable and help them to see we truly want to serve their child and family the best way we possibly can.