Families Today

The Beginnings Workshop section of the January/February 2013 issue of Exchange talks about the complexities of families that we work with in early childhood settings. In the article, "Today’s Families: Who Are We and Why Does It Matter?", Kirsten Haugen and Lisa King take a close look at the many ways families are diverse and what this means for early childhood programs:

"Today’s families are more diverse than ever, and early childhood programs may be the first place a child or family will share who they are with the wider world. This puts early educators in a unique position to engage our growing diversity in ways that positively impact young children’s sense of self and sense of belonging....

"Family diversity comes, not surprisingly, in all shapes and sizes, origins, colors, and combinations.  The children and families who share their stories with us are not unusual.  Some may face some significant challenges, but all are basically getting by or doing well. Experiences have included divorce, single parenting, immigration, learning English, grandparents as caregivers, sandwich generations, special needs, adoption, fostering, step-family blends, military deployments, homelessness, disabilities, parents or offspring who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgendered, religious minorities, and more. Beyond that, these and all families are fluid — continuously touched and reshaped by illness, death, separation, divorce, the addition of family members, economics, and other caregiver-related changes.  We can no longer think of each instance of diversity as an exception...

"Acknowledging and accepting this growing diversity and fluidity of families can challenge our own experiences, and our beliefs or attitudes about what makes a family and even how to teach young children. Doing so requires us to stretch, sometimes in uncomfortable ways, to communicate more and take more risks. It also gives us the opportunity to ­create environments that are welcoming to all, where children and families are invited to help build community, rather than being asked to ‘fit in.’"

 

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