TIPS - Table of Contents

The way you perform routine tasks when caring for infants and toddlers is rooted in the way you were raised in your own family.  It may also be influenced by your education and other experiences.  You may be serving families whose caregiving practices are very different from your own.  Sometimes this may cause conflict.  Listening respectfully to their concerns, and involving the family in resolving the conflict is showing cultural sensitivity.  To succeed, one must be understanding of caregiving practices that are different or unfamiliar and be willing to give them a try.

WHAT IS CULTURE?
Culture is made up of the values, beliefs and practices that are shared by a group.  Children absorb information about culture from the important adults in their lives.  We each grew up in our own family culture.  The adults in your family taught you about what is right and wrong, how to care for yourself and others, what to wear, what and how to eat, when and where to sleep, and what to celebrate and how.  Culture provides children with a sense of belonging and identity which lasts throughout adulthood.

BENEFITS OF CULTURAL SENSITIVITY
When caregivers are sensitive to cultural issues, everyone in the caregiving relationships benefits.

The children may:

• Gain a deeper sense of security
• Become more confident and competent
• Make a stronger connection to their families

The families may:

• Feel supported in their caregiving practices
• Build a more trusting relationship with the caregiver
• Preserve their family culture

The caregivers may:

• Become more aware of their own beliefs, values and practices
• Better understand the complex ways children develop
• More effectively meet the needs of children and families
  

 

THE RISKS OF CULTURAL INSENSITIVITY

• When the caregiver's practices and culture are very different from that of the child's family, the child may feel:
  
  • Insecure, overwhelmed or frustrated
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  • Confused by inconsistency
  • Torn by loyalty between parents and caregiver
• Lack of consistency may overwhelm the child and cause behavior problems or a delay in the development of specific skills such as:
  
  • Learning to talk
  • Self feeding
• The child's sense of belonging and connection to his/her family may be damaged
• Families and caregivers may feel:
  
  • Threatened with loss of their family culture
  • Defensive or misunderstood
  • Unsupported in their caregiving practices
• Responses to cultural insensitivity may include:
  
  • Anger
  • Silence
  • Mistrust
  • Frequent or unexplained absences from child care
  • Withdrawal of child in care

 

COMMON AREAS OF CAREGIVING TASKS WHERE CULTURES MAY DIFFER

• Bottle or breast feeding:  Whether the children are held during a feeding, allowed or encouraged to hold the bottle, feeding position, frequency, use of a bottle to induce sleep, etc.
• Feeding sold foods:  When and which foods to introduce, amount of exploration, mess and waste permitted, amount of child choice and independence allowed or encouraged, what utensils to use, where and when to feed, etc.
• Toileting:  Age when toileting is begun, whether the goal is independent use of toilet or reduction in amount of diapers needed, amount of adult involvement or time required, use of diapers, training pants or disposable pants, how toileting accidents are handled, etc.
• Napping:  How often, how long and where a child sleeps, how much adult assistance and participation is required for child to fall and stay asleep, etc.
• Use of Comfort Items:  Whether or not a child is allowed or encouraged to use a pacifier, blanket, stuffed animal, thumb-sucking, or other object to provide comfort.  If an object is used:  When, where, how often the child is allowed to use or when the child is prevented from using the object.

 

HOW TO INCREASE YOUR CULTURAL SENSITIVITY

• Reflect on your own caregiving practices
• Why do you do things the way you do?
• What works for you?
• Does it work for the child and the family?
• Observe how parents interact with their child
  
  • What words and actions do they use when carrying out caregiving routines?
  • What are the parents' reactions to your caregiving practices?
• Acknowledge differences to yourself and to the parents
  
  • The child's response of discomfort, confusion, or anxiety may be the first clue to a difference in caregiving practice
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  • Your own feelings of discomfort, frustration, anxiety or anger may arise from a cultural conflict
  • Parents' direct or indirect reactions may be caused by a cultural conflict
• Ask for information to learn about the parents' perspective and to clarify your own point of view
  
  • With an attitude of respect, let parents know there is an issue that needs discussion
  • Find out how parents feel about the issue and how they would handle the situation
  • Ask questions and watch interactions 
• Examine and define the cultural conflict
  
  • What do you feel is the best way to handle the situation?
  • How do you feel about the parent's viewpoint and practice?
  • Are you comfortable even though it is different from your own, or uncomfortable because it is contrary to your cultural/professional beliefs?

 

HOW TO COMMUNICATE AND NEGOTIATE WHEN CONFLICTS ARISE

• Build a trusting relationship with parents from the beginning, before conflicts arise
• Determine your level of commitment to resolving the problem
• Listen respectfully to the parent's concerns
• Identify the problem in words, without stating the solution
• Decide who owns the problem
• Ask yourself what will realistically happen if you pursue the problem, or if you don't pursue the problem
• Negotiate an appropriate time and location to discuss the problem
• Have resources available to share with parents
• Agree on a plan of action that is comfortable for both caregiver and the child's family
  

Cultural sensitivity is an attitude.  We choose our attitudes, and can make changes in them.  Not all cultural differences will be successfully resolved.  Sometimes differences must be managed and accepted.  The important thing is to approach parents with an open mind and a respectful attitude.  One of the functions of culture is to help people feel comfortable doing things a certain way.  When parents ask child care providers to do routine tasks differently, the initial response may be to feel uncomfortable.  Discomfort doesn't mean the practice is wrong, only that it is different.  When caregivers and parents come together to share information about caregiving practices, both gain an understanding and an appreciation of a different family's culture.  That understanding can enrich and connect us all.

RESOURCES
These sources contributed to this article and can provide more information on the topic.

BOOKS
Mangione, Peter L, editor. Infant/Toddler Caregiving: A guide to Culturally Sensitive Care. The Program for Infant Toddler Caregivers; Far West Laboratory Center for Child & Family Studies and California Department of Education, 1995.Gonzalez-Mena, Janet. Multicultural Issues in Child Care, second edition, Mayfield Publishing Company, 1997.

ARTICLES
Gonzalez-Mena, Janet. Taking a Culturally Sensitive Approach in Infant-Toddler Programs, Young Children, January, 1992.

Schurch, Pam. A Multicultural Perspective on Programming for Toddlers. edited by Stonehouse, Anne. from Trusting Toddlers: Planning for One-to Three-Year-Olds in Child Care Centers. St. Paul, MN: Redleaf Press, 1990.

VIDEO
Essential Connections: Ten Keys to Culturally Sensitive Child Care. The Program for Infant Toddler Caregivers, Sacramento, CA; 95812-0271; (916)445-1260: California Department of Education, Bureau of Publications.