Project Description:
Arkansas early childhood professionals all have one thing in common: the increased diversity in the children and families they serve. Partners for Inclusive Communities (Partners) has been addressing these training needs for early childhood practitioners since July 2003 through their Welcome the Children project. Funded by the Arkansas Department of Human Services, Division of Child Care and Early Childhood Education, this training fills a need within the early childhood community and fits within the Division of Child Care's Arkansas Early Childhood Professional Development System. Welcome the Children has been extended for two additional years (July 2007 through June 2009) with the possibility of non-competitive funding for an additional three years.
The primary goal of Welcome the Children is to assist child care providers and educators through training and technical assistance to understand cultural issues, learn strategies to support Latino children, and make appropriate referrals for possible developmental delays for English Language Learners. Fulfillment of this goal will ensure that English-speaking adults providing care to children birth to age 12 have the knowledge and skills to provide nurturing experiences essential to helping young Latino children develop intellectually, physically, socially and emotionally.
Welcome the Children provides two seven-hour core training sessions on Cultural Diversity with an emphasis on Latin American culture and Second Language Development and Working with Families in Early Childhood. These modules are the outcome of research-based training materials developed by Partners and they have been revised several times to fit the changing needs of the providers. The training is provided statewide and is free to Arkansas child care professionals. Over 1,000 professionals have been trained with most attending both modules. Additional modules developed include working with interpreters, using real objects in the classroom to represent various cultures, and addressing questions from children about skin color and diversity.
Research on the effectiveness of the training materials is continuing through an independent program evaluation being conducted by the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. The evaluators have found a significant improvement between participants scores on pre- and post- tests designed to measure their knowledge of Latin American culture and second language development in young children.
The evaluators have conducted focus groups with Latino parents to discuss the families' experiences with providers and to determine their priorities for their children. The results of these focus groups are being used to ensure that the training modules continue to address the needs of the families.
To ensure sustainability and widespread dissemination, Welcome the Children is certifying Community Trainers to serve as cultural resources and coordinate local training efforts. Information on the project and our annual conference may be found at www.uams.edu/welcomethechildren.
Keyword(s):
cultural diversity, children, Spanish, training, language acquisition
Core Function(s):
Training Trainees, Performing Technical Assistance and/or Training, Developing & Disseminating Information
Area of Emphasis
Education & Early Intervention, Child Care-Related Activities, Other - Cultural Diversity
Target Audience:
Students/Trainees (long or intermediate trainees), Professionals and Para-Professionals
Unserved or Under-served Populations:
Racial or Ethnic Minorities, Disadvantaged Circumstances, Limited English, Geographic Areas, Rural/Remote
Primary Target Audience Geographic Descriptor:
State
COVID-19 Related Data:
N/A
