Smart Start Committee and Board meetings are listed under the 'Committee Activities" section below.   

In recent years, immigrants entering the United States are mostly "people of color" arriving from developing countries in Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean. In fact, Census projections show that in the year 2010, one-third of the total U. S. population will consist of minority families.

However, despite such culturally divergent population trends, schools and early care facilities have not been able to keep up with the changes, thus causing a dilemma, not just for the minority parents but for teachers and care providers as well.  Approaches towards enhancing culturally responsive teaching and learning practices within educational communities have been few and far between. Many minority and immigrant parents find themselves wondering whether their physical characteristics, language differences, dress and food habits will be valued by the mainstream white American teachers, care providers, and community members. Unfamiliarity with the Early Care & Education Programs and American Public School System makes them become more dependent on the teachers and care providers. How can they seek assurances that their culture and diverse ways of thinking and living will be valued and acknowledged by teachers and care providers? How can they become part of the larger society and yet stay apart to maintain their distinct identities?

Similarly, on the other end of the spectrum, not being exposed to different cultures puts many teachers and early care providers in a vulnerable position as well. How can they transform their learning environments and meet the needs of parents and children? How can they develop culturally appropriate curricula and teaching strategies?

 

It is apparent from these questions that culture plays a powerful role in each of their lives and the environments they work in. Neither minority homes nor majority schools are culture-free environments. Hence, a good understanding of one's own and other people's culture is warranted.

Culture is a representation of one's values, beliefs, music, food and clothing and ways of communicating. Researcher Gary Weaver (1986) compares culture to an iceberg; unfortunately, a big of chunk of it is buried deep inside and not fully exposed, causing much stress and misunderstanding. However, it is a powerful survival tool, constantly changing with time, place and circumstance. Culture is part of one's identity, forming the basis to the question---Who am I?