3 Cheers for the Early Years

Health Promotion

Diversity

Information for Professionals | Health Promotion | Initiatives | Evaluation

The role of Diversity in healthy child development:

It can be challenging to provide appropriate health care and health promotion strategies to children and families from diverse backgrounds. Age, culture, spirituality, language, gender, family structure, sexual orientation, economic status, and differing abilities are the factors that make us unique, but they are also the factors around which stereotypes tend to occur.

Parents have different beliefs about child rearing, food, dress and demands on children. Their beliefs are based on their values, attitudes, experiences and culture. Understanding these beliefs is key to working effectively with families. All families deserve to be respectfully supported in the raising of their children.

When you acknowledge, promote and celebrate diversity, the many benefits that will occur include:

An enhanced feeling of belonging and understanding
Better self-esteem
Broader experiences, skills and friendships
Positive expectations
Opportunities to learn by sharing experiences
An understanding that people have different kinds of abilities
Increased sensitivity and understanding by valuing differences

How can you support Diversity in your work?

If you work with children:

Avoid stories that promote stereotypes.
Include stories/games/activities that celebrate all the ways we are unique and different from others.
When planning activities, look for ways to include children with differing abilities.
Encourage a variety of types of play for both boys and girls.
Provide nutritious foods from a variety of cultural groups to help children learn about how others live.

If you work with parents:

Ask yourself if any of the above factors are affecting your communications with parents from diverse backgrounds. Ensure that the parents understand what you are communicating.
Be aware that communication styles differ. Eye contact, facial expressions, personal space, touching, pitch of voice, rhythm and rate of speech, and emotions may convey very different messages among various cultures.
Don’t hesitate to show interest in exchange of information – for example, “I am interested in knowing more about your views on parenting.”
Strive for flexibility, empathy, patience, understanding, respect and trust when working with parents from diverse backgrounds.
Look for ways to include everyone’s contribution.

How can 3 Cheers and Calgary Health Region support you?

Resources:

Professional Services and Community Action:

The Early Childhood Diversity Strategist:
Working collaboratively with Calgary Health Region staff and community agencies, our 3 Cheers Early Childhood Diversity Strategist seeks to address the health information and resource needs of our diverse communities by:

Bringing a diversity perspective to the production of all our early years resources and programs.
Partnering with community agencies who work with diverse populations to identify need and factors affecting child and family health.
Making recommendations for modifications to existing resources/programs.
Promoting diversity competency training for all staff.
Enhancing diverse communities’ access to the health system and health information through presentations and other communication strategies.