Three Cups of Tea & ECE - Fullerton College



Three Cups of Tea & ECE

Cup One: In Afghanistan & Pakistan a guest is invited in for a cup of tea as a cultural formality. As an early childhood educator:

• What are your first steps to welcome children and families into your program?

• How do you get to know “guests” even before they come in for the “first cup of tea”?

• How can we conduct initial encounters in a way that invites our “guests” to want to come back for a second cup of tea?

• How do you begin to build trust from your first encounters with staff, families and children?

• What would be important elements in creating a welcoming physical and social environment?

The following are ideas generated from small group discussion in CDES 122:

Focus on Early Childhood Programs for this exercise, not Elementary/

Secondary Programs. Also, focus on developmentally appropriate practice.

• Flyers to put up around city, newspaper announcements, by word of mouth, etc.

• Make a community picnic and pass out flyers.

• Get to know:

■ Research the type of community kids are growing up in.

■ Attend community events and socialize with members of the community;

■ Surveys for parents asking what they want to get out of their child’s experience.

• Want to Come Back:

■ Create a friendly, fun comfortable atmosphere.

■ Find a way to have them commit to returning (through socializing)

■ Give them more information about the program and have a quick activity that summarizes what the children will get out of it.

■ Small gift reminder for children

• Build Trust:

■ Share past successful personal experiences from the program

■ Show that it is a safe, secure enclosed environment that provides structure.

■ Create contact information where you can be reached.

• Welcoming:

■ Children have enough room to be creative and have many different activities

■ Make sure staff has positive attitude.

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• Be comfortable and prepared

1. Advertise ( with flyers, newspaper, fun activities, open house, carnival - kind of like a party, inviting reminder of the school. Make it fun for the child and parent, make them comfortable. Financial programs and payment plans.

2. Communication, curiosity, getting to know the family.

3. Student and parents are aware of the class/school. Good vibes from ourselves and other associates.

4. Establishing comfort with the teacher, confidence, proving your responsibility, respect, treat them as though you’ve known them for a while.

5. Energetic, enthusiastic, genuine, honest, social, fair, disciplines, colorful, vibrant, safe, clean, comfortable, fun, organized, learning tools, physical (according to room), age appropriate.

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• Put a welcome sign at an open house

• Send out flyers or advertise on a commercial

• Set different cultured foods

• Have a table with pamphlets with a worker wearing name tag - answering questions

• For a physical and social environment, there would be an open playground with staff on site so that parents may explore the area with their children and have their questions answered anytime.

• Social networking

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1. Orientation on ideas of what we are going to be doing

• Make the atmosphere presentable, positive

• Create a friendly atmosphere (ice breaker)

• Be organized

2. Welcoming Team

• Make a website for information

3. Get feedback from guests and improve

• Contact, have available staff to make visit more memorable

• Creative, colorful, entertaining, decorative, background music

• Parent/child interaction - with games and activities

• Involvement

• Letting the kids have freedom

• Rewards/treats

• Interaction between kids and staff

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1. Social gathering could have cookies and milk. Open House. Parents meeting other parents builds a bond in the classroom.

2. Make a folder of your children. Bring in three things to make child feel at home.

3. Family night/game night -- building a relationship with child

4. Contact information/questionnaire. Get to know your child beforehand

5. Having pictures of children in the classroom or children’s work -- bringing a favorite item of choice -- having a cubby space for the child to feel like they belong -- make things available for children (for example, having the spoons somewhere the children can have access to -- knowing the parents names is really important.

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• Be appropriate

• Make it inviting

• Open House/orientation

• Incorporate different cultures/be mindful of cultural aspects (foods, customs/be aware)

• Involve in the process

• Attend community events

• Surveys and questionnaires

• Be interactive

• Open communication/sharing personal stories

• Make environment/people feel comfortable

• Multi-cultural - reflects community

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• Background research or needs of the families and participants

• Prepare a survey/questionnaire. Learn your demographic and different cultures. Make sure it accommodates everyone.

• Engage in their lives, making them feel special. Adding a very creative environment. Being prepared in every aspect.

• Great communication, respect, as well as trust. Understanding their needs. Offering a safe environment

• Safety - Diversity in culture/visual connection. Treating everyone equally. Preparing needs for everyone with a well education staff.

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1. a. inviting environment - more home-like, warm colors

b. positive attitude

c. welcome parents

2. a. check-up call/follow-up

b. ask personal questions

c. know simple cultural communication

3. a. find common ground/similarities

b. common goals for the children

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Parents:

• Body language and the way you present yourself (smiling, talkative)

• Introduce yourself to break the ice.

• Give information on what their children will be learning

• Have extra staff members to make people feel welcome and to meet all parents.

Children:

• Show your actions in a positive way including facial expressions.

• Make the environment colorful, cheerful, and inviting so they feel comfortable

• Be on the kids level, as in talking on their level by kneeling and eye contact

• Have an activity ready, let the children get a feel for the environment so they feel comfortable.

• Give children pictures of their school so they can show others and be excited about coming back.

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• Welcome children either throught teacher or director

• Talking with parents

• Introduce them to program

• Getting to know the family through community activities, talking and getting to know their background.

• Be respectful and sensitive to various cultures - making the whole family unit feel welcome

• First impressions are important so it is good to start off in the relationship of teacher/family giving the family’s input, attention, listen to what they’re saying

• Areas accessible to all, building trust with child and including the family. Safe environment - age appropriate with environment being accessible from different abilities,

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