While February may be Black History Month, Way to Grow’s early learners in our Preschool Pals and P.A.L.S. (Parent-Child Activities Lead to School-Readiness) preschools celebrate diversity all year long as part of their day-to-day curriculum.
At the start of the school year, we talk about ourselves as being “different, but the same.” We may have different skin colors, we may come from diverse backgrounds, we may eat different foods, but we are all friends—and we are all here to learn! We play together, we help each other, and we treat each other nicely. We talk about the places that our parents or grandparents are from by placing our pictures on the world map. The students may not yet fully understand the states and countries or the significance of the map, but they learn about differences—and diversity.
Throughout the school year, we discuss the beautiful traditions of all our classmates: African Americans, Hmong, Somali, Native American, and Latino. From the books we read, the songs we sing, and the foods we learn about, our classroom is a rich tapestry of culture and customs. Every day, we learn new things from each other’s differences.
Recently, during our “Baby Project,” students brought in their baby pictures and shared them during show and tell. They proudly showed off their pictures, which demonstrated the diverse cultural backgrounds of Way to Grow’s children.
All these differences make our classroom rich and full of knowledge that we may not otherwise have gained!
Check out more photos from our preschool class:
