Welcoming Families From Around the World

The country that I chose as my family homeland is Burma. I chose Burma because it is a country that I am not familiar with, yet we have a family that is from Burma enrolled in our child care program.

In order to prepare myself for the family:

• I will research the country and it’s culture. It is important that I familiarize myself with their religious beliefs in order not to offend them.
• I will try to have an interpreter in place if there is one needed. I will also have information available in their language. If possible I will learn key words or phrases to help communicate with the child in the classroom.
• It is important that I gather information about their country both past and present. I will know as much about their history and present state as a country as I can.
• Before the family arrives I will meet with the family advocate/social worker to get information about the family. I will ask questions about how they arrived in our country and what specific reasons or situation brought them here. I want to know if they have other family members already living here.  I will also want to know if they are working or are receiving assistance in order to know how I can be of service to them outside teaching their children.
• I will find books about their country and have them present in the class so that the child and their family can have something that is familiar to them. I have often been fascinated with the Burmese Python. If communication is established I will show an interest in finding out more information about the snake.

I think that if I show some knowledge about their country and an interest in wanting to know more it will make the transition easy for the family. Having things present in the center that they can relate to will also help them become more comfortable with us. The child in my agency is a girl, but the family has cut all of her hair off. Often times the children and other adults think that she is a boy. I have not asked them if it is a part of their culture. She does not speak English, but she has warmed up to the other children. Her teacher is doing well at establishing a rapport with the family. She has asked them to bring pictures of the family and any artifacts that they might have to school.