An Amplify article that we wrote for CELA in 2023, “Should We Be Talking With Children About Skin Colour?” received a reader comment, that prompted us to respond, because we believe that “Inclusion, is not just for children.”

Should We Be Talking With Children About Skin Colour?                                                        
“This is a wonderful article on how not to ignore the issue or pretend it is not occurring in the early childhood sector. I think we are to teach children more understanding of race, culture, and skin tone in multicultural Australia, I 100% agree. BUT we need to teach educators and co-educators first and foremost.
I am a preschool teacher and have a different skin tone. I stand out in the crowd. From my own experience I have noticed professionals who work in the Early Years do not even look or acknowledge me or talk to me (even if I was the first one to wish or talk to them) when attending face-to-face meetings. If early childhood professionals behave in such a manner, how do you think they will guide children who are under their care? In my opinion, it is the people who work in the EC sector who need more professional development sessions about racism and understanding others. If educators show no empathy or respect towards other educators who look different from them...how will they be role models to the children under their care? UNCONCIOUS BIAS.
Whoever is reading my comments needs to take into account the change needs to be from the grassroots level. "One cannot preach if they cannot practice what they are preaching about" It is the first time i am able to voice my side of the story so that we do not miss the rich culture and understanding that is brought into early childhood educators who come from a variety of backgrounds”.                                                                                                  
Gladys responds to our CELA Amplify Article (20th Feb, 2023).
 
Inclusion, is not just for children. It extends to everyone. As adults, before we can authentically advocate for and educate around inclusion, we need to reflect on what inclusion means to us, the role we play as inclusive practitioners and the inclusive practices we share with children, families & fellow Educators every day.

As Service Providers of Bilingual & Cultural Inclusion Support programs, the comment we received, is one we recognise and have heard countless times before. Our work at Diversity Kids informs us of the inherent bias (conscious and unconscious) faced by Educators in Education and Care settings, particularly those from Culturally & Linguistically Diverse Backgrounds (CALD).

Some other examples of bias & racism that we have encountered over time include:
“A casual, Bilingual Educator working in an Outside School Hours Care Service for twelve weeks. Each day on arrival the Bilingual Educator greets other educators. Two out of the three Educators are welcoming and friendly. A third does not respond and walks in the opposite direction when she is greeted.”

“One particular Educator in a Long Day Care Centre, has been giving a Culturally & Linguistically Diverse (CALD) Educator a hard time. She is constantly asking the CALD Educator to repeat herself and says they can’t understand her when she talks. Once the Educator thought she might have even been laughing at her. The Educator would have liked to say something but is unsure how to go about it, and whether there will be any repercussions.”

We’ve also heard examples of Educators making comment about their fellow CALD Educators speaking in their home language and that they need to speak English as they are in Australia now (even in instances where they have specifically been allocated to a service to provide language support to children who are not fluent in English). Subtle and overt reactions to and comments about accents, cultural dress, food, religious activities, dismissing cultural ideas & contributions. Educators report that sometimes, it has nothing to do with comments, but more to do with the person’s behaviour, response or the way they are glanced at or made you feel.

Education & Care settings play a crucial role in shaping young minds and nurturing our future generation. Our Educators & Teachers are pedagogical leaders, who have a profound impact on children’s development and learning, are responsible for providing children with a culturally safe, inclusive, respectful and supportive environment for learning and growth.    
But how can this truly happen, if our Educators themselves harbour and display bias, in the form of racial prejudice in the workforce (towards fellow Educators, children & families)?
How can Educators authentically role model cultural inclusion and diversity, deliver culturally sensitive and safe programs that reflect and respect every child and their culture, if there are underlying cultural biases?

And we’re not just referring to racism, prejudice or discrimination towards Educators from Culturally & Linguistically Diverse backgrounds. Quite often we hear examples of Culturally & Linguistically Diverse Educators showing bias towards others from different cultural backgrounds to theirs.

Our Frameworks highlight the importance of inclusion & diversity. The National Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) uses the words "diversity" and "inclusion" in several places, including the EYLF's definition of inclusion, the EYLF's Principle of Respect for Diversity, and the framework's five learning outcomes.

Educators are expected to take on the critical role of educating children to respect and appreciate our diverse races, cultures and ways of being. But this can be challenging if our Educators are operating at different stages of their cultural responsiveness & competence journey, and if they need to reflect on, unpack and address their own biases.

There is no place for prejudice or racism in Education & Care settings. Whether the racism is subtle or overt, conscious or unconscious, directed at children, families or fellow Educators. Our Education and Care settings should be culturally safe spaces for all, and environments where diversity and inclusive practices are embedded and celebrated by all and on all levels.

Racial prejudice can have consequences on the well-being of those targeted. Educators may for example feel stress, anxiety, a depleted sense of belonging and lack of confidence. Experiencing racial prejudice may undermine their ability to share their strengths and knowledge and contribute to children’s learning .

Children exposed to racial prejudice are too young to be able to understand and express this experience. That is why it is up to us, as pedagogical leaders, responsible for nurturing every child’s sense of belonging, being and becoming, to be conscious of and tackle racial prejudice in our settings.
 
Tackling racial prejudice requires intentional practice, awareness building and systemic changes. Below are our suggestions:

1. Every Educator should start with their own self, critical reflection around culture, attitudes to culture and what it means to them. Culturally intelligent and responsive practitioners critically reflect on their own views, biases and pedagogical practices that reflect knowledge of diverse perspectives. They regularly reflect on whether their biases, cultural views and values are imposed on other people’s children or their fellow Educators. They step back, reflect and are open to practicing and accepting new ways, as challenging as they may find them.

2. All Education & Care settings should implement mandatory Anti-Discrimination, Zero- Tolerance for Racism, Anti- Racist Policies and ongoing Professional Development.  Services should implement clear anti-racism policies that promote equity, diversity & inclusion and outline the consequences for discriminatory behaviour, along with proactive strategies for addressing racism when it occurs. All Educators should receive ongoing training on recognising and addressing conscious &  unconscious racism, microaggressions and discrimination, and how these manifest in the workplace. Professional Development should incorporate culturally responsive practices that    recognize and value the diversity of every Educator, child and family.

Effective Professional Development equips Educators with tools on identifying
discriminatory behaviours, promoting cultural sensitivity and responsiveness and creating an          inclusive learning environment, free of bias for children, their families & Educators.

3. Encouraging diversity in the hiring and recruitment process can lead to a more inclusive and    anti-bias work environment. Education & Care settings should actively seek Educators from            diverse cultural backgrounds, ensuring that diverse cultures and ethnicities are represented            amongst staff. Emphasising an appreciation of diversity, also benefits children, as they can learn
from Educators with a variety of perspectives & life experiences. Culturally diverse workplaces        can be treasure havens that everyone can learn from about diversity, inclusion, harmony,           
compromise and acceptance. They can be opportunities for embarking on a cultural
competence journey with potential for limitless learning, exchange, connection and
collaboration.

4. Education & Care Settings should cultivate culturally responsive & competent teams, by       
offering ongoing Professional Development and resources. Cultural inclusion & practices
should be embedded and become an inbuilt agenda item at team meetings – offering Educators
the opportunity to regularly reflect on current attitudes & practices. Educators should be
offered ongoing opportunities to learn about different cultures through Professional
Development, cultural programs, community involvement or cultural events. Understanding
diverse traditions, languages, and customs help facilitate cultural responsiveness. 

5. Encouraging open dialogue and creating an environment where Educators feel safe to discuss or report any bias or racist incident experienced. Management should actively encourage open
dialogue and provide avenues for Educators to raise concerns safely and promptly, and ensure
that these are addressed promptly & effectively. This not only fosters a supportive, culturally safe work environment but also allows for the implementation of necessary strategies to help
combat racism. 

6. Ongoing Leadership Accountability & Evaluation around the elimination of racism in the workplace. Services should regularly evaluate the effectiveness of their anti-bias and anti-
racism initiatives through surveys, assessments and feedback from Educators and families. This
will also help identify areas that require improvement. Services that combat racism well, have
leadership that is active and accountable for fostering inclusive and anti-racist environments,
that effectively role model anti-racist behaviours and work with their staff to eliminate bias if it
arises.

Inclusion and cultivating a respect for our diverse ways of being is not just for the children in our Education & Care settings, but this also applies to our Educators. Educators cannot teach inclusion if they do not authentically practice it.  Eliminating bias and racism in education and care settings requires ongoing commitment and action by leadership and every single practitioner. It requires intentional practice, self-reflection, awareness building and systemic changes. It involves professional development, policy changes, safe, open dialogue, and fostering an environment where cultural diversity is celebrated - and the whole Education & Care community feel valued, respected and supported in an equitable, inclusive environment that allows everyone to thrive.

Let’s be respectful of the diversity in our workplace and practice cultural sensitivity & responsiveness in our interactions with fellow Educators every day. Let’s be more conscious of any bias we may be projecting towards our fellow Educators and start thinking about how we can reset our thinking & actions.
​
For Educators experiencing bias in the form of racial prejudice in their workplace – always remember that there is no place for racism in Education & Care. We hope you take the necessary steps to help filter out these inherent biases present in our workplaces, that contradict the key principles of inclusion and respect for diversity, that are highly valued by our sector and that we strongly advocates for and work tirelessly to instil in children.
edit.

Introducing Nisrine El Choueifati!
I am a speech pathologist who has worked with Diversity Kids and with children and families  in Sydney, Australia, and, as a tri-lingual child, I was able to enjoy stories in French, Arabic and English.

The limiting rules of book reading:
As a new children’s author and a speech therapist working with children, families, and educators, I have often observed that adults often consider two main ways for children to join in with story time by “listening” or “responding”. I have observed that adults often have rules that children should keep their hands and bodies still, eyes on the page, no talking to ensure they are “listening” to a story.
These rules can exclude many children from connecting, understanding, enjoying and learning language from books, including children who:

• don’t understand just listening, but need to hold objects, use their hands and connect the book to real life experiences;
• listen when they move;
• are learning a new language and can’t speak the language of the preschool environment and have another language to share;
• have vision and hearing problems;
• have limited interests and who find it hard to interact and engage with adults and children.

Many refugee families come to Australia from different parts of the world, for diverse reasons and with a vast range of experiences. As Teachers and Early Childhood Educators, there are many ways we can ensure that our services and classrooms are well informed about their journey, and readily equipped to offer supportive, welcoming and inclusive environments.

What is the difference between a migrant and a refugee?                                                         
Migrants make a conscious decision to relocate and, in many instances, have been selected because they have valuable skills to bring to their new country.
Refugees however, flee their country for their own safety and usually cannot return unless the situation that forced them to flee improves. Furthermore, refugees have typically been exposed to high levels of trauma and significant periods of severe deprivation prior to their selection for resettlement. Transition to their new life in their new country therefore presents many challenges. Asylum Seekers are those that flee their own country and apply to the government of another country for protection, as refugees.

Over the last few years in Australia, the countries of origin of refugees and humanitarian entrants have been Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran, Myanmar, Bhutan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and recently Ukraine.  Over 800,000 refugees and displaced persons have settled in Australia since 1945 (Department of Immigration and Border Protection, 2013-2014).

As Teachers and Early Childhood Educators, we can be prepared to receive refugee children & their families,  by skilling ourselves up and tailoring our programs and environments to accommodate the unique challenges and sensitivities experienced  by the refugee children and families that come through the doors of our education and care settings. Working with and supporting the inclusion of refugee children & families enables practical application of our own cultural competence skills.
 
Treat each child & family as unique with a life story of their own.
It is important to think of the journey of every refugee child and their family as unique. There is no ‘one size fits all’ refugee experience and therefore no single mode of support that we can offer.             
As Educators, we need to be mindful of some of the issues that affect refugee children & families and develop strategies & support mechanisms that are meaningful, authentic and sensitive to their individual needs. For example, some children may be experiencing emotional issues including anxiety, fear or grief. It is highly likely that opportunities for play would have been minimal and that developmental milestones have been delayed. It is also likely that they have experienced trauma and have possibly been exposed to violence and death. One of our Ukrainian Bilingual Educators that is currently supporting the inclusion of a refugee child at her child care centre, reports that the child regularly engages in dramatic play around nursing & providing medical care for her wounded doll.

Equally as important is the need for us to be mindful of the problems associated with stereotyping and labelling refugee children and families. We should never assume anything about a refugee child, their family or their situation. From the onset, there is always great value in self and critical reflection around our own personal definition and perception of “refugees and the refugee experience”.  There is so much value in unlearning some of our previous learning and dismantling and replacing some of our assumptions with knowledge acquired through real life cultural competence building experiences.

We should also endeavour to understand the unique experiences of the children and families that become part of our education and care community.  We can best do this through intensive research and planning, demonstrating kindness and empathy and by putting ourselves in their shoes when delivering culturally sensitive programs & support. We can better inform ourselves about their experiences, by having conversations with various agencies that support these families, keeping up to date with current, relevant literature and asking those sensitive but insightful questions of families. Such steps help us develop authentic, meaningful relationships and connections. They also help create an environment where families feel safe to leave their child.

What are some useful practical tips & strategies that help facilitate inclusion and welcome of refugee children and families?:

• Gain insight and understanding of their refugee experience. Imagine yourself stepping into the shoes of the child and reflect on their recent journey, prior to arriving at your Service. Listen & watch carefully – putting the pieces together and getting the full picture does not happen overnight. When working with them, take on an education and care experience through their eyes.  Try and see things through their lens and come up with strategies that you think will help create a place that makes them feel settled, less afraid, more comfortable and safe. Sometimes it is important to look outside the box, particularly in humanitarian examples such as these and find ways to help remove any barriers or additional trauma. We are currently working with Child Care Centres to support Ukrainian children and families that have fled the war in Ukraine – many of our practices have been modified and adapted to remove red tape, provide immediate language & cultural support and offer flexible, relaxed options and solutions, that focus on the child and family, building sense of trust and security and forming partnerships.

 

• ‘Belonging, Being & Becoming’ – The Early Years Learning Framework – takes on a different perspective in the context of refugee children & families. For us at Diversity Kids, the primary focus  here includes creating an environment & programs that nurture and instil a warm, comfortable, happy & safe sense of belonging that support the children to work through their feelings & anxieties -  by providing and maintaining a safe, nurturing, familiar and predictable care environment and one where the refugee child feels comfortable and safe in their experiences and identity. Focussing on their sense of Belonging and nurturing their well Being will help contribute to their Becoming the best version of themselves.

 

• Don’t be afraid to ask the difficult questions of the families about their child’s needs, interests, abilities, strengths, likes, dislikes and what matters to them about the care and education you will be providing to their child. Encourage the family to stay as long as they like in the education & care environment and to participate and role model elements of language & cultural support they would like to see provided for their child. Support them to share important aspects of their culture and activities that are familiar to their child.                                                            

 

• Access programs such as the Inclusion Support Program and Bilingual/Cultural Support. Our Bilingual Educators are a practical language & culture resource, that can play a critical role in supporting refugee children and their families in their education & care environments by acting as a communication bridge, helping build trust, connections, a sense of cultural safety & belonging. They can work alongside Educators to help determine interests, strengths, areas of concern and support the child to be understood and understand what is going on around them and what is expected of them in their education & care settings. Bilingual Educators can help the child understand by communicating ‘in language’, but can also help guide the child and help them learn key words in English. Some of these Bilingual Educators may be of refugee status themselves and can help Educators gain better insight of on so many levels, providing strategies to assist with cultural transition and ways to connect with refugee communities.

 

• Develop inclusive programs and programs that are respectful of diversity for all the children at your service.                                                                                                                      , Introduce, with the aim of gradually embedding - programs and activities that structure discussions about refugees, migration, kindness, inclusion, empathy, diversity, mutual respect and social justice. Ensure that all the children in your education and care environments have voices and are heard – including your refugee children. There are many resources for children including books that can be used to introduce the refugee experience to children. See resource list below.

 

• Provide culturally & language appropriate services for your refugee families (Bilingual/Cultural Educators,  bilingual staff, interpreters, translated information) and deliver culturally and linguistically relevant activities that promote the child’s home language, cultural identity and cultural self esteem.  This can help provide a sense of familiarity, cultural safety and inclusion. Display and use key child care words in the relevant dialects, help teach the refugee children key words in English to enable smooth transition and support them to build on social skills with peers & Teachers.

 

• Offer innovative ways to assist children’s feelings and anxieties through for example, mindfulness & well being programs, offer calm, relaxing experiences and activities such as music, water play, yoga, breathing exercises and a sensory resources/room/space.   

 

• Provide direct support to families to access other specialist support services & help provide cross agency solutions for your refugee children and families. (refer to list below). Develop connections with staff from local migrant & refugee settlement support services, participate in local child, family and community services interagency meetings or events.                                                                                                                                                                       
• Find ways to acknowledge, celebrate, include and encourage your new refugee families to participate at your Service and feel that they belong.  Refugee children and their families are assets to every education & care community. Their experiences come with strengths, abilities and cultural knowledge that we can all learn and grow from on our cultural competence journey.

 
Services that can offer support to refugee children & families:
1. Refugee Council of Australia
    www.refugeecouncil.org.au
    Ph: (02) 9211 9333

2. Services for the Treatment And Rehabilitation of Torture and Trauma Survivors (STARTTS) 
    www.startts.org    Ph: (02) 9794 1900   
                                                                                                                                       
3. NSW Refugee Health                                                                                                                                                      
      www.swahs.nsw.gov.au    Ph: (02) 8778 0770                                                                                                                                                                                   
4. Settlement Services International     
     www.ssi.org.au      Ph: (02) 8799 6700 

5. Migrant Resource Centres
 
6. Asylum Seekers Centre                                                                                                                        
 https://asylumseekerscentre.org.au Ph: (02) 9078 1900                                                                                                                                                     

​Useful resources/books for children:
My Two Blankets – Irena Kobald                                                                                                          
My Name is Not Refugee – Kate Milner                                                                                               
Refugees – David Miller                                                                                                                               
What is a Refugee? – Elise Gravel                                                                                                            
Hello – A Counting Book of Kindnesses – Hollis Kurman
 
References 
​Department of Immigration and Border Protection, 2013-2014                                                                
Early Childhood Australia, Every Child, Cultural Considerations – Welcoming Refugee  Children & Families Into Our Services,            Vol. 22, No. 2, 2016: 8-9

One of the best ways to understand & support the inclusion of every child, is by stepping into their shoes and getting a perspective of how they feel and what they may be experiencing.
This helps us plan and work towards ensuring that we get inclusion right for every individual child and that no child experiences exclusion.

Through our work at Diversity Kids, we often hear from children themselves, grateful for their Bilingual Educator who helps them understand and be better understood. Or the children we observe through our intervention and inclusion support that are feeling happier and comforted knowing that their Educators are becoming better equipped to support their unique inclusion needs and that their peers are becoming more inclusive, accepting and understanding.

It all begins with the welcome. When the child walks through the door every morning, what are they telling you about how safe, included and welcome they feel? Do you see signs of confidence, connection & belonging? Does the child feel safe and happy enough to farewell family without issue and participate meaningfully during a positive and fulfilling day?  One can usually pick up signals from the onset around barriers that need to be addressed in order for the child to experience a happier & more inclusive time in their education & care setting.

For every child to participate fully, it is important that their voices are heard & that they are understood by their fellow peers & Educators. For some children, this means, additional support to give them louder voices and also help them better understand what is expected of them throughout the day. We always need to be looking for ways to ensure that every voice is heard and that every child is given an opportunity to authentically and meaningfully engage and participate without any barriers. Keep an eye out throughout the program as to who is not contributing or constantly appear to be distracted or disruptive and ask yourself whether your intervention to address & remove any current barriers may help.

It is important that as Educators, we regularly reflect and check in to see that no child is struggling to participate in our programs. If they do, they do not have the capacity to ask for help – it is our responsibility as Educators to find solutions to help them overcome any obstacles (whether this means language support,  accommodations & modifications to our programs or building our confidence, knowledge & capacity around inclusion and inclusive practices).

Every child feels better included and a greater sense of connection & belonging when they see themselves and can relate to the resources & programs we provide every day.  Diversity Kids advocates for “mirror & window” programs & resources, to heighten a sense of inclusion and diversity for all children. When children look at books, toys, dolls embedded in your programs they should be able to see reflections of themselves – like looking at a mirror. These resources should also give children an opportunity to open doors and explore the diversity around them.

Inclusion for the child operates holistically with various factors and interactions coming into play – from our inclusive actions as Educators to finding ways to ensure that all families are given the opportunity to participate, contribute and belong. Nothing makes a child feel more included than a child who participates fully and can see that their family experiences the same.

A child might not be able to tell you whether they feel included or not or what they need to be included.  As adults, we can reflect, put ourselves in their shoes and try to experience belonging through their eyes. We know that every child is being included, when every child thrives, participates meaningfully & fully and that their education & care setting feels safe and just like home.