Paying Attention to Culture
If we don't pay attention to culture and what happens between the caregiver and the child, we miss a very important element of school readiness, namely the child's ability to develop a positive self-image and to understand that he or she fits into the context of a larger culture and a larger set of values and traditions.

	“If children are not grounded in who they are and why they matter within their culture, their learning is impacted greatly.”

If children are not grounded in who they are and why they matter within their culture, their learning is impacted greatly. It's important to grasp the differences in the social norms and values of the diverse Latino community. Latinos are not a homogeneous group. Latino families, whether monolingual or bilingual, want their children to retain their culture and their language. These are important parts of who they are as a family.

Make sure the program doesn't depict contexts and families that have resources beyond what most caregivers have. This will separate viewers from the content. They will think, “I'm not that way, I'm not that person, I don't speak to my children in that way, and therefore this is not something that I can interpret for myself in my own setting.”

There's an immensely powerful relationship in the Latino community between the mother (or the caregiver) and one other individual called a comadre. This relationship is one on which this program might capitalize.

Latino communities enjoy a strong cultural tradition of storytelling, songs and music which is central in developing language skills and core values.

Play, songs and music are just as important in the Latino community as they are in other cultures. But in the Latino community there are very specific sayings, songs and play that can be incorporated into the program as well. Food and the rituals that surround it are also central in the Latino community. This should be considered when planning the program.

A strong cultural tradition, and one of the ways that language is acquired in Latino communities, is through storytelling. It's part of our values. It's part of what we grow up with. It's what we do with our grandparents. Our grandparents sit with us and tell us stories. And stories become a way in which we acquire language and vocabulary. While being able to read should not be underemphasized, we should not discount the importance of storytelling as an avenue to acquiring language and vocabulary.

“There are many ways of being socially competent and the program should not suggest that there is only one way according to traditional American values.”

When we consider the first
“Desired Result” from the California Department of Education –
children should be “personally and socially competent” – we should be sure to ask the question, by whose norms? There are many ways of being socially competent and the program should not suggest that
there is only one way according
to traditional American values.

One key element of the program should be to affirm the importance of culture in children's development. The program can help families maintain the home language and culture at the same time that it helps them acquiring English and the mainstream culture. Although there has been very little research on the impact of culture on children's early development, Cynthia Garcia-Cole at Brown University is working in this area and may be able to contribute to your understanding of ways to target the Latino population.

While there is good reason to consider fully the Latino viewers of this program, you should not target that community at the expense of other cultures. We are a very diverse society. It's important not to pit one community/culture against another. We need to make sure we don't leave anybody out.

Yolie Aguilar Flores
August 29, 2003
KCEd Expert's Convening