Welcoming Families From Around the World

According to the U.S. census bureau, the United States population is made up of individuals and families from 150 different countries.  Here in Connecticut, there are individuals and families that identify as Italian American, Irish American, English American, African American, German American, Portuguese American Polish American, Hungarian American, and French Canadian.  There are individuals and families from Puerto Rico, China, Jamaica, Guatemala, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Mexico, India, Philippines, Laos, Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, Brazil, Panama, Cape Verde, and former Soviet countries.  Early childhood education programs throughout Connecticut are becoming more diverse.  In the child care center where I work, we are seeing an increase in children and families from Haiti.

Here are some steps I can take to prepare myself and the teachers to be culturally responsive towards the children and families coming from Haiti:

• Research family culture in Haiti.
• Learn some basic words and phrases in the Creole language.
• Research the early childhood education system in Haiti.
• During the enrollment process, get to know the family through conversation and having them fill out our family/culture information paperwork.  Also, arrange for an interpreter if necessary.
• Arrange for the child and family to spend time in the classroom prior to the child's first day.

In researching family culture in Haiti, I discovered that in Haitian families, children are thought to be gifts from God, and parents, particularly mothers, will do almost anything to ensure that their children's basic needs are met, even if it means neglecting their own basic needs.  Family and community support are common within Haiti. It is not uncommon for children to be raised by extended family members and members of their community in addition to their families.  Respect and obedience are characteristics that are valued by Haitian families.  Haitian parents teach their children to protect the family structure and privacy and to respect their elders.  Finally, when working with Haitian‐American families, it will be important to remember that “appropriate discipline” varies from culture to culture and, in Haiti, many families use physical punishment as their primary means of discipline (http://www.in.gov/isdh/files/Hatian_Culture_tip_sheet-IDMH.pdf).

Haiti is the poorest nation in the Western hemisphere.  Preschools in Haiti are mostly private and most families cannot afford to send their children.  Haitians can be very expressive and speak loudly which may be misinterpreted as anger.

Some Creole words and phrases:

• hello = alo
• welcome = akeyi
• friends = zanmi
• bathroom = twalèt
• Nice to meet you! = Nice al kontre ou !