Introduction
Principles
Discussion
Conclusion

Introduction

THE 10 PRINCIPLES detailed here are the result of two years of effort by the Head Start Multicultural Task Force, a group of people chosen from the former network of grantees who provided training on the four multicultural curricula developed by the Administration on Children, Youth and Families (ACYF) as part of the Strategy for Spanish Speaking Children in the 1970s. The Task Force was convened to consider the needs of grantees who serve diverse populations. The original principles have been reviewed and expanded by Regional and national staff within the Administration for Children and Families and experts in the field of multicultural programming.

These principles stand as a challenge to Head Start grantees and delegate agencies to focus their efforts on individualizing services so that every child and family feels respected and valued and is able to grow in accepting and appreciating differences.

These principles go beyond what takes place in a Head Start classroom. They apply to all component services, to children with special needs, and to the administration of the program. They form the foundation of our joint efforts to help both the families we serve and the staff we employ to make every effort to understand and respect our differences.

I strongly recommend that each Head Start Director schedule time to review and discuss these principles with all of the component coordinators as a group, because the issue of multicultural programming impinges on all of the Head Start components and services.
 

Wade F. Horn, Ph.D.
Commissioner

EFFECTIVE HEAD START PROGRAMMING requires understanding, respect, and responsiveness to the cultures of all people, but particularly to those of enrolled children and families. Since its inception in 1965, Head Start has recognized the importance of nurturing the self-esteem of each child and family in the program. The Head Start Program Performance Standards stress the importance of enhancing the sense of dignity and self-worth of each child and his or her family. Head Start grantees seek to develop approaches that support this humanizing goal.

Children and their families come to Head Start rooted in a culture that gives them meaning and direction. The same statement is true of the staff and administrators who work in Head Start programs. This culture is a set of rules that governs their world, organizes their physical and social interactions, and shapes their understanding and perceptions of behavior and ideas. This world is a milieu, a context, in which people actively live, develop, and interact. Head Start staff need to be helped to understand culture as functioning through their own basic core beliefs and values. Because the child's culture and family provide the foundation upon which the child's social competence develops, Head Start staff must be sensitive to the role culture plays in child development.

Our hope is for each Head Start child to become a world citizen through multicultural programming. For each parent and each staff member to grow is also our goal. The Head Start program goals are the foundation for this set of principles. These principles were developed to guide Head Start grantees in meeting these goals. Section 1304.1-3 of the Head Start Program Performance Standards (45 CFR 1304) states:

(a) The Head Start Program is based on the premise that all children share certain needs, and that children of low-income families, in particular, can benefit from a comprehensive developmental program to meet those needs. The Head Start Program approach is based on the philosophy that:

(1) A child can benefit most from a comprehensive, interdisciplinary program to foster development and remedy problems as expressed in a broad range of services, and that

(2) The child's entire family, as well as the community, must be involved. The program should maximize the strengths and unique experiences of each child. The family, which is. perceived as the principal influence on. the child's development, must be. a direct participant in the program. Local communities are allowed latitude in developing creative program designs so long as the basic goals, objectives, and standards of a comprehensive program are adhered to.

(b) The overall goal of the Head Start program is to bring about. a greater degree of social competence in children of low-Income families. By social competence is meant the. child's everyday effectiveness in dealing with both present environment and later responsibilities in school and life. Social competence takes into account the inter-relatedness of cognitive and intellectual development, physical and mental health, nutritional needs, and other factors that enable a developmental approach to helping children achieve social competence. To the accomplishment Of this goal, Head Start objectives and performance standards provide for:

(1) The improvement of the child's health and physical abilities, including appropriate steps to correct present physical and mental problems and to enhance every child's access to an adequate diet. The Improvement of the family's attitude toward future health care and physical abilities.

(2) The encouragement of self-confidence, spontaneity, curiosity, and self-discipline which will assist in the development of the child's social and emotional health.

(3) The enhancement of the child's mental processes and skills with particular attention to conceptual and communications skills.

(4) The establishment of patterns and high expectations for success in the child which will create a climate of confidence for present and future learning efforts and overall development.

(5) An increase in the ability of the child and the family to relate to each other and to others.

(6) The enhancement of the sense of dignity and self-worth within the child and his [or her] family.

As the entire Head Start community implements these principles in policies, procedures, and practices, the development of children's social competence will be supported while the critical role of the family will be acknowledged, reinforced, and enhanced. As the family, and the Head Start staff become participants in a larger community. Multicultural or culturally diverse programming celebrates individual differences.

The cultural, racial, and ethnic composition of the Head Start community is becoming increasingly diverse as Head Start reflects the demographic changes in America. To be successful, the Head Start community must understand and commit to appropriate multicultural programming that builds upon each child's culture and helps the child accept the many differences among individuals and eventually deal effectively with other cultures. Children enrolling in Head Start now will interact in the future, if not today, with others unlike themselves in this diverse society.

Head Start grantees must address issues of cultural relevance and diversity if they are to help children achieve social competence and reach their full potential. Cultural relevance supports each child's background as an integral part of the child. Because children are part of everyone who cares for them, people who work with cultural issues must respect and nurture all the significant people in children's lives. Culturally relevant programming in all Head Start components and services incorporates approaches that validate and build upon the culture and strengths of the enrolled children and their families. Such efforts require that policies, practices, and personal philosophies be examined for bias. This examination process is continuous and central to program development and evaluation.

The following principles form the framework for multicultural programming. They can serve as steps or provide a structure through which participants can examine tasks and develop personal and organizational strategies to help children reach their full potential.

Principles Supporting the Framework for Multicultural Programming in Head Start

Every individual is rooted in culture.

The cultural groups represented in the communities and families of each Head Start program are the primary sources for culturally relevant programming.

Culturally relevant and diverse programming requires learning accurate information about the culture of different groups and discarding stereotypes.

Addressing cultural relevance in making curriculum choices is a necessary, developmentally appropriate practice.

Every individual has the right to maintain his or her own identity while acquiring the skills required to function in our diverse society.

Effective programs for children with limited English speaking ability require continued development of the primary language while the acquisition of English is facilitated.

Culturally relevant programming requires staff who reflect the community and families served.

Multicultural programming for children enables children to develop an awareness of, respect for, and appreciation of individual cultural differences. It is beneficial to all children.

Culturally relevant and diverse programming examines and challenges institutional and personal biases.

Culturally relevant and diverse programming and practices are incorporated in all components and services.

Culturally relevant programming incorporates approaches that validate and build upon the culture and strengths of the enrolled children and their families.

Discussion

1. Every individual is rooted in culture.

Culture is... everything that contributes to the life of a group of people, from the objects in their daily experiences to their customs and beliefs...a set of rules that govern group and individual experiences of the world and (sometimes unconsciously) provides the reason for actions and behavior. Culture affects how people perceive ideas and what they value and devalue.

Because culture is rooted in people's emotional commitments and guides their moral and aesthetic systems, it surfaces as attitudes about and actions they believe to be the right way and the wrong way. It is above all about valued relationships, about what a worthy person is, and about how things become valuable. Culture gives life meaning.

Each culture's rules affect everyone in that culture. Culture may often seem invisible while operating within it with persons who share the same cultural perspectives. This shared view is a centric one, relative to the group supporting it; to the people in each group, their own culture will be the valid one. However, each culture is only one set of possible choices, and although assuming that one's own culture is the valid one is natural, this form of arrogance Is not effective in a diverse world.

Culture becomes most apparent when the individual leaves it, breaks its rules, or when two cultures come into contact. Studying other cultures, other ways of handling common needs and ideas, is helpful for developing a perspective of tolerance. Culture is not simply someone else's quaint ways-it is also your own quaint way. 

Although culture is passed on from generation to generation, it is dynamic and evolves and adapts to the contemporary environment. People acquire culture through the daily process of living; some aspects are formally taught. It is embedded in all institutions of our society, and certainly in our educational systems.

Successful programs for children respect and incorporate the child's contemporary culture.

Families' cultural identities must be supported in order for them to foster their cultures in their children. The home language is the key to this identity. Culture affects children's learning styles, values, and self-concepts. In order to develop positive self-esteem, children need to be recognized as valued individuals. Head Start, in its goal of bringing about a greater degree of social competence in children, ensures the recognition, value, and respect of all cultural backgrounds.

Successful programs for children respect and incorporate the child's contemporary culture. Children must not be expected to sacrifice their own cultural identity, but rather to take pride in themselves, their families, and their culture. Cultural identity should not restrict individual growth, development, and success; the task of an individual is not to have to fit into a culture but to use the cultural context as a vehicle to reach full potential.
 
2. The cultural groups represented in the communities and families of each Head Start program are the primary sources for culturally relevant programming.

The cultural groups represented by the, families and the community served by Head Start are the primary source for culturally relevant information to incorporate Into all aspects of the program. Families and community members can help collect accurate information about the community and its needs. Such culturally diverse programming idealizes and builds upon that which is most familiar to each child and valued by significant others in their lives, namely aspects of each family's own culture. Cultural relevance enhances learning by extending children's experiences more fully to include the home environment.

In community needs assessments and all phases of planning, grantees must consider issues relevant to all cultural and ethnic groups in the low-income community and determine which children and families are most in need of Head Start services. Absence of language-proficient staff is unacceptable as a reason for failing to serve significant ethnic/cultural groups in a community.

3. Culturally relevant and diverse programming requires learning accurate information about the culture of different groups and discarding stereotypes.

Stereotypes and misinformation about cultures of different groups interfere with growth, communication, and respect. Stereotypes are learned; they are perceived and nourished by ignorance, lack of information, and limited interaction. Culture can influence values, perceptions, and behaviors. Ethnic/cultural groups also may share stereotypes that can affect their perceptions of themselves and other groups. 

Individuals at every level of Head Start should make a commitment to improve their programs by acquiring accurate information about cultural groups, by examining institutional and personal biases, and by discarding stereotypes and misinformation.

Accurate information about different cultural groups can be obtained from many sources:

Talking directly with a variety of individuals from the cultural group.

Reading books written by individuals within cultural groups. It is essential to keep in mind that individual differences exist within cultures and, therefore, care must be taken not to stereotype everyone within a particular culture based on information obtained from one source.

Viewing audiovisual materials.

Utilizing any other resources acceptable to the group.

A rich environment offering many choices and adequate time for exploration will meet children's needs.

4. Addressing cultural relevance In making curriculum choices Is a necessary, developmentally appropriate practice.

Children are more open to learning when their cultures are respected and reflected within all aspects of the Head Start program. Acquisition of new skills is embedded within the process of cultural programming. Children learn about their culture as they progress in all the other aspects of development. Cultural relevance can enrich activities designed to facilitate children's communication, creativity, language, cognitive, physical, social, and. emotional development.

In order to accommodate children's various learning styles, teaching staff must set up the environment to include many opportunities for hands-on, concrete experiences. Children who learn by imitation, listening, and trial-and-error will find opportunity for solo learning without undue stress and with verbal response to and from the teacher. Thus, a rich environment offering many choices and adequate time for exploration will meet children's needs. Children can figure out what given situations mean, while at the same time, staff can observe children in small groups and fine tune their own teaching styles. Training for teaching staff needs to focus on establishing the match between ways children learn and ways they are taught. 

5. Every individual has the right to maintain his or her own identity while acquiring the skills required to function in our diverse society.

A culturally relevant program enhances each person's development. Children more readily learn new skills required to cope with diversity. A program that recognizes and honors the child's and family's cultural identity contributes greatly to a child's self-esteem and to the development of a clear and positive personal and social identity.

This is turn contributes to children's learning and to their capacities to fully engage the world. Such an approach provides an opportunity for children to explore their own cultural uniqueness in a safe, non-threatening manner. All children have the right to develop skills that allow them to respond to negative events in an active and effective manner. Children need to learn all the skills necessary to function effectively in a diverse society. Ultimately, children have the right to grow up in a society where differences exist, can be maintained, and are respected.

Children need to learn all the skills necessary to function effectively in a diverse society.

6. Effective programs for children with limited English speaking ability require continued development of the primary language while the acquisition of English is facilitated.

Children whose primary language is not English may need special attention. Children acquire a first or primary language from their families and the people who care for them. Language acquisition is a natural process based on discovering meanings perceived in conversation and facilitated by significant adults.    

Use of children's primary languages facilitates learning in the preschool years. Staff who speak the children's languages promote their primary language development most effectively. At the same time, staff can begin to help children become proficient in English. A natural approach to language acquisition is much more effective and appropriate than formal instruction.

The child whose home language is other than English is fortunate because having more than one language is an asset in today's world.
 

Research indicates that developing and maintaining a child's primary language supports and facilitates learning of the second language. This Is best accomplished without translation and with the recognition of the child's need to develop understanding before speaking. Staff and families should be aware of these findings and build upon first language skills. Therefore,

• Staff and program resource people must reflect the language of the families being served.
• Families sometimes need to be helped to understand the value of the primary language as a foundation for second language acquisition.
• Staff should be trained in techniques for second language acquisition, i.e., gestures, pointing, modeling, and other ways to help children figure out the meaning without translation.
• The child whose home language is other than English must be viewed as fortunate because having more than one language is an asset in today's world.
• Any process of child assessment must be conducted in the child's primary language.
• When any child is evaluated to determine whether there is a disability; an assessment must be conducted in the child's primary language.
• Staff should examine their own biases toward regional variations of language and dialects, and recognize families' and children's primary languages as equally valid ways to communicate.
• It is valuable for children whose primary language is English to learn a second language. For example, one out of every five job opportunities requires skill in speaking a second language. A substantial number of the world's children today are bilingual because their societies recognize that communication among nations is critical for economic and political survival. 

7. Culturally relevant programming requires staff who reflect the community and families served.

Head Start Program Performance Standards for the Education Services Component require grantees to have staff and program resources reflective of the racial and ethnic population of the children in the program (1304.2- 2[c] [2]). Grantees must make efforts to extend this principle to all components and services. These staffing priorities also must be reflected in the delivery of health, nutrition, mental health, parent involvement, social service, and main-streaming services, as well as at all program administrative levels.    

Program quality need not be compromised in implementing this principle. Incorporating cultural relevancy and providing staff who speak the primary language of en rolled children and families lay the foundation for a good Head Start program. Individualized staff development, sup port services, effective recruiting, staff utilization,., and a pertinent in-service training plan- are required in order to fully incorporate this principle and maintain, a program of overall excellence. Ways to increase culturally/ethnically relevant staff include:

• Establish a training program that recruits, trains, and provides slots for relevant staff in all components and services.
• Plan for program expansion well in advance to provide an opportunity to train staff.
• Consider Joint Training Partnership Act (JTPA), Job Opportunities and Basic Skills Training (JOBS), Child. Development Associate (CDA) Scholarship Assistance, and similar programs as additional resources.

Discuss the feasibility of sponsoring joint training with organizations such as local schools, social service groups, and health agencies. 

8. Multicultural programming for children enables children to develop an awareness of, respect for, and appreciation of individual cultural differences. It is beneficial to all children.

Very concrete experiences that celebrate individual differences contribute to children's natural understanding and acceptance of and respect for others who appear different from them. Diversity within each classroom and home-based socialization sessions can be the starting point for activities and discussions about individual differences. Emphasis on what is happening with the children themselves facilitates the beginning of understanding and acceptance of differences and contributes to development of social competence in Head Start children.

Contemporary cultures should be integrated into the everyday environment and activities, rather than teaching cultures as a separate once-a-week or once-a-year activity.
   

Young children's misconceptions about people may be based on their own limited experience and what they see modeled by adults around them. Therefore, in order "to teach young children to overcome any inappropriate responses or behaviors triggered by cultural differences," adults must intervene appropriately and immediately, problem solve with children, and honestly answer questions regarding diversity (Derman-Sparks and the A.B.C. Task Force, 1989, p. 57).

It is essential that multicultural activities to enable children to learn more about other cultures and people be delivered in an appropriate manner. Contemporary cultures should be integrated into the everyday environment and activities, rather than teaching cultures as a separate once-a-week or once-a-year activity. This type of approach--what Derman-Sparks and her colleagues identify as 'the "tourist approach"--trivializes cultures and other people and may promote stereotypes by focusing only on obvious artifacts, traditions, and celebrations that often lock people in the past and to a particular country. Children presented with this type of approach gain little information about differences within cultures and about people and their contemporary cultures in the United States, and in later years will lack skills to deal with bias and institutional isms (i.e., racism, classism, disabilitism).

Our goals are to develop capacities in children to help them communicate adaptively with people who are culturally different, and to enrich children's lives through active engagement with peoples and works of other cultures.

9. Culturally relevant and diverse programming examines and challenges Institutional and personal biases.

Institutional and personal biases are values or practices that favor one group or culture by race, sex, income, physical attributes, or age. Institutional biases are reflected in practices and behaviors of the dominant group that devalue minority groups and cultures. Institutional biases can be reflected in program design. Community needs assessments, child assessments, program evaluations, curriculum, health requirements, dress codes, languages spoken, and other means of communicating and parent involvement practices should be reviewed for institutional bias. They may obvious and intentional, or they may be subtle and unintended. Wherever they exist, or whatever the intent, they are harmful and unacceptable. Multicultural programming re quires that staff, families, and the community examine, challenge, and work to eliminate institutional biases.

Appropriate multicultural programming directly addresses issues of bias and stereotypes by enabling children to stand up for themselves and others when confronted with biased situations.

Skills to deal with bias must be taught to children. Appropriate or effective multicultural programming directly addresses issues of bias and stereotypes by enabling children to stand up for themselves and others when confronted with biased situations. Children's critical thinking skills are enhanced by providing them opportunities to develop concepts of fairness and empathy.

Bias and discriminating behaviors will not go away if ignored; children may infer tacit acceptance of ignored behaviors. Therefore, an active and integrative approach must be incorporated into all aspects of programming because we want children to grow up armed with the attitudes, knowledge, and skills for living in a complex, diverse world in a socially competent manner.

10. Culturally relevant and diverse programming and practices are incorporated in all components and services.

Head Start is a comprehensive program in which all components affect services to children and families. Cultural differences, stereotypes, and biases can be found in all components, not just educational services. To achieve Head Start goals and maximize child and family development, these principles must not be limited to the education component but must be applied to all aspects of the program.
 


Conclusion

APPROPRIATE MULTICULTURAL PROGRAMMING is imperative in order to fully achieve Head Start goals. It requires scrutinizing all aspects of program operations and self-examination by program staff. It also requires coordinating with community organizations, schools, and other public or private agencies and institutions with similar needs and goals.

In many instances, implementation of these principles will require leadership, courage, change, risk-taking, training, and resources. Implementing Head Start programs that incorporate a multicultural perspective throughout all components and services can be accomplished by commitment, support, and leadership of Head Start grantees and the Administration for Children and Families, both nationally and regionally.

Finally, as we celebrate diversity, Head Start children will grow more competent and be able to accept the commonalities and differences in people. The result will be long lasting and valuable for all of us who will live in tomorrow's global village.

For En Español go to Multicultural Principles for Head Start Programs - Spanish