Self-Assessment: Diversity (Page 1 of 2)

Be concise in answering the statements/questions in each box. The NAEYC criteria for National Accreditation is the basis of this
self-assessment to demonstrate alignment with the Standards and to familiarize students with this national accreditation process.
Give examples of situations that show you treat all children with equal respect and consideration.

If I have toddlers that are hitting or biting one another I would tell each child, no matter their culture that
hitting one another isn’t okay. That we need to abide by our classroom rules and then give them options for
gross motor development and for chewing. Acknowledging the fact that they can hit balls and bite into an
apple, but not to do it to each other.

Give examples of situations where you offer activities and talk to children to build positive self-
identity and valuing of differences in children.

In our classroom we have books for each child. These books are pictures of their families and their culture
and the world they live in. Each child has a different book and we talk about their differences. We also do
this with art projects, when we do a similar craft, we talk about how creative they all are but in their own
way, and that It is okay to have differences and be unique.

Give examples of situations where you are aware of and avoid using stereotypes in language
references – firefighter instead of fireman, etc.

When we talk about community leaders we always emphasize that boys and girls can be anything they
want to be when they grow up, we encourage the kids to play dress up in whatever clothes they’d like and
we also love having community people come in and talk to the kids about their job.

Give an example of a situation where you did or would intervene when children might tease or reject
others.

If a child was teasing another child for wearing glasses I would step in and tell the child that he or she wears
them so that they can see, I would explain that lots of people have glasses and that it is okay to be
different. I would ask the child what makes themselves different.
Give some examples of what you would consider to be stereotypical language or bias toward or
against a child or group, and how you might respond if you saw or heard these from adults or children
in your classroom.
I feel like a good stereotype would be that girls like princess not dinosaurs. I feel like this is a
common one in children to say, so if a child said this to another child, I would say it is okay to like and
dislike things but just because she is a girl doesn’t mean she can’t like dinosaurs. Don’t you think there
might have been girl dinosaurs too? I feel like the explanation of why is a good way to keep the
stereotypes to a minimum.

Describe the materials provided in the preschool environment to address a range of diversity (dolls,
play props, books, pictures, posters, play food, clothing items, etc.) Explain how the materials reflect
the lives of the children and families in your program as well as the diversity found in society, including
gender, age, language, and abilities – no stereotypical representations (images of members of ethnic
groups in only traditional garb or only females in nurturing roles, only males as construction workers
or doctors, etc.), reflect range of diversity, especially children and families in the program. Give
examples of materials that could be added.
In my classroom we have diversity cards, these are anti-biased and show lots of different things against
stereotypes. We have dollhouses, and people of different disabilities and ethnic backgrounds. We also have
their family pictures on the wall of the classroom. All of these things help represent our community and the
differences in each family/culture. We have dress up clothes and babies, both of which all children are
encouraged to use and participate in. One thing I would love to have in my room is more objects from
different cultures, like instruments and clothing for the children to see and learn about.