C306 Culture

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Criterion C306 Guidance

Criterion C306

The service curriculum respects and supports the right of each child to be confident in their own culture and encourages children to understand and respect other cultures.

Curriculum criteria documentation required

Guidance

Children’s learning and development is enhanced if:

the wellbeing of their family and community is supported
their family, culture, knowledge, and community are respected and
there is a strong connection and consistency among all aspects of a child’s world.

When all families are welcomed, it supports a child’s sense of connection and connectedness. The service curriculum supports the cultural identity of all children, affirms and celebrates cultural differences, and aims to help children gain a positive awareness of their own and other cultures.

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Practice

Examples of what this might look like in practice.

Partnerships are developed with whānau | families to assist understanding of the values, customs, rituals, and practices that are important to the child and to identify meaningful ways to include these in the curriculum.
Children’s home languages and cultural practices are heard and seen in the environment.
Resources reflect ethnic diversity and the cultures of the families using the service.
Experiences and opportunities are taken for the modelling of non-discriminatory practices.
Important events are acknowledged and celebrated to foster children’s sense of worth and belonging within the environment.
Children have opportunities to share aspects of their culture with others in the service.
Educators use a variety of teaching strategies that demonstrate the holistic way children learn and grow.

Things to consider

How are whānau | families kept informed about and encouraged to participate in the development of our service curriculum?
How do our self-review processes support children knowing about and understanding their own and others' culture?
How is our understanding of and respect for our own and others’ cultures reflected in our service’s philosophy statement, policies, and practices?
How do we know whether our programme is effective in relation to supporting each child to be confident in their own culture and respectful of others’ cultures?
How do we ensure the provision of meaningful and respectful cultural experiences?
Are our relationships with whānau | families reciprocal and responsive? How do we know?
How does our team challenge discriminatory practices and behaviour in our service?
How does our team challenge issues to do with fairness and social justice?
What opportunities are there for the children in our service take part in events and customs of cultural significance?
How does our behaviour demonstrate that we value and respect diversity?