CR003: Access, Equity, and Promoting Change

Madison Place Preschool Scenario

Madison Place Preschool is a subsidized urban pre-kindergarten program. You are a new early childhood professional at this center, serving as a preschool teacher. You have a classroom with 17 children.

Some initial observations regarding Madison Place Preschool include:

· Three families arrive an hour after preschool starts on a regular basis. This appears to cause resentment among some of the families who believe that tardiness is a sign of disrespect and that the late children are setting bad examples for their own children.

· Approximately 20% of the children in your classroom are dual-language learners, most of whom are less fluent in English than they are in their primary languages. You have overheard a white family speak disparagingly about the influx of dual-language learners in the classroom.

· Three children in your classroom seem to be behind their peers developmentally. After meeting with the families, you discover that they live in poverty and some adult members of the family do not have high school diplomas.

· The literature provided for your classroom does not reflect the diverse cultural identities of the children in your classroom.

· The toys and dolls provided in your classroom reflect mainstream culture.

You have raised concerns about the classroom environment to both your co-teacher and director, and you have been met with resistance. The general attitude expressed by each of them is that there is no need to change classroom materials, arrangements, or teaching practices to accommodate a few children and families.

©2014 Walden University 1