Glen Education Caulfield South

Supporting Cultural Responsiveness in the Curriculum

Embedding cultural responsiveness in early childhood practices using the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) involves intentionally acknowledging, respecting, and incorporating the diverse cultural backgrounds of children, families, and communities. The EYLF (Version 2.0) emphasises Belonging, Being, and Becoming, and cultural responsiveness is fundamental to achieving these outcomes.

At Glen Education Caulfield South Kindergarten, one of our curriculum goals is to build respectful relationships with children and families.

Building Connections from the Start

At the beginning of the year families provide important information about their child and family. The ‘Getting to Know You’ forms, and the orientation program allows children, families and educators time to share knowledge through conversations and engagement. This informs our practices, as we adapt our approach, teaching strategies and everyday interactions to reflect our developing understanding of each child.

Creating a Culturally Inclusive Environment

The design of the learning environment reflects the cultural diversity, through books, music, visual arts, and materials to support our goal to create an inclusive learning space. Family photos are displayed and throughout the year, children use their photos in their play, share conversations with others about themselves and their families. Our hope is that this creates a space where children feel seen and develop a sense of belonging and connection.

Family Contributions to Learning

We value family participation in our program and encourage families to come and share aspects of their culture and family practices. We have been very grateful to the families for taking the time to come and share this with the children and educators. These learnings have been an important aspect of our curriculum as it deepens our understanding of each other. It is through these experiences and learnings that children begin to see connections through recognising similar experiences and knowledge. The following are just two examples of this, although we have been grateful to all the children and families that have and continue to contribute during the year.

Learning from Life on a Dairy Farm

At the beginning of the term, Billie’s Grandpa Ron visited the kindergarten recently to talk with the children about life on a dairy farm in regional Victoria. This came about when Billie was sharing conversations with us about her grandpa’s dairy farm, and we were amazed at the detail and depth of her knowledge and experience. In sharing this with Billie’s parent in the afternoon, Billie’s Dad Tony was so pleased to hear Billie was sharing this with us and said that his dad Ron would be so proud. It was then organised that Ron would visit the kindergarten to share this knowledge along with Billie for the children. A special thank you to Ron for making the trip to the kindergarten to talk along with Billie to the children about farm life.

Sharing Indian Culture and Traditions

Jas and Devansh shared with the children aspects of Indian culture that had significance and meaning to them and their families. The children learned about traditional Indian greetings such as ‘Namaste’ in Hindi and ‘Sat Sri Akal’ in Punjabi. They then talked about the Indian flag and discussed the meaning of the colours which sparked a comparison with the Australian flag. The following day, Jas invited her mother who was visiting from India and together they engaged in a cooking experience making Roti, the traditional Indian flatbread.

Embedding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Perspectives

In addition to learning about cultural backgrounds, languages, traditions and values within our kindergarten community, we also acknowledge the importance of learning about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives, not just on special dates but ongoing throughout the year and in various ways. We begin each meeting time with an acknowledgement of country with the children. This has evolved over time with the children as we seek to understand each other’s understanding of this important practice.

We share stories written by Indigenous authors and explore ways of telling stories; how symbols are used to tell stories through art; and explore dream time stories that have been passed down over many generations. The dream times stories have been of particular interest to the children as they have shared reflective conversations and wonder about how these stories give meaning for things in our environment for example how birds get their colourful feathers told through the story ‘The Magic Colours’ by Cecelia Egan and Elizabeth Alger.

Cultural Responsiveness as a Foundation for Belonging and Learning

Embedding cultural responsiveness in our curriculum is seen as essential to nurture confident, curious, and compassionate learners. By honouring the rich tapestry of cultures represented in our classrooms, we hope to lay the groundwork for a more inclusive and equitable society. Through this we ensure children feel a sense of belonging, identity, and lifelong learning.