Rasmussen College Celebrates Diverse Families During 2017 Week of the Young Child

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It is often said, “The early childhood years are a critical period in human development.” It is during these years that a child’s brain is extremely flexible to taking in and learning new information. It’s also often during this time children are especially influenced by those around them, especially by their parents, friends and early childcare providers. Since 1971, the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) has sponsored Week of the Young Child (WOYC). The week, celebrated April 24 through April 28 this year, recognizes the critical nature of the early childhood years, birth through age eight, as well as the needs of our country’s young children, their families and those who teach them. Rasmussen College recognizes even the littlest of learners are valuable. Every year, to honor WOYC, Rasmussen College chooses a theme, hosts events on campus and in the community, leads a webinar and chooses a children’s book to feature.
Today, classrooms are becoming as diverse as the world around us. Diverse with not only students of different races, genders and religions, but also different ideas, beliefs and dreams. Early childhood educators have a responsibility to teach and talk about diversity from all angles. From the prevalence and importance of this topic, Rasmussen College derived this year’s WOYC theme, Celebrating Our Youngest Learners: Honoring Diverse Families, and its featured book, A Chair For My Mother by Vera Williams. The book presents the story of Rosa, her mother and her grandmother who all lost their home and possessions to a fire. Together, they save money to buy a comfortable chair to enjoy together.
This year’s theme and featured book sparked Rasmussen College Early Childhood Education (ECE) department chair Mary Muhs’ interest in the topic of diversity in the classroom and anti-bias education. When originally looking for a book to select this year, Muhs ...

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