Creating Affirming Environments

     Children need to feel safe, loved and nurtured in order to develop the basic trust they need for healthy development ( Richards, 2010). I am in total agreement with the statement by Richards in saying that the goals are for children in providing a family child care home is to develop a strong positive concept and empathy for others through healthy, intellectual, physical, social, emotional, and moral development ( pg.52).

     If I could design my own personal Family Child Care Home I would use the experiences provided in the readings by BJ Richards, and Adriana Castillo. My main goal would be to provide a family oriented atmosphere and a environment where families could leave their children and feel that their children are in a home that is similar and familiar to the home they live in. The materials I would use would be anti-bias related and a representative of the many cultures and differences as well as the similarities of my families. My room set-up would be one big area which will consist of divided off areas for a Reading center, a art center, a dramatic play center, a listening center, and large area for circle time. Each of these areas will be labeled by signs and pictures, along with the necessary materials for use in the learning and development of each child.
 
     The reading center will have a variety of books and puppets that are representative of teaching children the diversity of human life. The art area will have a variety of paint colors, markers, paper, and crayons which represent skin tones. The dramatic play area will have dolls of many cultures, real clothing and play costumes, and also real and found materials that are representative of home living. The listening area will have music that represent that represent children's culture's and languages, a tape recorder with a variety of stories with the tapes and read along books. The large group area will be for story time, block play, and large puzzles. This area will be my main area where the children can talk together, interact together, and have room for exploration. It will be an area where we can come together as a group at the end of the day for sharing and saying good bye.

     The readings and the media segment were both instrumental in helping me to implement my plan. I had the experience in working with preschool age children in a pre-kindergarten setting. I really enjoyed the experience of setting up the classroom. This is why I chose my action plan for setting up my family childcare home. The preschool settings are design as home away from home for children who attend the program. As Adriana Castillo recommends, anyone that wants to work with children, keep going, but never do it alone, because we always have good people around us, with good resources, because she di not do it alone, but found great people to work with ( Laureate Education, 2011). I totally agree, point very well taken in order to be successful.

References
Derman-Parks, L., & Olsen-Edwards, J. (2010). Anti-Bias Education for young children and ourselves. National Association for the Education of Young Children. Washington, D.C. (NAEYC).

Strategies for working with diverse children. Welcome to an Anti-Bias learning community. (Laureate Education, 2011). Retrieved from https://class.waldenu/webapps/blackboard/content/listContent.jsp?course_id=_419753.