Creating Culturally Responsive Classrooms and Practices

“Our students are our best cultural resources, and if we want learners who are knowledgeable and resourceful, it begins with us showing them that we value the knowledge and resources they come with.”

—Joni Degner, UDL facilitator, guest post on the Brookes Inclusion Lab blog

As an early childhood professional, there’s so much you can do to embrace and promote culturally responsive practices: examining your own biases and values, learning about child-rearing practices across cultures, stocking your classroom with diverse books and other materials, and giving children a chance to talk about their home culture and traditions, just to name a few.

Use the recommended resources on this page to help ensure that you’re supporting children and families in culturally sensitive and responsive ways.

Articles and other online resources:

How UDL Can Help You Create Culturally Accessible Classrooms (Brookes)

14 Resources for Diverse Books and Materials (Brookes)

5 Classroom Elements that Provide Opportunity for Dual Language Learners (Brookes)

Supporting Cultural Diversity in Early Childhood (Brookes)

Explore the Toolkit

• Screening and Assessing Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Children
• Supporting Dual Language Learners
• Understanding and Working with Families
• Creating Culturally Responsive Classrooms and Practices
• Promoting Acceptance and Friendship
• Shareable Quote Graphic Library

Building Positive Cultural Identities in the Preschool Classroom (The Preschool Podcast)

Checklist: Planning for a Multicultural Child Care Environment (Inclusive Directions)

Creating Environments that Include Children’s Home Languages and Cultures (Head Start ECLKC)

Selecting and Using Culturally Responsive Children’s Books (OHS National Center on Cultural and Linguistic Responsiveness)

Dual Language Learners with Disabilities: Supporting Young Children in the Classroom Module (IRIS Center)

Pyramid Model Practices Implementation Checklist (NCPMI)