I am extremely excited, but a little nervous. A new family will be enrolling in our program in two weeks. The family is from Slovakia and will be arriving in the United States within the week. My goal is to make them feel safe, comfortable, and valued at our center. I would do several things to prepare for their arrival.
1. Send a welcome letter to the family introducing not only myself, but the center. I would also ask if they would like to come in and meet with me before their child was due to enroll. Before sending the letter, I would need to find out if the spoke/read any English. If they spoke no/little English find someone to write the letter for me.
2. Research the country of Slovakia. Search for information regarding family life, family celebrations, holidays, education, and forms of recreation.
3. Research what language is spoken. Get some children's books in the language. Make a poster of survival terms.
4. Speak to the children. Prepare them for the new child. I would explain where the family is from using a map. I would explain that the new child does not speak our language. We will need to teach the new child English. I would also ask for the children's input. I would remind them that they have just left their family and all of their friends. How can we make this new child feel welcome and safe?
5. I would arrange the environment according to any research I conducted. I would ad books and pictures to the classroom.
6. I would research any organizations in the community that could be a support system to the family and school.
7. I would write a letter to our existing families and ask for their support as well.
Everyone would benefit from my preparations. I would feel more prepared and able to properly support this child and family. It is my hope that the new child and family will feel welcome, comfortable, and safe in their new environment. I would like to make as smooth of a transition as possible. The other children in the classroom will be building their self-esteem and feel empowered by helping me prepare for the new family. Everyone will learn acceptance of others!
One thing I find hard for each new student is to find their place fast within a class group that has been together since the beginning of the year. A new arrival is always harder in the middle of the year. So making the others responsible for helping the new child feel welcome, assigning a compassionate buddy are all things that will make it easier for the settling in
ReplyDeleteChristina,
ReplyDeleteI LOVE the idea of speaking with the students about having a new student. This is so important. The children in the class should be notified as well and should understand the differences they may see in the other child. I think the students will be comfortable to talk to the child if they had a better understanding of the child. Thanks, I will remember that during my journey.
Latasha