Nursery World - Celebrating diversity (13)

Minority ethnic children and white British culture When cultural diversity is discussed in relation to early years services, there is usually an assumption that we are talking about white British staff and children getting to grips with other cultures. At worst, the attitude that lies behind this might be characterised as, 'We are normal and minorities have these interesting things called "cultures".'

At worst, the attitude that lies behind this might be characterised as, 'We are normal and minorities have these interesting things called "cultures".'

(I cringe inwardly when I hear a practitioner referring to 'cultural toys' to mean those that come from or in some way reflect a culture other than white British - as though there was no cultural dimension to a Peppa Pig House or a toy farmyard set.) We need to help children from black and minority ethnic groups understand the dominant culture. It is unhelpful to assume that they will simply absorb it in some way by living here, or to lurch into the extremes of equating British identity with widespread values such as fairness and tolerance, or, conversely, to steer away from British culture on the assumption that it is somehow intrinsically racist.

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