Gearing Your Program to All Kids

Nine out of 10 afterschool programs serve children of diverse ethnic and language backgrounds, and six in 10 serve kids with disabilities. We’ve got the diversity, but what about inclusion? Experts recommend several strategies for making the most of kids’ differences and creating real community after school.

Reflection correction
Afterschool staff have a responsibility to make sure every child who walks through the door feels safe, valued, and respected for who they are. Do posters on the walls and languages on forms for parents reflect the diversity children bring to your program? Are various cultures and experiences mirrored in toys, books, curriculum, and staff? “It’s important to normalize the fact that people aren’t all alike,” notes Amy Scharf of California Tomorrow, “and show we have a lot to learn from each other’s differences.”

A thousand stories
One of the best ways to celebrate differences is giving kids a forum to share their own and their family’s experiences. Art, story-telling, video-making, and other projects can be great vehicles for expression. “Once students spend time understanding their own identities, they can begin to understand and appreciate others – and diversity generally,” explains Dr. Linda Blanshay of the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles. The museum’s new curriculum for afterschool programs, Finding Our Families, Finding Ourselves, walks students through a deliberate process of self-reflection, learning about others, and, ultimately, their own goal-setting to contribute to a better world.

Zero tolerance for intolerance
Of course, understanding can’t occur absent a safe space, where kids act and speak respectfully and are called on any stereotype. Ask kids to define a communal “Rules for Respect” after school, including guidelines on name-calling. For example, anti-gay name-calling is widespread, and it diminishes kids’ feelings of safety and acceptance, regardless of sexual orientation, says Julie Lienert of the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network, San Francisco-East Bay. This affects many kids, including those with LGBTQ family members and those who defy gender stereotypes. “Afterschool programs have a huge opportunity to empower young people to express themselves as they are and to create an environment that embraces all people,” Lienert says.

Looking within
No child will learn tolerance and respect unless it’s modeled first by adults. Experts agree: for inclusion to happen, staff must examine and address their own assumptions. Resources and training abound, so get equipped. Soon you’ll feel ready to serve all kids in your community.

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