Materials Needed that Promote Racial and Cultural Awareness

Will adding crayons of different skin colors make a difference in children's lives? Yes, adding skin color crayons, paint, and paper will help a child become aware of who he is and who others are. I teach students ages 3-5 in a low income school title one school. Our funds are very limited and there is no money for the "extras" in our classroom. We are in need a variety of multicultural and abilities materials such as such as Foods from Many Cultures, Different Abilities book set and poster pack, Kids around the World Block Play People and Different Abilities block play people, People Colors Crayons, Paint and Paper that can be added to the centers in our classroom to expose our children to different races, cultures, and abilities. After age 9, racial attitudes tend to stay the same unless the child has a life-changing experience. Before that, however, we have a good chance to help children develop positive feelings about their racial, cultural identity, and accepting others with physical disabilities. We can also challenge the immature thinking that is typical of very young children. That's important because this type of thinking can lead to prejudice. Children develop their identity and attitudes through experiences with their bodies, social environments, and their cognitive developmental stages. As these three factors interact, young children progress through certain stages of racial and cultural awareness. Children of the ages 3-5 are better at noticing differences among people. They have learned to classify, and they tend to sort based on color and size. They can't yet deal with multiple classifications, so they get confused about the names of racial groups and the actual color of their skin. Many preschool children will comment - in words or through actions - on hair texture, eye shape, and other physical characteristics. By adding Multicultural and abilities materials to the centers in my classroom my goal is to facilitate the children's awareness and to help them understand that they are part of a large group with similar characteristics (not "different" from everyone else) and to foster their desire to be exactly who they are. If my proposal is funded these materials will help me accomplish this goal. These materials will be used in two Pre-K classrooms with 36 children. The materials requested will be put into the classroom centers (art, blocks, and dramatic play) so that they will be used everyday for many years. Thank you so much for considering my proposal and helping our young children develop an acceptance of others. It will make a difference for the rest of their lives.