The Diversity Dilemma…

There are many parts of the country where staff and student population diversity never comes into play. However, in New York City, diversity is a constant. It is at once a joy and a hardship. It is something administrators, staff, parents and children are constantly faced with and it is something that requires careful and sensitive attention routinely.

The medical center brings together an extremely diversified group of doctors, nurses, research scientists, and students. It’s exciting to be part of an organization that seeks out and nurtures the best minds in the world. Of course, many of these people come to the medical center with their young families and that means they are candidates for daycare.

For many, American daycare is a new beast. They have come from countries that provide free childcare. The downside is addressing the unexpected expense. The upside is parents can have childcare at their work site. This is especially important for families who have no relatives in the area and who have not yet even made acquaintances in the workplace.

These families, as do all families, bring their own culture and their own expectations to daycare. They instruct the staff to feed and discipline their children according to their customs. Many times what they desire is not something the staff can do in this country. This means the staff will need to discuss the limits of the daycare staff. For example, we can not use food to reward or punish a child. We also do not use corporal punishment and we do not use verbal abuse in our disciplinary actions.

Sometimes the news that the daycare staff can not act as a disciplinary surrogate infuriates parents. After all, they remind us, they are paying a hefty price for this service. An educational discussion with those parents about what American laws will permit and will not permit can sometimes be helpful. And remember any comment on a parent’s disciplinary style is often taken directly as a comment on their parental abilities and their culture. This is indeed a real problem for the daycare staff.

One way we work with this situation is to try to diversify our own staff. This has a noticeable positive effect. First, having a staff member that can speak the same language the parent speaks relaxes the parent. Second, a staff member that not only speaks the same language but also understands the parent’s culture is able to help other staff members understand the parent’s position. This doesn’t mean that the daycare staff changes its policies. It does mean that with better understanding of a parent’s culture the staff is able to prepare a “disciplinary menu” that will be acceptable to American law and to the parents as well.

Another way we work with this situation is to try to include all parents in classroom activities or events. Since we are nonsectarian we generally try to celebrate diverse cultures through different foods and literature. We try to find a common denominator that we can work with. One very successful “International Dinner” provided opportunities for families to resent their favorite culinary delights. What a surprise to find how many people cooked with rice and beans. Recipes were exchanged and smiles were everywhere.

Diversity is a wonderful teaching tool to be used not only for the children but also for the parents and staff as well. It reaps the most positive results when used with the greatest respect for others.