The Value of Culture in Your Family Partnerships

HOW TO DEVELOP A CULTURAL UNDERSTANDING WITHIN YOUR PROGRAM

Many times I worried that it was not going to happen for me, but with encouragement from family, coworkers, and faculty, my dream has come true. I—a proud Mexican American, working mom, and mother of two—am just about to finish my bachelor’s degree! I know my dedication to my family, my career, and to completing my degree has shown my two daughters that anything is possible. I’m proud that both are bright, goal oriented self-starters who will succeed as I have to become role models.

As I think about this month’s blog topic, my own culture, and my own daughters’ early experiences, something from my recent Human Development in a Multicultural Society course stood out to me.

In my course, I read that parents from some Hispanic cultures tend to regard teachers as experts and will often defer educational decision making to them. In contrast, European American parents often see themselves as being in partnership with teachers to support their children’s educational experience. These cultural differences in value and belief may cause educators to make inaccurate judgments regarding the value that Hispanics families place on education (Samovar, 2010).

As I thought about my work at the McCormick Center, it became quite evident to me that early childhood leaders play a critical role in helping teachers understand individual histories and ideologies regarding education and learning as well as the cultural patterns and beliefs of groups.

REFLECTIONS FROM MY OWN EXPERIENCE

My own personal story makes me quite passionate on this topic. In 1999 my daughter, who was 4 years old at the time, was tested at preschool to see if she needed speech therapy. I knew that she would qualify for bilingual assistance because she had a speech problem. I was astonished by the results; the director told me that her speech problem was due to being confused by the two languages she spoke. She suggested that we stop speaking Spanish at home. I was hesitant to challenge the director’s expertise. I eventually got the support of my pediatrician to advocate for my daughter’s speech therapy needs.

I believe that the director of my daughter’s preschool was doing what she thought was in the best interest of my daughter, but, one negative consequence of my daughter’s preschool experience was that she never learned to speak Spanish. I often wonder how additional information about cultural diversity or the benefits of multiple languages may have impacted the director’s opinion on my daughter’s speech problem. Here are some ways in which you as an early childhood leader can help value the cultures of the families you work with.

TIPS FOR DEVELOPING CULTURAL UNDERSTANDING

Learn as much as you can about the different cultures in your early childhood program. Once you are aware of some of the cultural differences among your staff and families, you may find it easy to be a more effective leader.
Expose your staff to a wide variety of cultures throughout your program. If you ignore the cultural differences, you are more likely to create friction and tension. However, if you choose to accept and celebrate those differences, you may find them to be a great asset for your program.
Encourage a positive environment by inviting families into your program. Asking families about their culture and beliefs is a great way to get to know them and what is important to them. Extend these conversations past the intake process at parent meetings or conferences.
Encourage children and families to share their personal cultural stories. This can create an atmosphere of respect and will help children and families build a sense of belonging and trust.
Consider keeping a calendar of holidays and events important to the families and staff you serve. This can help you keep the pulse of what cultural events and celebrations might be on the minds of the families in your program and help you organize family-centered events at times most appropriate.

HERE ARE SOME MORE RESOURCES THAT CAN PROVIDE INSIGHT INTO THIS TOPIC:

Leading Anti-Bias Early Childhood Programs-A Guide for Change by Louise Derman-Sparks, Debbie LeeKeenan, and John Nimmo
Anti-Bias Education for Young Children and Ourselves by Louise Derman-Sparks & Julie Olsen Edwards
Program Administration Scale (Item 17) by Paula Jorde Bloom and Teri Talan

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Examining the Role of Employer Benefits and Turnover in Center-based Child Care

By Robyn Kelton, M.A. • June 27, 2025

INTRODUCTION Turnover rates in child care are among the highest in education, with over 160,000 workforce openings predicted annually (Bassok et al., 2014; Doromal et al., 2022; Joughin, 2021; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2025). While some turnover is expected and even necessary, the levels of turnover experienced in the field of early childhood education and care (ECEC) are not only alarmingly high but deeply problematic. In 2021, a national survey conducted by the National Association for the Education of Young Children found that over 80% of child care centers were experiencing a staffing shortage, with the majority of those programs reporting one-to-five open roles, but 15% reporting between six and 15 open roles (NAEYC, 2021). Staffing shortages result in lost revenue, financial uncertainty, and program instability, often forcing administrators to operate below capacity and/or under reduced hours (NAEYC, 2021; NAEYC, 2024; Zero to Three, 2024). Limited enrollment slots and classroom and program closures lead to increased waiting lists (Zero to Three, 2024; Carrazana, 2023). In turn, families are placed in a highly vulnerable position of needing to leave the workforce to stay home with their child or turn to potentially unsafe or unregulated child care. Moreover, increased turnover in classrooms interrupts continuity of care and disrupts the relationships built between children and their educators (Reidt-Parker, J., & Chainski, M. J. (2015). Research has begun to highlight some of the programmatic and personnel characteristics predictive of increased staff turnover in ECEC programs. Low wages are most commonly identified as a strong predictor of turnover (Amadon et al., 2023; Bryant et al., 2023; Fee, 2024; Guevara, 2022; Totenhagen et al., 2016). However, workforce advocates and some researchers have begun to expand conversations on compensation to explore the impact the profession’s general lack of benefits such as paid time off, access to health insurance, and retirement benefits has on retention (e.g., Amadon et al., 2023; Bryant et al., 2023; Fee, 2024; Lucas, 2023). While informative, this body of work has typically approached benefits as binary variables (i.e., have or do not have) rather than reflect the spectrum on which benefits are commonly offered (e.g., the number of days off, the percent of insurance covered by the employer, and levels of retirement matching funds). This Research Note aims to expand on previous work investigating the relationship between benefits and turnover by exploring the possibility of a more nuanced relationship between the variables to determine if the level of benefits offered impacts turnover rates. METHOD This study used data collected via formal Program Administration Scale, 3rd Edition (PAS-3) assessments conducted by Certified PAS-3 Assessors between 2023 and 2025. To become certified, PAS-3 assessors must first achieve reliability (a score of at least 86%) on a test conducted after four days of training on the tool. Next, they must conduct two PAS assessments within three months of reliability training. PAS-3 national anchors reviewed the completed assessments for consistency, accuracy, and completeness. The study analyzed data from 133 PAS-3 assessments collected during the certification process across 12 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Mariana Islands. Measures Data for this study were collected using the PAS-3, a valid and reliable tool used to measure and improve Whole Leadership practices in center-based programs (Talan, Bella, Jorde Bloom, 2022). The PAS-3 includes 25 items, each composed of 2-5 indicator strands and scored on a 7-point Likert scale (1 = inadequate, 3 = minimal, 5 = good, and 7 = excellent). Item scores are averaged to determine a mean PAS-3 score. Of particular interest to this study is Item 5: Benefits. Item 5 measures employee access to health insurance and considers what percentage of the cost is paid by the employer, the total number of paid time off days within the first and fifth years of employment, access to a retirement plan, and the percentage at which the employer will match the employee’s contribution. Last, Item 5 explores provisions made to cover the costs of staff’s professional development. Non-applicable is allowed as a response for indicators related to health insurance and retirement if there are no full-time staff employed by the program. Sample Program enrollment ranged in size from four children to 285, with a mean enrollment of 65 and a median of 55. Total program staff for the sample ranged from two to 44 staff, with an average of just under 14 staff (13.93) and a standard deviation of 8.80. Table 1 below provides a detailed breakdown of staff by role and full-time and part-time status.