McCormick Institute for Early Childhood

BY Isabel Landa | February 20, 2025

This document may be printed, photocopied, and disseminated freely with attribution. All content is the property of the McCormick Center for Early Childhood Leadership.

Learning a new language and adapting to mainstream customs can be intimidating. Culture shock is a real and powerful experience affecting one’s mental health and overall well-being in ways that are often overlooked. Low-income Latino families often experience greater challenges in engaging with their child’s learning and development compared to other ethnicities due to “educational, cultural, and linguistic barriers” (Miller & Greenfader, 2021, p.1). Many individuals come to the U.S. in pursuit of the American Dream—a goal that requires hard work, sacrifice, and overcoming these educational, cultural, and linguistic barriers.


In homes and center-based programs, early childhood administrators establish protocols and set the tone for welcoming children and families into their programs. Administrators are also responsible for supporting classroom staff who deal with the behaviors sometimes seen when children and families enter new settings. The story below offers some lessons learned and some things to think about as administrators make intentional plans to welcome families, especially those who may also be new to the country, into programs.


Building Trust Through Shared Experience


Imagine being a five-year-old preschooler, crying every morning at drop-off and clinging to your mother as if it were the last time you would see one another. This was the situation I encountered as a preschool assistant teacher, struggling to understand why a child had such a difficult transition every day during arrival. The child’s distress was a mystery until one day, during a parent-teacher conference, the child’s mother finally shared their story, revealing the deep trauma they both had faced.


As a first-generation Mexican-American, I could relate to the challenges of adapting to a new language and culture. I shared my experience as a bilingual student during a parent-teacher conference. This personal connection fostered a breakthrough, helping the mother and I form a trusting relationship. After that, the mother shared some of the trauma her family had experienced when immigrating to America. Circumstances in their country of origin forced her to send her child to America ahead of her to live with relatives who were strangers for a few weeks. This left both the mother and the child with deep trauma and anxiety around separation. Additionally, the mother shared that she feared that her child’s behavior would be misconstrued by school authorities and worried about being seen as a bad mother. This likely added to both her and her child’s stress and anxiety during drop-off.


Supporting the Child’s Needs in the Classroom


Armed with this new information, the teaching team tailored our approach to meet the child’s emotional needs. We comforted the child if they cried, explained that mom would always return, and provided a calming item and a family photo for comfort. We also created an individualized visual schedule, pairing it with the classroom schedule to reduce anxiety. After some time, the child stopped crying routinely, and the mother expressed her deep gratitude for our support. Reflecting on the experience, I remember the helplessness I initially felt when the child cried every morning. Now, I deeply appreciate the opportunity to build authentic, trusting relationships with families, children, and educators.


REFLECTING ON BEST PRACTICES


The mother’s willingness to share her story and partner with me to better support her child was transformative. It marked the beginning of the development of an effective transition plan for her child and the development of strong communication between the mother and teaching staff. I listened actively, ensuring she felt safe and comfortable, and then shared my own experience. Speaking the same primary language didn’t give me an automatic advantage; trust had to be earned, and it was through consistent actions that we demonstrated care and support for the child. Trust and respect were the keys to success.


Looking back, expanding the enrollment form to inquire more about the child’s family and community would have been beneficial. During enrollment, many early childhood programs focus on learning basic child-related information like medical information, food preferences, and/or individuals authorized to pick up the child. However, capitalizing on the enrollment period as an opportunity to learn more about the child and family allows us to better meet their needs.


The Business Administration Scale for Family Child Care (BAS-2) and the Program Administration Scale (PAS-3) both highlight the importance of soliciting information about each child’s developmental history, families’ beliefs, culture, and childrearing practices during the intake process (Talan & Bloom, 2018; Talan et al., 2022). If I had understood this particular family’s previous experiences right from the start, it could have eased the child’s transition. We could have provided better support for the child. Even if the mother only disclosed a small amount of information at enrollment, it would have helped jumpstart our trust and partnership.


Reflective Questions


Below are some topics and questions you may want to consider adding to your enrollment and intake processes and procedures. Add questions that make the most sense in your setting.


  • What would be helpful to know about a new child’s developmental history?
  • Questions asking when the child met certain development milestones (crawl, walk, etc.)
  • Questions about the child’s preferred interests when playing (puzzles, books, paint, etc.)
  • Others:
  • What would be helpful to know about a new family’s beliefs and culture?
  • Questions asking about days or celebrations that are important to the family
  • Questions asking about the family’s hopes and dreams for their child
  • Names for important items or people (e.g., what does your child call their favorite toy or stuffed animal, relatives, etc.)
  • What would be helpful to know about a new family’s childrearing practices?
  • Schedule times for napping, eating, enrichment activities, etc.
  • Potty training preferences, meal practices, limited screen time, etc.
  • Others:


Want to learn more about the PAS, BAS, or any of our family engagement professional development opportunities? Contact us at pas.bas@nl.edu


Click here to read the second part of this article.


REFERENCES


Miller, E., Greenfader, C. (2021, September 27). Latino family engagement in Head Start and elementary school: Associations with outcomes in two datasets. Society for Research on Educational Effectiveness (SREE). https://eric.ed.gov/?q=Social+AND+behaviors+AND+parents&ff1=lawHead+Start&id=ED656947


Talan, T., Bella, J. M., Bloom, P. J. (2022). Program administration scale: Measuring whole leadership in early childhood centers, third edition. Teachers College Press.


Talan, T., Bloom, P. J. (2018). Business administration scale for family child care, second edition. Teachers College Press.

Isabel Landa, M.ED., is a Quality Training Specialist for the McCormick Institute for Early Childhood at National Louis University. In this role, she serves as a national anchor for the Program Administration Scale (PAS) and Business Administration Scale for Family Child Care (BAS). Previously, she served as an Assessor and Training Specialist conducting Environment Rating Scales (ERS) and the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS) assessments for the state of Illinois. Prior to joining the McCormick Institute, Isabel was the Education Manager and Teacher Coach at recognized non-profit social service agencies. Isabel has over 14 years of experience as a teacher and administrator in early childhood education and care. Her prior experience also includes accounting and retail campus banking. Isabel holds an English as a Second Language (ESL) endorsement and a Master of Education in early childhood administration from National Louis University.

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The Ants Go Marching

By Cara Murdoch • February 16, 2026
In early childhood education and care (ECEC), we know that some of the simplest ideas can carry the biggest lessons—and many of us have been singing “The Ants Go Marching” for years without realizing it might also be a leadership guide. Ants may be tiny, but their colonies run on teamwork, communication, flexibility, and a clear sense of purpose—all things ECEC programs rely on every day. By taking a closer look at how ants work together to support their colony, early childhood leaders can discover practical and familiar ways to strengthen teamwork, value every role, and lead programs where everyone is marching in the same direction for children and families. Ants are busy creatures; they work with a purpose and know their jobs in the colony. Ants exhibit teamwork and collective effort. Ant colonies demonstrate intelligence, division of labor, communication systems, and cooperative behaviors. They can recognize and respond to the colony's needs. They overcome their challenges through trial and error, learning from their experiences, and sometimes even develop innovative strategies. In the ant colony, individual ants work together as a unit, each with a unique role that determines the colony's survival and success. The ant colony functions just like a superorganism, where the actions of each individual ant are a part of the highly efficient system that supports the whole colony. This concept of collective action is closely related to human teamwork! Ants have a lot to teach us, as we work in ECEC. teamwork Just as ants collaborate, relying on their communication and coordination to complete tasks, humans thrive when working together, as each individual brings their own unique skills and perspectives to their “colony.” Ants depend on each other. Each ant has a specialized job, and the colony relies on the cooperation and coordination of all its members to thrive and survive. Each ant’s contribution, no matter how small it may seem, is vital to the success of the colony as a whole, and the strength of the group is built on the cooperation of each individual. Similarly, in ECEC programs, teamwork — working together and helping one another —leads to better results than trying to do everything alone! When we collaborate, we pool our strengths, share our knowledge, and support each other, which can lead to more creative and efficient solutions. Each person in the program brings unique skills and perspectives, filling gaps and helping compensate for one another’s weaknesses. This shared effort allows your program to tackle tasks and achieve goals that would be difficult, if not impossible, for one individual to accomplish on their own... just like in an ant colony! Adapting to face challenges Ants are highly adaptable creatures. Have you ever watched a disrupted colony hurry to move the uncovered eggs to a protected space? They respond quickly to changes or disruptions in their environment. Their ability to quickly assess new situations and adjust their behavior will help the colony continue to function efficiently, even when the unexpected happens. Their adaptability is the key to their survival, allowing them to overcome obstacles and thrive. Early childhood programs also need to adapt to challenges. When unexpected changes occur, each person needs to be flexible and find new ways to contribute to the program's success. Just as ants adjust, programs must reassess their strengths, collaborate, and develop alternative solutions. Adaptability is essential for proper teamwork! honoring individual roles In an ant colony, different ants take on very specific roles. There are worker ants, soldier ants, and the queen ant. Each ant’s role is crucial to the success and survival of the colony, and all roles are interdependent; they work together to achieve common goals. This division of labor that exists in an ant colony can be compared to the different roles and unique talents found in an ECEC program. Just as ants rely on each other to perform specific tasks, each ECEC team member brings their own expertise and skills to the program. In a project or workplace setting, one person may excel at brainstorming creative ideas, another might be skilled at organizing tasks and managing timelines, and someone else may be particularly adept at technical skills or problem-solving. This diversity of roles within a team ensures that every aspect of a project or goal receives focused attention. In center-based programs, there are the director, teachers, kitchen staff, and other roles as needed. The diversity of roles in a program helps to ensure that the program is successful and thrives. clear purpose and goals In an ant colony, survival is the common goal. The colony’s success depends on each member performing its specific role. Their unwavering focus on the survival of the colony is connected to their success. It demonstrates the power of their collective action, driven by a clear and unified goal. ECEC programs thrive when they are aligned around a shared and clear purpose and goals. When program members understand and commit to their common goals, the well-being and growth of children and families, their efforts will become more effective and coordinated. Just as ants bring different strengths to the program, each person brings different strengths to the program. It is alignment around shared goals that enables the program to overcome challenges and succeed. When everyone in the program is clear on the goals and helps work together toward them, the whole program becomes more focused, resilient, and motivated - just as an ant colony becomes stronger when every member is working toward survival! Ants work together harmoniously to achieve their common goals; they set aside individual competition in favor of colony cooperation. Each ant focuses on its specialized task. This spirit of ant cooperation is key to the colony's survival and success, as it enables the colony to accomplish more complex tasks than any single ant could manage alone. ECEC programs can benefit from adopting a similar approach that emphasizes collaboration and shared goals over individual achievement. In an ECEC program, when members support each other and work together, they can leverage each person’s strengths to accomplish more than they could individually. Instead of competing for recognition or resources, each member can focus on the program’s success, fostering a more positive and productive environment. learning from ants Ants have so much to teach ECEC programs when it comes to cooperating and working together as an effective team. Whether it's knowing your own role and abilities, supporting each of your fellow team members, communicating clearly and effectively, being flexible, or avoiding competition, the ant colony is an excellent example of these qualities! Let your ants go marching!!! Ant Life, author unknown I am just an ant, A small life is what I live, But I have dreams for bigger things And so much more to give If only I could grow A foot or two would do I could live a life That others look up to.
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