Welcoming Families from Around the World

What a great experience! I am learning about a family that is coming all the way from Somalia to join a nearby child care center! The first thing I realize I will need to do to prepare is to make sure we have enough winter hats, gloves, boots, and so on for this family. According to the U.S. Department of State (www.state.gov), The weather in Somalia is desert-like and they will likely not be familiar with the snow in Central New York. The second thing I will need to do familiarize myself with the Muslim religion, as 99% of Somalians are Muslim (www.state.gov). With the Christmas holiday approaching, I want to ensure we acknowlege and help them celebrate their holiday as well. The third thing I will want to do to prepare for them is to learn some of the most important Somali words, as it is important to help them feel comfortable, even if they do speak English. The fourth thing I will need to do to prepare for them is to ensure there is a cell phone for them to use that they are comfortable using. According to the U.S. Department of State, Somali has cellular coverage, but lanlines are destroyed. Fifth, I will need to ensure the accommodations are simple and avoid over stimulation of the environment for the children and the family. Somalia is typically agricultural in nature and having too much stimulation in a busy child care center could be overwhelming for them if they are used to the agricultural way of life. I would contact my local Cornell Cooperative Extension on information on farming and agriculture so I can educate myself on the life they are used to having and be able to point them in the right direction for settling down themselves.
In making these changes in the environment and taking time to learn all that I can about this family's way of life in Somalia, I hope that it will put them at ease and open lines of communication between them and I. When working with children, it is important that parents and providers work in a partnership so the child can benefit and learn as much as possible. Ensuring those open lines of communication will help the child feel comfortable and adapt to their new surroundings without feeling as though they have to give up their own culture to adapt to a completely new one.