This assignment identifies the equity and diversity in early year's services.

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Samantha Stanley - BTEC National Diploma in Early Years

Induction Assignment

Equity and Diversity

This assignment identifies the equity and diversity in early year’s services. It is based upon treating every child fairly, but not every child should be treated exactly the same way as another child. Children aswel as adults are individuals, the needs in which child A require may be different from child B or child C, therefore it would not be fair to treat all three children exactly the same as each child should be valued as an individual so their individual needs should be met.    

There are various ways of discrimination children receive whilst in early year’s education. They are the following:

  1. Racial Discrimination
  2. Disability Discrimination
  1. Gender Discrimination
  1. Social Discrimination
  1. Size Discrimination.

Racial Discrimination

Many children get discriminated against because of the colour of their skin, their religion or their culture. Today’s societies are expected to be aware and to respect different cultures and beliefs. Although most of the staff would, the other children are not aware of any other cultures. The language in which different cultures speak is part of a child’s personal identity; unfortunately the other children would not understand this language or the religion so the child would feel rejected. As the young children do not understand other cultures or religions they would not class it as being of any importance. To help the children who belong to different cultures feel comfortable in their surroundings should put posters of the different religions around the schools, this also shows that they are aware and do respect peoples beliefs. It may also encourage young children to read it and begin to understand the different ways of life and also help with the child’s self-identity as it would help them feel acceptable. Many other children discriminate against other classmates because the colour of their skin is different to theirs, because the children are unaware of cultures and religions they would not consider different colour skin to be “normal”. Therefore they may be classed as “different” or “weird” to other young children.

Racial discrimination would affect the child’s holistic development in the following ways:

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Emotional - The child would feel rejected, therefore they would devalue themselves.

Social - The child wouldn’t be able to socialise as much with most of the other children because he wouldn’t want to try out any sports incase he was the last chosen again.

Disability Discrimination (Physical)

“The term disability is one which persists because of our society’s need to ‘label’ anyone who differs from the normal” (T.Bruce and C.Meggitt 1999)

Many early years services are not fitted with the essential needs a young physically ...

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