Hello! Thank you for wanting to be thoughtful and inclusive of all your families! As a lesbian and foster/adoptive parent, I would definitely want my child's teacher to be open about this and speak to me directly. Since the family is new to your center, you will want to have a discussion about what each mom should be called (ex. Mommy and Mama, Mommy Christine and Mommy Rachel, etc) and if there are other family members the child might discuss. In many cases, children who were in the foster system are able to maintain contact with some members of their first family. It is definitely appropriate to say, "I am so glad Felix is joining our classroom. So I am using the right language, what does he call each of his moms? I was planning to have the children make a little present for Fathers Day. What makes the most sense for your family? Should he make the present for you (his moms) or is there someone else in his life we should keep in mind for this present?
I want to make sure I am supporting Felix and your family the best I can." I would imagine other children in the class might also have a family make up that would require you to adjust this activity a bit (single moms, grandparent-headed families, etc). Also, it would be nice to make sure diverse families are represented in your children's books and in the images around the classroom (family pictures, etc) to make sure this child feels represented. Many GLBT families face discrimination in schools and we worry quite a bit about how welcoming teachers and other parents will be to our children, so again thank you
for wanting to be supportive and inclusive of all your families. Best of luck to you!
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Christine Creagh
Associate Professor
Early Childhood Development and Education
Columbus State Community College
Columbus, Ohio
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Original Message:
Sent: 05-28-2017 11:47 PM
From: Catherine Roach
Subject: Fathers' Day
I have a new child starting in my class soon, and I need some suggestions for Fathers' Day. He has 2 moms and no dad that I know of-he was at our center as a baby, left, and then came back. I think he was a foster child and then adopted by his foster family. I don't know them that well, and I don't want to offend anyone. Would it be appropriate to be upfront and ask them how they handle Fathers' Day, or should I just make his gift without referencing the father part? Thank you for your help!
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Catherine Roach
Milwaukee WI
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