Food
INTERCULTURAL EXPERIENCES AND HOW THEY CAN LEAD TO PARENT-EDUCATOR PARTNERSHIP CHALLENGES
Certain foods can be completely unknown or even taboo in other cultures. If so, the situation requires sensitive handling and background knowledge for the educators. This can be confusing as a child can feel they are in trouble for having to eat food they are not used to.
There are other food related pitfalls to be conscious of. In some cultures, it is common to feed children up to the age of 3 years or older, whereas in others, the independence of a child is supported by letting them eat by themselves from the age of 10 months.
Most kindergartens will have specific breakfast/lunch/snack times. For some children, this can be very confusing if they are used to getting food or being fed whenever they wish to be as well as wandering around with food in their hands at all times. This kindergarten structure might feel restricting and highly unfair to the child. The concept of sharing food also might take some children more time to get used to, especially if they are not familiar with the concept of eating together in a larger group.
“The nutrition concept can be explained in the preliminary talk, or an explanation of the concept can be printed, discussed and explained again in the first parent evening.
Menus should be on display in the kindergarten, so everyone knows what the meal plan is for the week.
Dietary requirements added to the allergy list allows staff to know each child’s requirements.
Families can be given lists of foods and recipes that might be served in the kindergarten to help them prepare for this at home and involve the child in this experience. ”