5.7: Cultural Identity Development

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Page ID: 86765

Cindy Stephens, Gina Peterson, Sharon Eyrich, & Jennifer Paris
College of the Canyons via College of the Canyons

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Culture can be defined as ideas, knowledge, behaviors, beliefs, art, values, morals, law, customs, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by particular people or society, and these are passed along from one generation to the next by the way of communication. Our cultural identity is an integrated part of our development.

Cultural identity refers to a person's sense of belonging to a particular culture or group. This process involves learning about and accepting the traditions, heritage, language, religion, ancestry, aesthetics, thinking patterns, and social structures of a culture.

Early Childhood Professionals support the cultural identity of the children and families we serve. We do this by getting to know the child and their family. We stay away from our biases/assumptions about what we think we know about a particular race/ethnicity/religion, etc. and we seek to engage in relationships with families that honor how that family identifies their cultural identity. ECE 106 (The Role of Equity and Diversity in Early Childhood Education) uncovers how we can best serve families with respectful and supportive practices.