Viking_Yearbook_93

I n a year that was filled with controversy and political havoc their is a safe haven on our campus that teaches our children the importance of diversity. “We hope the children here take with them a strong core of feeling happy about who they are and have an awareness of themselves,” says Ellie Nolan the Director of The Helen Gordon Child Development Center. The curriculum taught at the center has been coined the “Anti- Bias Curriculum.” The center has patterned their methods from the An ti-B ias Curriculum, Tools for Empowering Young Children, book by Louise Derman-Sparks. This particular curriculum involves | breaking down stereotypes that may be taught by using certain materials for art I supplies, puzzles, or books. All decisions | that are made with the children use this Anti-Bias approach. “The premise of this curriculum is that the children need to understand and except themselves first, and then understand and except others for whatever differences they may have,” said Nolan. The main focuses of this program are different family situations. Whether they be interracial, cultural, language, or disability differences. All are dealt with at the center. One of the many ways differences are fraught with is the use of persona dolls. These dolls are specifically brought into the