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Families First of Monroe County1500 North Superior Avenue, Suite #2P. O. Box 707Tomah, WI 54660 ~ 608-374-4141

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Families First of Monroe County1500 North Superior Avenue, Suite #2P. O. Box 707Tomah, WI 54660 ~ 608-374-4141

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This site offers help with housing, renters assistance, and gives options for other resources available.

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This article is a great resource for bringing to light the different stereotypes that may occur in any given classroom setting, it talks about the words we use how we may say things, we could be stereotyping without even realizing it.

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Challenging Gender Stereotypes in the Early Childhood Classroom

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Spread the loveAlthough research shows that while most parents agree that children should be treated the same regardless of gender in early childhood, they still treat male and female children differently in ways that support gender stereotypes. For example, when told a child was a boy, parents would handle a baby or toddler more roughly than when told the child was a girl.

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I liked this link because it has several books to choose from about this sometimes-hard topic, of different family structures. I picked “The Family Book” because it honors all types of family structures, it is designed to be funny and reassuring for young children, Toddler-Pre-K, this link gives you many options to pick from it is a great resource from a trusted site.

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This resource is part of a series developed to support programs in partnering with parents/ guardians who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, and/or transgender ( LGBT). Find information and strategies to create an early childhood setting that is welcoming for all children and families. Recommended for directors, teachers, providers, and parents.

Download the PDF

Picture Books Featuring All Kinds of Families

Families by Shelley Rotner and Sheila M. Kelly. (Toddler-K)

There are all kinds of families. Some are big and some are small. Some have two moms or two dads. This book of photos offers children an inclusive look at families, so they can see beyond their own experiences and begin to understand others.

The Family Book by Todd Parr. (Toddler-K)

This charming novel celebrates all kinds of families in a funny and reassuring way. Includes adoptive families, stepfamilies, single-parent families, two-mom and two-dad families, and families with a mom and a dad.

Families, Families, Families! by Suzanne and Max Lang. (Toddler-K)

A host of silly animals represent all kinds of families. Depicted as portraits, images of these goofy creatures offer a warm celebration of family love.

The Great Big Book of Families by Mary Hoffman. (Pre-K-3)

This book features all kinds of families and their lives together. Each two-page spread showcases one aspect of home life-from houses and holidays, to schools and pets, to feelings and family trees.

One Family by George Shannon. (Pre-K-2)

While the text looks at numbers and the concept of "one" - one batch of cookies, one family, one world - the images portray a diverse range of people and families, including those that are multigenerational, interracial, or include parents who identify as LGBT.

Over the River and Through the Woods by Linda Ashman. (Pre-K-1)

The classic song gets a fresh new twist! The fun begins when Grandma and Grandpa send invitations to their far-flung, modern, and multiracial family.

We Belong Together: A Book About Adoption and Families by Todd Parr. (Toddler-1)

This book explores the ways people can choose to come together as a family. It's about sharing your home and sharing your heart to make a family that belongs together.

Who's In My Family? All About Our Families by Robie Harris. (Toddler-1)

This book interweaves conversations between two young siblings with a matter-of-fact text, making it clear to every child that whoever makes up your family, it is perfectly normal - and totally wonderful.

Picture Books Featuring Lesbian or Gay Family Members or Characters

And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell. (K-2)

Boy penguins Roy and Silo at New York's Central Park Zoo do everything together. They even put a rock in their nest and try to hatch it, until the zookeeper gives them a real egg that needs care. The penguins take turns sitting on it until it hatches, and Tango is born.

The Different Dragon by Jennifer Bryan. (Pre-K-1)

This book shows how the wonderful curiosity and care of a little boy, with some help from his two moms, leads to magical places with a dragon who is tired of being tough. (Also available in Spanish as " El dragón diferente".)

Donovan's Big Day by Lesléa Newman. (Pre-K-2)

This book captures the excitement of a young boy as he and his extended family prepare for the boy's two moms' wedding. A picture book about love, family, and marriage.

Heather Has Two Mommies, 25th Anniversary Edition by Lesléa Newman. (Pre-K-K)

Heather's favorite number is two. She has two arms, two legs, and two pets. And she also has two mommies. As school begins, Heather sees "the most important thing about a family is that all the people in it love one another."

Hugs of Three: My Daddies and Me by Dr. Stacey Bromberg and Dr. Joe Taravella. (Toddler-Pre-K)

This board book highlights the importance of a loving connection between children and parents. (Also see Hugs of Three: My Mommies and Me.)

Keesha and Her Two Moms Go Swimming by Monica Bey-Clarke and Cheril N. Clarke. (K-2)

While having fun splashing with other friends, Keesha meets a little boy who has no friends and no toys, until Keesha does the right thing and makes a new friend.

King and King by Linda de Haan. (Pre-K-2)

The queen has made up her mind that it's time for the prince to marry and become king before the end of the summer. Many princesses come to visit, but no one is quite right-until another sweet prince comes along.

Mommy, Mama, and Me by Lesléa Newman. (Toddler)

This board book has rhythmic text and illustrations showing a toddler spending the day with their mommies. From hide-and-seek to dress-up, to bath time and a kiss goodnight, there's no limit to what a loving family can do together. (Also see Daddy, Papa, and Me.)

The Princes and the Treasure by Jeffrey A. Miles. (Pre-K-1)

After Princess Elena is whisked away, champion Gallant and shy Earnest go on a quest to find "the greatest treasure in the land," so one of them can save and marry the princess. Along the way, they realize "the greatest treasure in the land" is not what they expected - it's their love for each other!

Stella Brings the Family by Miriam B. Schiffer. (Pre-K-1)

Stella's class is having a Mother's Day celebration, but what's a girl with two daddies to do? Stella finds a unique solution to her party problem in this sweet story about love, acceptance, and the true meaning of family.

A Tale of Two Daddies by Vanita Oelschlager. (Pre-K-1)

A young girl answers a friend's questions about what it's like to have two fathers. The boy asks straightforward questions. The story ends with, "Who is your dad when you're sad and need some love?" Both, of course. (Also see A Tale of Two Mommies.)

Uncle Bobby's Wedding by Sarah Brannen. (Pre-K-2)

Guinea pig Chloe is worried her favorite uncle, Bobby, won't have time for her anymore when he announces he is getting married to his boyfriend, Jamie. The book celebrates family happiness and special bonds of family members.
" Go to Creating a Welcoming Early Childhood Program for LGBT-Headed Families

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Children's Books that Include Diverse Family Structures | ECLKC

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This resource is part of a series developed to support programs in partnering with parents/ guardians who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, and/or transgender ( LGBT). Find information and strategies to create an early childhood setting that is welcoming for all children and families. Recommended for directors, teachers, providers, and parents.

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by Sarah Elizabeth Brooks (Author), Sarah C. Dane (Illustrator)The Wonderful Way You Are: A Special Needs Picture Book Paperback – September 13, 2020

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by Sarah Elizabeth Brooks (Author), Sarah C. Dane (Illustrator)The Wonderful Way You Are: A Special Needs Picture Book Paperback – September 13, 2020

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In this book it talks about different kinds of special needs, embracing our differences, helping everyone to feel included and special. This book does a great job exploring this topic, and highlighting we are more the same than different.

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The Wonderful Way You Are: A Special Needs Picture Book

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The Wonderful Way You Are: A Special Needs Picture Book [Brooks, Sarah Elizabeth, Dane, Sarah C.] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. The Wonderful Way You Are: A Special Needs Picture Book

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Empathy, or the ability to understand and respect another person’s perspective, is the foundation of all human interaction. This article helps parents, educators realize, and help guide children to understanding someone else’s feelings,

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By Carla Thompson Payton and Felicia Dehaney August 2, 2021, Removing Bias in the Classroom - Every Child Thrives.

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By Carla Thompson Payton and Felicia Dehaney August 2, 2021, Removing Bias in the Classroom - Every Child Thrives.

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“Implicit bias occurs when our attitudes and stereotypes affect our understanding, actions, and decisions in an unconscious manner. When implicit bias informs how people view identities – including race, language, economic status, gender, ability, and religious affiliation – it creates structural barriers, inequitable outcomes, and disparities in educational achievements.” Carla Thompson Payton, (August 2, 2021).

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This article is available in English and Spanish, in this article they are talking about the differences and similarities of children and how to notice and talk about this with children, it is a great resource for teachers or parents, it offers tips, and take home and useful ideas, also giving additional resources should you need more information on this topic.

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Explore how children's ability to notice differences and similarities around them is key to their development. In this brief, home visitors will learn how adults can facilitate children's observations of the world. Discover the most up-to-date information to answer: "What does research say?"; "What does it look like?"; and "Try this!" Also, find Connecting at Home, a resource that offers easy-to-try tips for families to help children notice and process the world around them.

Download the PDF

Research Notes

Children are remarkably good at observing differences in the world. This is an important developmental learning strategy. Adults can support children as they make sense of differences by talking to them about what they observe.

The Take Home

1. Noticing differences between objects, people, and places is part of child development.

2. Adults can support children's learning by encouraging them to notice and reflect on differences in the world.

3. Children use their observations to figure out how they should treat others and how others should treat them.

What Does Research Say?

Children notice differences in the world around them all the time. This is a useful strategy as children learn about the world. Through this process of critical observation, infants begin to form categories. For example, detecting differences in the leaves on a tree helps children learn about nature. Noticing differences between people helps children construct their own social identity.

Talking about differences is an effective way to decrease biases and racism. Research shows that taking a "color-blind" approach, or pretending that differences do not exist, is not effective. In fact, if adults don't help children process their observations, children will create their own ideas about what these differences mean.

What Does It Look Like?

Children may ask why one leaf on a tree is brown and the rest are green. They also might ask about differences in people around them, such as skin color, daily practices and routines, language, and physical abilities. When they say, "That woman talks funny," they are really just letting you know that they notice something different. Adults can help children make sense of the differences they notice.

When adults encourage children's natural tendency to notice differences, they let children know that it is okay to make observations about the world. This relates to children's later ability to use the inquiry cycle and scientific reasoning.

Adults' actions influence children's attitudes about differences more than what they say. For example, look for children's books that represent children of different genders, cultural group, and abilities. This conveys to children that all genders, cultural groups, and abilities are valued.

Try This!

Reflect on your engagement with parents and colleagues when cultural differences are noticed or pointed out. Not all adults feel comfortable talking about racial and cultural differences for various reasons. Adults can use tools such as self-reflection, peer-reflection, and reflective supervision to think and talk through their own experiences of feeling different in order to help children process what they are observing.

Recognize when children notice differences between people and guide the discussion. For example, if a child says that a peer's wheelchair makes him look like a robot, you can say, "Some people use wheelchairs to get around, some people use their feet. Both are able to go where they want to go! But people in wheelchairs are people just like you." Have a conversation. Be open to children's questions and curiosity about the differences they notice. You do not need to have all of the answers. It is most important to be willing to have a conversation.

Adults affirm a child's observational skills by encouraging them to notice and reflect on what they see. You or a parent might ask, "What happens when we put this bottle of water in the refrigerator?"

Read books. Talk about differences that appear in the books you read with children. You could say, "This girl has red hair. Her hair looks different than the brown hair on this girl. I also have brown hair. You have blonde hair. Hair comes in many colors."

Incorporate activities associated with diverse cultures, genders, and physical and mental abilities into your planned learning experiences. Invite children and families to identify culturally relevant toys in their home.

Reflect on your personal biases and worldview. How do they influence your work? Reflecting on personal biases and worldview encourages vulnerability and change, both personally and professionally.

Learn More

Connecting at Home

Noticing differences and similarities in the world is important for children. It's how they learn. Engage children in conversations about differences and similarities between people, places, and things. Be open to their questions and observations.

Have a Conversation

Be open to your child's questions and curiosity around differences. Ask them what they think. They will learn by talking with you.

Connect

Talk about your family traditions with your child. Why do you eat the food that you do on certain holidays? What in your home represents your culture? What traditions do you keep? Why are they meaningful? Explore foods and music from other cultures and communities.

Recognize and Guide

Guide and support the conversation when your child recognizes differences between people. Your child might notice that her friend's skin is lighter than her skin. You can explain that everyone's skin is a different color, just like our hair and eye color are unique to us. We are all human, each with a unique set of characteristics.

Read Books

Go to the library and find a new book. Talk about differences you see in the illustrations. For example, do the characters have different hair colors or styles? What are the differences between cars and trucks and animals?

" Go to Connecting Research to Practice

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Talking to Children About Differences and Similarities | ECLKC

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Discover the ways to support children as they notice differences and similarities in the world around them. Learn how to by talk to them about what they observe as a learning strategy.

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In this video children talk about what it means to stand up for themselves and others! This video is great when you as an educator or you as the parent, try to have this hard conversation with the children in your life. 

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In this video children talk about what it means to stand up for themselves and others! This video is great when you as an educator or you as the parent, try to have this hard conversation with the children in your life. 

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PBS KIDS Talk About | Standing Up for Yourself & Others | PBS KIDS

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by Gabi Garcia (Author), Charity Russell (Illustrator). – September 11, 2018

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by Gabi Garcia (Author), Charity Russell (Illustrator). – September 11, 2018

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What kids tell themselves matters! It becomes their inner voice. It can help them connect with their power within, it reflects the beautiful diversity in our world. (Available in Spanish as Yo Puedo Hacer Cosa’s domiciles: Affirmations Consciences’ Para Nanos).