Raising Global Citizens | Our Diversity Council's Fall Recommendations
At SmartSitting, we believe in always improving. In fact, it’s one of our five core values. Earlier this year, we recognized how much more we could do to create inclusive spaces for our nanny community, and the SmartSitting Diversity Council (SDIC) was born. The SDIC holds SmartSitting accountable for our commitment to anti-racism and inclusion of all identities in the SmartSitting community. Part of that commitment includes providing families with helpful and age-appropriate resources to educate their children about race, gender, sexuality, religion, and relevant social issues. With that, we are thrilled to bring you the recommendations the SDIC has put together this fall. After all, it’s never too early to raise your children to be conscious little global citizens!
Gender and Sexuality Inclusion
Did you know that even if a transgender individual is more qualified than a cisgender individual (someone who identifies with their birth sex), the cisgender person is three times more likely to get hired? Our SmartSitting Gender and Sexuality Advocate, J, recommends this Medium article because it’s straightforward and to the point about the trans community and employment opportunities. It's helpful in laying out how trans people have barriers to being employed and also links several smaller resources to working towards eliminating this bias.
When you’re hiring a nanny, examine your own hiring process and make sure it’s free of biases and focused on qualities that directly relate to finding the best child care. Teach children to be aware of the diversity and the gender binary system, as well as how stereotypes and societal expectations make it challenging for kids to be true to themselves. For ways to create a gender inclusive environment for children, check out our past gender inclusivity blog for kids.
Mental Health Awareness
Our Mental Health Advocate, Gabi, recommends this amazing resource created by a therapist of twenty years who noticed that children needed an organized way to cope and better understand their own emotions. Just because children are young and seemingly resilient doesn’t mean they don’t experience stress and anxiety, and it’s important to teach them to deal with these big emotions in healthy ways!
It’s also important to normalize and prioritize mental health in your home so that kids feel comfortable bringing their feelings to you and reaching out for help. Set the example yourself and model your own healthy coping mechanisms to instill mental health awareness in your child. After all, they have modeled after you since they entered this world, and they continue to watch your every move, especially when you don’t realize they’re looking! When you hire a nanny, make sure to discuss how they help kids cope with conflicts, stressful situations, and pressure, and ask for a specific example about how they cope with it personally as well.
BIPOC Advocacy
Our BIPOC Advocate, Kammy, shares with us that children are exposed to racial bias in the classroom as early as preschool, and the COVID-19 pandemic has caused an increase in the bullying of Asian children and young adults. These biases are learned and continued as children imitate the habits of adults and fellow classmates. Want to make sure that your kids aren’t picking up on these harmful behaviors? Have conversations with them about what is happening in our world and why it is unkind to place blame on a group of individuals. Check in with yourself to make sure that the behaviors you’re displaying for your children are ones that you would want them to emulate.
Raising anti-racist children is also a crucial value, and Kammy recommends taking part in the #DiversifyOurNarrative movement to demand anti-racist texts in our education system. If you think your school district could be doing more to ensure that classroom literature is inclusive and paints a more realistic and diverse picture of the world for your children, the team at #DiversifyOurNarrative provides steps for you to encourage your school board to take action. You can also introduce your child to anti-racism in the home by reading children’s books that focus on diversity and inclusion.
All in all, parenthood comes with a lot of responsibilities, and making equity advocacy a consistent part of your household is no exception. Our team would love to hear your success stories with your little ones as they learn how to be loving and conscious themselves, so tag us on Facebook or Instagram, and we will follow along on your journey! Want to get more diversity and inclusion resources sent right to your inbox? Sign up for our newsletter!