ENCOURAGEMENT OF CULTURAL DIVERSITY IN A KINDERGARTEN ACCOMMODATING ROMA AND EGYPTIAN CHILDREN

Abstract

The kindergarten represents a physical environment that is authentically connected with narrower and wider social context which is in the state of constant change. As a reflection of happenings within a wider social community, practitioners/educators should, from the very beginning, take full responsibility for continual adaptation to the changes taking place in the family and in local community and society in general by means of establishing a partnership with families, among other things, and by means of creating an environment that supports learning through play. This partnership is more challenging if the family concerned does not belong to any of dominant social groups, an environment that the respective educator usually comes from, in particular when it is deprived on multiple levels, such as Roma and Egyptian families (RE families). In order to determine whether a physical environment encourages/reflects the development of/support for cultural diversity and cultural competences at pre-school age by means of the case study method and by means of a qualitative analysis of responses provided through observation techniques and interviews conducted, we point to inadequate encouragement of cultural diversity in the physical environment of the ‘Srcolovka’ kindergarten (‘Djina Vrbica’ public pre-school institution, Podgorica (Montenegro)), which has, since 2005, assumed the dominant role concerning the education and moral education of these vulnerable, minority groups. The results not only reveal inadequate knowledge about creating an inspiring environment as regards understanding and accepting cultural diversity, but also the lack of understanding of the significance of establishing a partnership with RE families, who must become important partners in realisation of this goal at an early age.