Domain 3 of 8
Equity and Cultural Sensitivity
Key points
- Addresses race, racism, culture, and family structure directly, and how systemic racism, bias, and microaggressions affect infant, child, and family well-being.
- Calls for self-awareness of one's own values, biases, privilege, and deficit-based perspectives.
- Moves from awareness to action: identifying inequitable policies and practices, and promoting cultural responsiveness in language, materials, and services.
Describes and demonstrates how culture, equity, and environment shape relationships and behaviors and influence settings and communities in important and meaningful ways.
For more information, please see the Equity section of the website.
3A Demonstrates an Awareness of Race and Racism, Cultural Variation, and Normative Differences in Family Structure
Core Skills
- 3A.1
- Understands how systemic racism, discrimination, and individual prejudices and microaggressions affect infant, young child, and family well-being.
- 3A.2
- Understands how culture shapes interactions and relationships, family structures, behaviors, and development.
- 3A.3
- Can define and demonstrate cultural sensitivity (including an understanding of issues related to the languages that young children and families speak), and is able to describe its relevance to IECMHC. Appreciates culture and resilience as sources of strength.
- 3A.4
- Demonstrates an appreciation of the unique values and beliefs of each family and each family’s structure, and can work effectively with infants, young children, and families from a range of backgrounds.
- 3A.5
- Demonstrates the skills to identify and address implicit bias in practice. Identifies and can effectively discuss program, other setting, local, state, or other system policies that disproportionately disadvantage one group of young children or families (including disciplinary policies and policies that discriminate against young children and families who do not speak English).
- 3A.6
- Can identify specific strategies to address inequities in practice and in policy. Can support others’ efforts to recognize and address inequities.
- 3A.7
- Demonstrates the ability to explore and negotiate cultural differences, to value and adapt to the diverse cultural contexts of programs or other settings and communities served, and to work effectively with individuals, groups, organizations, and systems that vary in cultures, values, beliefs, privilege, biases, and experiences.
3B Demonstrates Self-Awareness
Core Skills
- 3B.1
- Explores own and others’ values, beliefs, backgrounds, privilege, biases, assumptions, and experiences in a way that enhances the effectiveness of consultation in diverse communities.
- 3B.2
- Demonstrates the capacity for self-awareness as it relates to bias, privilege, deficit-based perspectives of families and infants and young children, and other cultural issues (i.e., the ability to recognize how culturally influenced experiences shape personal and professional behavior and attitudes, including those connected to how interactions with others unfold and are perceived).
- 3B.3
- Demonstrates the capacity to address such biases and deficit-based perspectives. Is alert to discomforts and emotional responses when cultural, race, and diversity issues arise.
- 3B.4
- Demonstrates the ability to recognize personal limitations in knowledge of particular cultures, and seeks to learn more about different cultures.
3C Promotes Cultural Responsiveness in Practices, Policies, and Procedures
Core Skills
- 3C.1
- Supports staff in speaking with families in their preferred language and in using culturally responsive professional interpreters when same-language communication is not an option.
- 3C.2
- Works with programs and other settings to promote cultural sensitivity so that language and culture are respected, families are provided with culturally and linguistically appropriate materials, and staff are offered training opportunities focused on increased cultural responsiveness.
- 3C.3
- Supports the capacity of others to work cross-culturally with the goal of positively influencing practice, policymaking, administrative functioning, and service delivery. Works to systematically involve families, key stakeholders, and communities in these efforts.
Source: Competency text is reproduced from Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation: Competencies, Center of Excellence for Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation (2020 edition).
