Resources for Embracing Family Diversity

In a school that embraces family diversity, the families of all children are welcomed.

• Children of all racial and ethnic backgrounds and with all kinds of family structures see families like theirs reflected in the books, in classroom images and in the curriculum.
• Students, regardless of their family structure, feel comfortable talking about their families.
• Diverse families are normalized by the teacher and the curriculum.
• Children aren’t harassed, excluded or bullied because their family is “different” and teachers are prepared to intervene if inappropriate comments are made.

Families are children’s first frame of reference for their world. Children need to know that their families matter both in and outside of their homes.

Students in the United States live in an array of family structures: almost 25 percent live with extended family members;  1.5 million are adopted;  close to 3 million fathers are the primary parent;  25 percent have at least one parent born in another country; and an estimated 6 million Americans (children and adults) have an LGBT parent.