Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/understand/5008847/
In many of today's child care centers, adopted children are an invisible minority. Adoption is different from being raised in the family a child is born to; and because adoption is often not talked about, there is a potential for misunderstandings and bad feelings. Good child care programs can go a long way toward demystifying adoption and dispelling secrets.Adoption Implies Separation
Because adopted children have changed families and may have experienced abuse, neglect, and/or abandonment as well as separation from their first biological parents, they have some special needs and behaviors.
They can be physically and emotionally scarred, reluctant to trust, afraid to give up efforts to control their world, fearful of bonds and attachments, and constantly anticipating separations and rejections. An early childhood program director can respond to these special needs in parent relations, staff training, and curriculum.
An early childhood program director can foster an understanding of adoption which helps the child, supports parents, enables staff to interpret children's behavior, and promotes a general understanding of adoption.
Understanding What Children Need to Know
Adopted children should know they were adopted. They should know they had birth parents, or "first parents." They should know those parents were unable to care ...