First Advisor

Claire Halverson

Abstract

This research paper addresses the question of how the Minnesota School-Age Child Care Training Network (MnSACC) can move toward becoming a more inclusive and multicultural organization. MnSACC is a statewide training network made up of 33 school-age child care professionals. MnSACC members are developing curriculum and providing training to school-age care providers to improve the quality of school-age care in the state. This research question is explored from both "insider" and "outsider" perspectives; "insider" referring to current or past members of MnSACC and "outsider" referring to Practitioners of Color outside the Training Network.

An underlying assumption of this research is that the MnSACC Training Network can provide relevant, credible, and effective training to all school-age care providers, European American and Providers of Color, only if the curriculums developed by the Network reflect diverse cultural perspectives and issues and the Network itself includes and values cultural diversity in its membership, structure, and operations.

Data was obtained from written surveys, telephone and face-to-face interviews, and relevant research in the areas of school-age care, children and prejudice, and multicultural organizational change and development. Taylor Cox's Interactional Model of Cultural Diversity was used to analyze the data collected from the three different perspectives explored through the research process and to inform and support the recommendations for next steps which summarize the study's results.

Analysis of recurring themes in the data, along with insights gained through the research process formed the basis for developing a list of recommendations for next steps for the MnSACC Training Network. A recommended list of next steps was also developed for the Minnesota School-Age Care Initiative and the school-age care field on a national level.

Disciplines

Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education

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