Family Assimilation

Over the previous decades, the concepts of refugee and immigration have been widely discussed in Australia since they appear to be the important political and social keystones in the development of the identity and its recognition. A rise in the number of the arriving families enforces the country to take necessary measures to provide the immigrant and refugee groups with support and mitigate the process of settlement. The full understanding of the families’ needs and the careful consideration of cultural, political, and religious aspects lead to the successful communication and the development of the stable social relationships.

As a matter of fact, the dominant image of the family life influences children and parents considerably from

Despite the fact that these two notions seem to be identical, assimilation involves the adaptation of the language, practices, and beliefs of an individual cultural group while accommodation entails the process of adjusting to the cultural norms of a particular group. Thus, the immigrant and refugee families have to go through the both processes to ingrain in the unfamiliar cultural environment.

Certainly, when working with these families, the educators should consider the differences in their beliefs, traditions, and customs to maintain a productive partnership. The success of such cooperation achieved through the constant oral communication and the same cultural background of parents and the staff (De Gioia, 2009). To obtain a fruitful partnership, the educators have to be sensitive and support family values and move beyond the «circle of misunderstanding» (De Gioia, 2013).

Taking everything into consideration, children from the families of the immigrants or the refugees demand the professional involvement. Moreover, the educators need to be sensitive and knowledgeable about the context of the childcare in the family as well as consider the diversity in their cultural

(2013). Cultural negotiation: Moving beyond a cycle of misunderstanding in early childhood settings. Journal of Early Childhood Research, 11(2), 108-122.

De Gioia, K. (2015). Immigrant and refugee mothers’ experiences of the transition into childcare: a case study. European Early Childhood Education Research Journal, 23(5), 662-672.

De Gioia, K. (2009). Parent and staff expectations for continuity of home practices in the child care setting for families with diverse cultural backgrounds. Australasian Journal of Early Childhood, 34(3),