UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State Extension’s 4-H program in Lehigh County recently partnered with the Pennsylvania Migrant Education Program to deliver lessons about diversity to school-age children.
Administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Education, the Migrant Education Program is a federally funded program that supplements educational support services for migratory children.
“The mission is to provide services to students and families who are moving from place to place, and the school year for the children is interrupted,” said Ivelisse Dunham, a team leader for the Migrant Education Program. “Our biggest goal is to see the students graduate from high school.”
To qualify for the Migrant Education Program, families must live in the area for less than three years and children must be between 3 and 21 years old.
Kelly Weisner is a 4-H youth development extension educator based in Lehigh County. She has worked with the Migrant Education Program for 20 years.
“We’re one of several youth-serving agencies or community groups who work with the Migrant Education Program to provide different programs,” Weisner said. She explained that 4-H provides curriculum for hands-on learning experiences. Recent subject areas were “Meet the Plants” and “Love Is the Key to Diversity.”
“Meet the Plants” taught children about how plants grow. They learned about soil, water, nutrients and parts of the plant. 4-H provided materials for children to plant their own seedlings.
“When Kelly mentioned the curriculum, I said, ‘Oh my gosh, this is perfect because students have been cooped up in their houses in front of computers during the pandemic,” Dunham said.
“Meet the Plants” took place outside in a community garden. “They were reading the books, using the magnifying glasses, exploring the plants and digging in the ground,” Dunham said.
For the students participating virtually, Dunham brought flowerpots to their homes so they could observe the plants and grow their own garden.
Another curriculum — “Love Is the Key to Diversity” — was designed to foster an inclusive classroom and community to promote racial justice. Geared toward youth aged 5-12, the curriculum could be used for older youth as well. Weisner noted that the curriculum is not exhaustive and is intended to be a step into discussions on bias, equality and racism.
The kit provided six children’s literature books. Titles included “Separate Is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez and Her Family’s Fight for Desegregation” by Duncan Tonatiuh and “I Am Enough” by Grace Byers.
Lesson plans delved into education on anti-Black racism, Black history, skin color, and racism experienced by Asian, Indigenous and Latino people.
A hands-on activity accompanied each lesson. For example, students created “diversity paper dolls.” Each student received paper doll printouts on plain white paper. Then the students used special crayons in a variety of skin tones to color the dolls. Teachers noted that all the dolls started the same, and the color of their skin made them more beautiful.
“They were so proud showing the little dolls,” Dunham said. “The lesson plans came right on time because we have been talking about kindness, acceptance and tolerance among our students.”
Dunham said that many people think the Migrant Education Program is only for Spanish-speaking families — a false conception. “We have a lot of refugees and families from all over,” she said.
She recalled students from Congo, Egypt, Cambodia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Central and South America, and the Caribbean, among other places.
As part of the “Love Is the Key to Diversity” curriculum, students worked together to create a mural that celebrates differences.
Their artwork was featured on an invitation for the Pennsylvania Migrant Education Program Conference in March. Dunham explained that each year, students from around the state submit projects. “We were so happy because the project our students did was selected,” Dunham said.
Weisner said plans for joint programming in summer 2022 include the 4-H curricula “Health Rocks!” and “Rain to Drain.”
Administered in Pennsylvania by Penn State Extension, 4-H is a community of more than 6 million young people across America learning leadership, citizenship and life skills. Penn State Extension 4-H youth development educators in all 67 counties throughout the commonwealth administer local 4-H programs through nonformal education and outreach. To find your local program, visit the Penn State Extension website at https://extension.psu.edu/programs/4-h.
–Penn State Extension