Engaging Indian Parents and Children In Early Childhood Centres in Melbourne, Australia

In Australia, the implementation of inclusive policies by early childhood educators (teachers) and their interpretation of multiculturalism in early childhood centres have presented multiple barriers to Indian parents’ educational aspirations for their children. The literature review undertaken as part of this thesis revealed that gaps had developed in parent-teacher communication in early childhood centres. The Multicultural Umbrella Model (MUM) was used as a conceptual framework and a constructivist methodology helped build case studies of the multicultural participants. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to elicit the social and cultural teaching and learning provided by Indian parents and early childhood educators for Indian children. The analysis of the findings has led to the recommendation that a redesigned Multicultural Umbrella Model (MUM) be implemented by early childhood educators to help reflect on their practice and use the framework’s tools for better communications.