Encouraging, Increasing, and Inviting Fathers From Different Cultural and Religious Practices in Early Childhood Education

Abstract

Salim is the father of a young girl who attends Small Fortune Preschool located in the suburb of Detroit. Although he would like to regularly participate in his child’s school events, his beliefs restrain him from helping in the classrooms headed by female teachers, unless his wife is present. This case demonstrates some of the challenges that fathers from different cultural and religious backgrounds may experience in being an involved father in a preschool setting. The purpose of this case is to inform teachers about cultural barriers to family, specifically father involvement from minoritized culture and religious practices.