written by
Karely Valdez

Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month

Hively Provider Book Club 3 min read , September 19, 2022

Hively Provider Book Club

Wednesday, 14 September 2022

Hively offers regular workshops, classes, and training to help childcare providers develop their skills as small business owners, child development experts, and compassionate caregivers.

This includes Hively’s Childcare Provider Book Club! Every Wednesday from 1:00-1:30pm, Hively has a guest reader who reads a children’s book to a group of childcare providers and we discuss the book together. Providers discuss their thoughts, how they can implement the book into their centers, and what they can teach their children in connection with each book.

Hosted by our Training and Inclusion Coordinator, Hively’s Childcare Provider Book Club introduces a range of diverse topics including inclusion, emotions, representation, disability, meditation/mindfulness and more!

At the end of the month, Hively provides childcare providers in the Tri-Valley (Pleasanton, Livermore, Dublin, Sunol) with a copy of their favorite children's book to help providers build their children's library while also providing the tools to help them implement the book into their child care program.

This week our Training and Inclusion Coordinator read Pepe and the Parade by Tracey Kyle.

The content of this book is as follows: “Pepe wakes up energized to attend his first Hispanic Day parade. With new food to taste, music to dance to, and a parade to watch, Pepe couldn't be more excited to celebrate and share his Hispanic heritage.

Many of Pepe's friends also attend the festival, celebrating their own Hispanic ties. Mexican, Dominican, Panamanian, Colombian, Honduran, Nicaraguan, Chilean, Puerto Rican, Salvadoran, Guatemalan, and Cuban cultures are all represented in the parade.

A day filled with joy and pride, Pepe and the Parade is a jubilant celebration of culture and identity.

With Spanish words effortlessly included throughout, this title is a great introduction to the Spanish language. A glossary of Spanish words, complete with English translations, and an educational author's note provide useful tools for further learning and discussion.”

Key takeaways from our Provider Book Club discussion included the following:

  • The book includes different words in Spanish relating to Hispanic culture (e.g. chilaquiles, caballero).
  • There are different children who represent different parts of the world- Peru, Colombia, Guatemala, etc… In these representations you see their flags, colors, and/or clothing that represent their country.
  • There is different music represented in the book (e..g, Mambo, Bachata, Reggaeton).
  • The book is very vibrant and colorful.
  • Overall, the book represents Hispanic culture, with music, clothing, food and imagery.
  • The book provides an author's note explaining that the time period between September 15 and October 15 is known as National Hispanic Month. It provides more information about how different countries declared their independence from Spain.
  • At the end of the book, there is also a glossary with Spanish words, pronunciations of the words, and the English meaning.
  • Some activities we can share with children include the following: sharing a meal from their country, creating a passport so children can ‘travel’ around and visit the different countries represented by the children in their learning groups, wearing and sharing traditional clothes or sharing an object from a child’s country/culture.

Here is a read aloud of the book:

Check out an animated music video to share with children!

If you are a childcare provider and would like to join Hively’s Provider Book Club, please contact hello@behively.org for further information.

About the Author:

Hello, my name is Karely! I am the Training and Inclusion Coordinator at Hively. One of my roles at Hively includes facilitating and sharing resources for Hively’s Provider Book Club.

In addition to the Provider Book Club, I help and support childcare providers in the Tri-Valley (Pleasanton, Dublin, Livermore, Sunol) with inclusion services for their child care programs.

If you are a childcare provider in the Tri-Valley and are interested in inclusion services for your childcare program and/or you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to hello@behively.org Thank you!

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