The goal of the nursery program is that of promoting the individual development of each child. A discrepancy suddenly flares up a few weeks after the program begins around the issue of how to handle the separation of parents and children. The parents, all born and raised in Mexico, generally believe that it is o.k. for their children to cry for several minutes while they adjust to the nursery environment. The nursery staff, educated in American schools, and of an older generation, believes that one to three minutes of crying is all that a child of under 5 should tolerate, before they are reunited with their mother. Crying children are quickly brought to the mothers in the parenting group, so that by the third week there are more children in the parenting group than in the nursery.
Parents begin to complain to the director that they are being interrupted.
The nursery staff, who are of non-Latino descent, feel that the mothers are not appreciating their sound developmental approach. The new understanding of the staff and the parents of each other's cultural and generational beliefs can be used to create a new albeit slightly revamped separation plan. In concluding my remarks, I would like to note how fortunate we are to have as our major speakers at this conference a diverse and accomplished group of scholars and service providers who will launch us into exciting conversations with each other as we create shared meaning over the next two days and for many days to come. Our keynote speaker Dr. Joyce Ladner and Dr. Joan Liautaud, Dr. Buni Cocar, Dr. Hector Machabanski, Dr. Carlos Cortes, Dr. Eugene Griffin, and Dr. Virginia Mullin will help us delve into cross-generational challenges in the new millennium as they highlight critical problems and solutions for us to consider in the areas of prevention, cultural competence, media, juvenile justice, and international perspectives. Harvard University Press.