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Equity

Implement equitable, inclusive, and culturally and linguistically responsive practices.

A health literate organization meets the needs of people who have different skill sets and understandings of health information and health literate practices. This applies to the wide variety of families and staff in Head Start and other early childhood programs and the diversity of the communities you serve.

Consider your program’s organizational culture and the culture of the communities in your service area. Program leaders can use this knowledge to adopt health literacy practices that are not only equitable and inclusive but also culturally and linguistically responsive to the needs of your families, staff, and communities.

For example:

  • When you’re partnering with families to provide nutrition education, include culturally relevant foods within your recommendations.
  • As you discuss health-related information with families, be mindful of the cultural customs of non-verbal communication (e.g., eye contact, facial expressions).

Skill Development

  • Watch How Do Social Determinants Impact Public Health? to learn about how the conditions in which people live, work, and play affect health outcomes. These conditions are defined as the social determinants of health.
  • Watch How Effective Healthcare Information Contributes to Health Equity to learn how addressing the unique culture, language, and health literacy of diverse people and communities improves the quality of services and enhances individual health outcomes. Although it’s designed for health care providers, the core messages in this video are relevant to Head Start and other early childhood programs.

Learning Activity

Think Cultural Health describes culturally and linguistically appropriate services (CLAS) as “services that are respectful of and responsive to individual cultural health beliefs and practices, preferred languages, health literacy levels, and communication needs.” To further support using equitable practices in health literacy, read Providing CLAS and Communication Styles.

After reviewing these resources, explore with your team how you learn about the culture, traditions, and beliefs of your families. Also, talk about some of their specific health practices and customs.

Resources

For working with families:

  • Understanding the Social Determinants of Health
    This section of the Head Start Health Manager Orientation Guide gives an overview of the social determinants of health (SDOH). SDOH offers a framework for understanding the many conditions that put people at greater risk of negative health outcomes.
  • Using Culturally Responsive Practices to Promote Oral Health
    The Brush Up on Oral Health series has up-to-date practices and tips to promote good oral health. The section on health literacy, language, and culture highlights strategies to enhance culturally responsive practices in oral health.
  • Strengthening Protective Factors to Reduce Health Disparities and Promote Resilience
    Explore this module to:
    • Learn more about differences in health outcomes and their causes among groups of people.
    • Discover how Head Start health services can increase protective factors that reduce the effects of health disparities.
    • Find strategies for helping children and families find and use their own strengths to achieve better health.

Explore these resources for more information about CLAS and clear communication:

Read more:

,  Health Services Management