What Does it Mean to Institutionalize Culturally Responsive Practices?

Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary defines Institutionalize as “to incorporate into a structured and highly formalized system.” I like to think of institutionalizing as a way to make change official and ensure that the changes become our standard practices rather than something we try once or twice. This chapter discusses how we can formalize culturally responsive practices and policies to meet better the diverse needs of the children and families we serve.

I hope that the institutionalization of culturally responsive practices in Early Intervention happens at the Macro-system level (that is, in the law and state-level policies). Still, as practitioners, you may need more time, advocacy experience, or access to people in power to influence change at the Macrolevel. This lack of time, advocacy experience, access, and ability, however, doesn’t mean that you cannot formalize culturally responsive EI practices, though. While large-scale legal and policy changes are key to this work, so are the seemingly smaller changes we make at the agency and provider levels. After all, you’re the one actually interacting directly with children and families, which puts you in the unique position to impact EI families directly and immediately.