What We Heard: Educators Supporting Newcomer Families
Abstract
Through focus groups with educators working with newcomer children, this study asked: 1) For newcomer families, what are indicators of quality in early learning and child care?, and 2) What are the essential dispositions child care educators demonstrate that meet the needs of newcomer children and families? 5 key themes were identified, including language barriers and tensions, the need for flexibility, and how educators can grow, seek and co-learn with newcomer families.
Notes
Community organizations: Edmonton Council for Early Learning and Care (ECELC)
Integration timeline: not defined
Key populations: newcomer children and families in Edmonton
Open access: Yes
Future research / gaps identified: n/a
Key findings:
Educators identified 5 key themes for working with newcomer families:
- Multimodal and multilingual communication is paramount.
- Educators need to value the knowledge that newcomer families and children bring.
- Tensions between home languages and the majority language used at school.
- Openness and flexibility are the most important dispositions for educators.
- Educators should always grow, seek and co-learn with newcomer families.
Key recommendations:
- Identify current childcare centers in Edmonton who are implementing these key strategies.
- Create and implement interventions so other child care centers in Edmonton can be more inclusive of newcomer children and families.
Location: Edmonton, AB
