Purpose

Early childhood educators (ECEs) play a critical role in the quality of early learning and child care (ELCC) and in setting the foundation for equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility. Through pedagogies, meaningful and intentional conversations, and program planning, ECEs can elicit and deepen children’s critical thinking on issues of social justice. Earlier work by our team (see project below) identified that ELCC settings often adhere to mainstream norms, which promote white heteronormative values as a result of the pervasiveness of Eurocentrism, which negates the values and lived experiences of Black children, families, and educators.

Project Objectives

  • Enabling Black and ANS ECEs to record and reflect on the assets and concerns they have regarding ELCC programs.
  • Promoting critical dialogue about ELCC programs, giving voice to Black and ANS experiences, and their concerns, and building their confidence and skills through visual methods.
  • Facilitating knowledge mobilization with information and evidence relevant to the experiences and understandings of Black ECEs regarding ELCC

About the project (infographic)

 

Research Team Members:

Dr. Jessie-Lee McIsaac

Dr. Barbara Hamilton-Hinch

Crystal Watson

Justin West (Community Researcher)

Moashella Shortte (Community Researcher)

Kiara Sexton

Milena Pimentel

Community Partners:

Trina Fraser

Kerri Johnson

Terrah Keener

Anne Briscombe

Amplifying the Voices of Black Families and Educators: Challenging Anti-Black Racism in Early Childhood Environments

As a result of anti-Black racism, Black children, including African Nova Scotian children, are provided with fewer learning opportunities compared to White children.

There is an opportunity gap in the early childhood period (1-5 years) that can impact children’s mental and physical wellbeing, academic achievement, and access to learning, recreation, and play opportunities.

In collaboration with On These Shoulders Research Collaborative at Dalhousie University, we conducted a research project to understand the experiences of early childhood educators (ECEs) and parents in Nova Scotia who have and care for young Black children through three areas:

  1. How Black children in Nova Scotia access play, including risky and outdoor play;
  2. How racism and discrimination are experienced by Black children in Nova Scotia in the early childhood period;
  3. How families and ECEs view the early learning and child care environment for Black children in Nova Scotia.

Amplifying the Voices of Black Families and Educators: A Community Event

In partnership with On These Shoulders Research Collaborative at Dalhousie University, we hosted a community event at the East Preston Recreation Centre on July 27, 2022.

We shared findings from interviews with early childhood educators and parents of Black children in Nova Scotia about their experiences with early learning and child care.

The event included a community brainstorm of actions for disrupting anti-Black racism in early childhood (pictured above).

We want to give a big thank you to Rach and Vanessa, Graphic Recorders, for facilitating the brainstorm and drawing the incredible murals to illustrate the voices of participants and those who attended the event.

We want to give a big thank you to Trina Fraser, the Director of East Preston Day Care and Family Resource Centre for all her help and support with the event.

We also want to thank all those who attended the event and participated in the conversation, as well as those who helped share the details of the event. Thank you!

Graphic Drawing by Rach Derrah and Vanessa

Amplifying the Voices of Black Families and Educators: Research Findings

Research publication:

Anti-Black racism in the early years: the experiences of Black families and early childhood educators in Nova Scotia

Early Childhood leisure experiences of African Nova Scotian children: the privilege of risky outdoor play

Amplifying the Encounters of Young Black Children with Anti-Black Racism: An Exploration of Parents’ and Early Childhood Educators’ Perspectives on Early Learning and Child Care Environments

Community Report:

Amplifying the Voices of Black Families and Educators in Nova Scotia: Challenging Anti-Black Racism in Early Childhood Environments

Video Presentation

Local Media

CSL Speaker Series- Outdoor & Risky Play for African Nova Scotian Children
In November, our team was a guest speaker for the Child Safety Link Webinar series, which was a part of their celebration of 20 years in injury prevention. The CSL celebrated this milestone by offering a speaker series featuring some of the most prominent children’s injury prevention topics and experts. Our team shared the findings of the impacts and barriers for outdoor play for young Black children titled, in a video presentation titled ‘Outdoor & Risky Play for African Nova Scotian Children.’

Additional Resources

Department of Pediatrics and Healthy Populations Institute, Dalhousie University. (2022). One Chance to Be a Child: A data profile to inform a better future for child and youth well-being in Nova Scotia.

Read To Me. (2022). These Books are for You! An Africentric Booklist for Babies, Toddlers & Preschoolers.

  • These Books Are For You! is an Africentric booklist for parents of young children arranged by age and stage of development. The titles in the booklet were carefully selected by a committee of parents and experts in the fields of literacy and early childhood education from the African Nova Scotian community.

Research Team Members

Dr. Jessie-Lee McIsaac, Principal Investigator, Mount Saint Vincent University

Dr. Barb Hamilton-Hinch, Co-Investigator, Dalhousie University

Crystal Watson, Co-Investigator, Dalhousie University

Emma Cameron, Project Coordinator, Mount Saint Vincent University & Dalhousie University

Nicholas Hickens, Research Assistant, Mount Saint Vincent University

Milena Pimentel, Research Assistant, Mount Saint Vincent University

Marlene Ramos, Research Projects Coordinator, Mount Saint Vincent University

Laken Crowell, Knowledge Mobilization Coordinator, Mount Saint Vincent University

Questions? Comments

Email: Jessie-Lee.McIsaac@msvu.ca