This article describes the professional learning around early literacy experienced by library paraprofessional students at a post-secondary institution in Canada. Students completed a survey to gauge their conceptions of early literacy at the beginning of a course on library services for children and young adults. These students then experienced hands-on, engaging course elements such as in-class discussions, guest speakers, and authentic assessments. At the conclusion of the course, students were again surveyed and were asked to identify course elements that contributed to their learning. Most students aligned with an emergent literacy approach to early literacy. While a comparison between the two surveys did not reveal a significant difference in terms of students’ conceptions of early literacy, multiple students identified the hands-on elements of the course as beneficial. The researchers conclude that providing authentic professional learning opportunities that include knowledge application reinforces learners’ conceptions about emergent literacy.
This scoping review focused on the experiences of Indigenous families and their children in accessing quality early learning and child care in a Canadian urban context. This scoping review was conducted to contribute to the field and frame a more extensive study involving focus groups and case studies. The analysis revealed a range of quality indicators that included the following: (1) families, educators, and community members must establish a definition of quality that best reflects their personal life experiences and cultural context; (2) many families express a desire for child care focused on developmental milestones, social skills, and Indigenous knowledge; (3) families value connections made between the home and the center that foster identity, encourage child and family autonomy, implement programming relevant to culture, and stimulate learning within the context of family; and (4) families desire child care that focuses on relationship building increased cultural safety. Results from the scoping review related to quality educator dispositions found the following: (1) families seek centers that are flexible, family-focused, and culturally relevant; (2) families value educators who value diversity and decolonization; and (3) some families favor a cultural match with educators from similar backgrounds. These findings point to several areas for further consideration that can improve the overall experiences of Indigenous children and families accessing quality early learning and child care in a Canadian urban setting.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.