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 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.

Inforgraphics

Applying Africentric Principles and Pedagogy in Early Learning: About the project

Amplifying the Voices of Black Families and Educators: A Community Event [Graphic Drawing by Rach Derrah and Vanessa]

Reports

Applying Africentric Principles and Pedagogy in Early Learning Report. McIsaac, Hamilton-Hinch, Watson, West, Shortte, Sexton, Pimentel. 2024.

Community Report – Amplifying the Voices of Black Families and Educators: Challenging Anti-Black Racism in Early Childhood Environments. Stirling-Cameron, E., Hamilton-Hinch, B., Watson, C., Hickens, N., Pimentel, M., & McIsaac, JL. 2022.

Presentations

McIsaac, JLD., Watson, C., Pimentel, M. Outdoor & Risky Play for African Nova Scotian Children: The Impacts of Anti-Black Racism. Child Safety Link Speaker Series. November 2022.

McIsaac JLD, Hickens, N. Amplifying the Voices of Black Families and Educators: Challenging Anti-Black Racism in Early Childhood Environments. Early Childhood Collaborative Research Centre & On These Shoulders Research Collaborative. July 2022.

External 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.

Full Report
Website

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.