Ontario Early Childhood Working Group Planning Meeting
Friday May 16th, 2008
Ryerson University
School of Early Childhood Education
Room KHW 371 (Kerr Hall West)
3pm-6pm
RSVP to Roma Chumak-Horbatsch.
(Map of the Ryerson campus here).
Category: Early Learning and Child Care
Issues related to immigrant children and parents participation in and access to early learning and child care programs and to how well EL & CC programs meet the needs of diverse groups of families in Canada.
-
Notice: Planning meeting for Ontario Early Childhood Working Group members
-
On new shores: Int'l forum on issues of immigrant and refugee children, youth and families
The 2008 On New Shores: International Forum on Issues of Immigrant and Refugee Children, Youth and Families conference program is available. This is a tentative program, but we are thrilled to see so many sessions devoted to young immigrant children and their parents/families.
The conference will be held Nov 6-7/08 in Guelph, Ontario and is sponsored by Dr. Susan Chuang, Family Relations and Applied Nutrition, University of Guelph.
Some of the events, sessions and workshops with Canadian content include:Thurs. Nov 6th, Session 2:
Z Sonia Worotynec, Canadian Coalition for Immigrant Children and Youth, Valerie Rhomberg, Canadian Mothercraft Society and Ken Setterington, Toronto Public Library on The Children’s Picture Book as Immigrant Literature.
Poster sessions:
Alka Burman, Early Literacy Consultant, Peel Region: Providing an Anti-Bias Environment.
Fri. Nov 7th Keynote:
Janice MacAuley, Canadian Association of Family Resource Programs, Dr. Susan Chuang, FRAN, University of Guelph, Christopher Friesen, Canadian Immigration Settlement Sector Alliance: The Canadian Way: Welcoming Immigrant and Refugee Families.
Fri. Nov 7th Session 4:
Judith Bernhard, Ryerson University: Por necesidad: Challenges of Multi-Local Parenting.
Mehru Ali, Ryerson University: Loss of Self-Effacacy among Immigrant Parents.
Roma Chumak-Horbatsch, Ryerson University and mylanguage.ca and Z Sonia Worotynec, Canadian Coalition for Immigrant Children and Youth: Immigrant Children in Toronto Child Care Centres: A Language Profile.
Visit Dr. Chuang’s webpage at the University of Guelph for more information. -
BC literacy program for immigrant families/children
As part of WelcomeBC (the provincial immigration initiative) the Minister Responsible for Multiculturalism, the Honourable Wally Oppal, announced last week funding for a literacy program for immigrant families with young children.
The Immigrant Parents As Literacy Supporters (Immigrant PALS) program is targeted to parents and preschool children who have been in Canada for at least 3 years. Immigrant PALS will be piloted in 7 neighbourhood schools in North Vancouver, Abbotsford, Burnaby, Langley and Surrey BC.
Programs will be tailored to specific languages, including Farsi, Karen, Mandarin, Punjabi and Vietnamese. Programs will run for 3 years and accommodate 25 families in 10 workshops a year.
From the press release:“The language and literacy abilities of refugee and immigrant families impact every area of their lives, said Oppal. This program is another creative approach that WelcomeBC is taking to ensure the successful adaptation and integration of newcomers and their families to British Columbia”.
Immigrant PALS complements the province’s ReadNow BC and the StrongStart BC early learning programs. Visit this site to learn more.
-
April 17-18 York U conference: Rethinking the mosaic: Immigration, settlement and the lived experience
At the end of February, this blog posted notice about and a call for proposals for the York University Graduate School Conference, “Rethinking the Mosaic: Immigration, Settlement and the Lived Experience”. The conference program has now been posted. I am happy to report that children and families are addressed in this conference, including:
The opening plenary includes Mehru Ali, CERIS domain leader in Family, Children and Youth, and Professor at the School of Early Childhood Education, Ryerson University.
A day 2 workshop in the Health and Well-Being section includes Fatima Kediye, School of Early Childhood Education, Ryerson University on the topic of “Somali-Canadian mothers of young children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder”.
Also on day 2, a series of workshops on the Experiences of Immigrant/Transnational Families, including:- Christina Parker, OISE/UT on the topic of “Canadian children, immigrant parents: Young ‘Canadians’ research their cultural identity”.
- Lan Zhong, University of Windsor on “The role of the father in Chinese immigrant families”.
- Yvette Michele Gnanamuttu, McGill University, on “Inter-ethnic adoption: In whose best interests?”.
- Marina Morgenshtern, Wilfrid Laurier University, on “Witnessing the socio-political stories of immigrant couples”.
The conference takes place this upcoming week – April 17-18/08. See the CERIS website for more information and to download the complete conference program.
-
Meeting the needs of English language learners: Ryerson University event, Toronto
On May 16/08, Meeting the Needs of English Language Learners will be held in Toronto. The event is presented by Ryerson University Centre for Children, Youth and Families, the School of Early Childhood Education and the MA Program in Early Childhood Studies, the Association of Early Childhood Educators Ontario, the Macaulay Child Development Centre and the City of Toronto, Children’s Services.
The event will be held at Ryerson University, 55 Gould Street, Student Campus Centre, Room SCC115. Introductory remarks by Judith K. Bernhard, Director, MA in Early Childhood Studies, Ryerson University, Brenda Patterson, General Manager, Toronto Children’s Services and Eduarda Sousa, Executive Director, Association of Early Childhood Educators Ontario.
Panel Members are:- Heather Anderson-Ross, Early Literacy Specialist, Macaulay Child Development Centre
- Rachel Langford, Director, School of Early Childhood Education, Ryerson University
- Dianne Riehl, Program Coordinator, Early Years, Toronto District School Board
- Roma Chumak-Horbatsch – Professor, Ryerson University.
For more info, see the notice on the right-hand side of the Ryerson webpage here or download the event flyer: ryersonevent.
-
George Brown College Summer Institute: Preparing professionals to lead change in the early years
The annual summer institute, held by George Brown College and the Atkinson Centre for Society and Child Development is scheduled this year for June 4/08 and will be held in Toronto. At each summer institute, George Brown College honours an individual for their contribution to the early childhood field. This year, the Summer Institute honours Aster Fessahaie, a 2002 recipient of the Skills for Change New Pioneers Award. See the George Brown College website for more info, or view the PDF georgebrown.
-
Entre deux mers * Between two seas: Bridging children and communities, BC conference
The Early Childhood Educators of BC, the Canadian Child Care Federation, Ryerson University and the University of Victoria School of Child and Youth Care are sponsoring a conference in Richmond, BC May 29-31/08. Entre Deux Mers * Between Two Seas: Bridging Children and Communities includes many workshops, keynotes and sessions on topics related to immigrant and refugee children and families, including:
The Ethics of Enacting Children’s Right to Citizenship, with Kylie Smith, research fellow at the Centre for Equity and Innovation in Early Childhood at the University of Melbourne, Australia.
Refugee Preschool Children as Cultural Mediators, with Darcey M. Dachyshyn, University of Alberta.
Bridging Children and Communities through Integration of Diversity Training and Teacher Education, with Valerie Rhomberg, .
Working with Newcomer Children and Families: The Research and the Realities, with Penny Coates, Office of Early Childhood Development, Learning, and Care, Daljit Gill-Badesha, DIVERSEcity Community Resources Society and Gany Wawa Tut, a Southern Sudanese refugee and parent in Surrey.
Skilled Dialogue Strategies for Responding to Cultural Diversity, with Cathy Robb, Affiliated Services for Children and Youth.
Looking Back and Looking Forward: A Pan-Canadian Perspective on Diversity Theory and Practice in Early Childhood, with Gyda Chud, Vancouver Community College, Maryann Bird, formerly of the Child Care Advocacy Association of Canada, and Debra Mayer, SpeciaLink.
Faces of Diversity: Supporting Children in Early Childhood Programs, with Becky Kelley, Bow Valley Community College.
Visit the ECEBC website for the conference brochure with registration details and more. -
Migrant or local, we're vocal: Magazine for young immigrant mothers
Montreal based youth organization Head and Hands have launched a bilingual magazine for young immigrant mothers. Read about it here.
-
Children's books about immigration, II
The Canadian Children’s Book News, Winter 2008, Vol. 31, No. 1, includes two reviews of children’s books on immigration. In the article “Imagination & Immigration”, Toronto librarian Brenda Halliday profiles chapter-book Shu-Li and Tamara, written by Paul Yee and illustrated by Shaoli Wang (Tradewind Books, 2007). An excerpt from Halliday’s review:
“Shu-Li struggles to fit in and blend her Chinese and North American cultures. She is both embarrassed by her mother’s English and fiercely loyal to her when the cool girls from school laugh at her attempts. Though she respects her parents’ authority, she wishes to be more independent. … ultimately this is a story of loyalty and friendship…”.
Also in this issue, a review of Indian Tales: A Barefoot Collection, written by Shenaaz Nanji and illustrated by Christopher Corr which is billed as “The perfect read-aloud to foster multicultural learning” as it tells 8 stories, from different parts of India, each with a short introduction to the state’s unique culture.
-
Migration through a child's eyes: Project of the (US) Working Group on Childhood & Migration
Visit this site to view drawings by Mexican children who have parents living in the United States. The drawings are about the child’s perceptions of citizenship, transnationalism and immigration and were collected as part of a research project of the Working Group on Childhood and Migration.