Researchers Focused on Strengthening Early Childhood Literacy with New Study

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More children in Windsor and Essex counties are at risk of poor early literacy compared to Ontario averages.

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But a year after a three-year project, researchers in a St. Clair College study are working to find ways to help families and communities boost literacy in the crucial first years of a child’s life.

“The premise of our research was to try to find out where literacy is lacking in our community, what is needed, and how we support literacy so that children can be ready for kindergarten,” said Beckie Berlasty, Principal Investigator and St. Instructor from Clair College.

The three-year project, now in its early second year, includes a review of existing research on literacy in Windsor and Essex counties and profiles of key communities where literacy may be at risk.

St / Clair College partnered with ProsperUs, an organization supported by United Way, which focuses on the well-being of children and youth.

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According to a kindergarten measure of developmental milestones, children in Windsor and Essex counties meet or exceed provincial benchmarks, except for cognitive and language development.

“We found that our community, especially in vulnerable areas, is really struggling with that domain (of language and cognitive),” Berlasty said.

After a year of research, Berlasty said his team, including several early childhood educators, teachers and students at St. Clair College, are now moving into the second year of the project to find ways to tackle literacy issues.

At this point, they are working with parents, school boards, child care providers, and others involved in early childhood education to get an idea of ​​what is working and what else is needed to help children navigate. succeed.

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Berlasty said researchers have identified three key communities where children appear to struggle with literacy: West Windsor, Downtown Windsor and Leamington.

Now, they are turning to educators, community members, and parents from those communities to find out what the challenges are, how to help, and what other resources are needed, with a focus on giving parents a voice in the process. In the final year of the project, they will deploy resources and evaluate success.

The goal, he said, is generally better coordination between the different resources and organizations involved in children’s early life.

“We have some amazing things happening in these communities, they are doing a lot of things that are really effective, but trying to find ways to save them, “said Berlasty. “Engaging families, schools, day care centers, community centers to work together and address the challenges of literacy.”

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“Over time, with more programs offered, with more resources in place, we can see more children graduate from high school and go to higher education or the world of work with confidence,” he said, adding that they hope their research will be can be used to inform the future. Projects.

Berlasty said that early childhood literacy is crucial for milestones later in life, such as high school graduation and employment, as well as positive self-esteem.

“Literacy is the cornerstone,” he said. “You can’t read a textbook if you don’t have literacy skills, you can’t apply for a job without writing a resume.”

The project is funded by a social innovation grant from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada in Spring 2020, and research will begin in Fall 2020 in partnership with ProsperUs and their Cradle to Career strategy. The investigation is expected to continue until 2023.

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