Shannon Bell is a QUESCREN research associate and trained journalist with a track record of making research accessible. She has worked for news and magazine publications in her native United States and holds a master’s degree in public administration. She also has extensive knowledge of English-speaking communities around the province, having worked for English-speaking community organizations in Montreal and Trois-Rivières.
Challenges in Early Learning and Child Care for Quebec’s English-Speaking Community
Recorded at a QUESCREN Lunch & Learn webinar on October 17, 2024
Context
Shannon Bell discusses findings from her recent research brief entitled “Challenges in Early Learning and Child Care for Quebec’s English-Speaking Community.” The brief examines barriers faced by English-speaking families in Quebec when accessing early learning and childcare programs, as well as current efforts to address these barriers and possible solutions.
Key Takeaways
- English-speaking parents have difficulty interacting with unilingual staff at early childhood centres, and there is no standard for indicating a centre’s language of instruction on “La Place 0-5” (the government online platform for finding childcare and preschools).
- 80% of English-speaking parents in the province reported finding it very or somewhat difficult to find specialized services in English for their young children.
- English-Speaking children starting kindergarten in Quebec score lower than their French-speaking counterparts in five key developmental areas.
Strategic Implications
- Improving linguistic identifiers on the "La Place 0-5" website would make it easier for English-speaking families to locate daycares that provide instruction and care in English.
- Developing and funding postsecondary training programs for English-speaking early childhood educators and support professionals, along with providing additional support to community organizations, would strengthen the pool of qualified professionals and bridge gaps effectively.
Read the Research
- Challenges in Early Learning and Child Care for Quebec’s English-Speaking Community. (QUESCREN Research Brief)
Useful Links
Resources mentioned in presentation
Academic Publications
Early Childhood Education and Care in Canada 2021 - Childcare Resource and Research Unit, April 2023
Provision of Services to Special Needs Students in Quebec’s English-Language Public Schools. - Quebec English-Speaking Communities Research Network (QUESCREN), 2021.
What Is ‘The Quebec Model’ of Early Learning and Child Care? - Policy Options, Institute for Research on Public Policy, 2021
Junior Kindergarten for 4-Year-Olds: The Quality of the Educational Environment and Its Association With School Readiness Among Children From Disadvantaged Backgrounds. - Université du Québec à Montréal, 2017
Data and Statistics
Québec Study on the Accessibility and Use of Childcare Services 2021 - Institut de la statistique du Québec, 2021
Enquête québécoise sur le développement des enfants à la maternelle 2022. (in French only) - Institut de la statistique du Québec, 2022
- English Language Early Childhood Services: Opinion Survey Among English-Speaking Parents in Quebec - Community Health and Social Services Network, 2021
Additional resources shared during the event
Reference Guide: Nature-based early childhood education from the Association québécoise des centres de la petite enfance (AQCPE)
About the Speaker
How to cite this video: Bell, Shannon. “Challenges in Early Learning and Child Care for Quebec's English-Speaking Community” Lunch & Learn webinar produced by the Quebec English-Speaking Communities Research Network (QUESCREN), Concordia University, Montreal, October 17, 2024. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2a0YpW2QLnM
Terms of Use: This Lunch & Learn recording is made available to the public under the terms of Creative Commons Licence Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 International.
- The material can be copied and distributed in its original form only and for non-commercial purposes.
- Users must give appropriate credit to the creator(s) of the material and link to the original source.
About QUESCREN Lunch & Learns
QUESCREN is a collaborative network of researchers, community members and institutions that provides opportunities to promote the understanding and vitality of English-speaking Quebec. Our Lunch & Learn series consists of one-hour webinars on research topics related to English-speaking Quebec.
This event was made possible through the financial support of the Secrétariat aux relations avec les Québécois d'expression anglaise. QUESCREN also received funding from the Department of Canadian Heritage, and Concordia University.
