Early Childhood Pedagogy Network BC

This quote from the B.C. Early Learning Framework reminds us that responding to the TRC and UNDRIP is part of the ongoing responsibilities of early childhood education.

During National Indigenous History Month, educators are invited to deepen their learning about Indigenous histories, communities, knowledges, and the ongoing impacts of colonialism. This work asks for more than acknowledgement. It asks for continued learning, careful listening, and a commitment to understanding how education is implicated in both harm and redress.

We encourage educators to spend time with the B.C. Early Learning Framework, seek out local learning opportunities, and continue engaging with the Indigenous histories, Nations, and communities connected to the places where they live and work.

UNDRIP: https://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/declaration/about-apropos.html

TRC: https://nctr.ca/about/truth-and-reconciliation-commission-of-canada/

Congratulations to all!

Refusal can be a way of protecting what matters and making room for other futures.

As June brings both National Indigenous History Month and Pride Month, this post invites us to think about what communities continue to carry, reclaim, celebrate, and imagine, and what responsibilities this creates in early childhood spaces.

This month is an important time to recognize, learn about, and honour the histories, cultures, knowledges, and contributions of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Peoples. It is also a reminder that this learning is not limited to one month. Indigenous histories, communities, and Nations continue to shape the places where we live, work, and learn. National Indigenous History Month offers an opportunity to deepen learning, seek out local histories, and consider the responsibilities that come with living and working on Indigenous lands.

The Government of Canada website offers information and resources for National Indigenous History Month, including learning materials, videos, podcasts, and information about National Indigenous Peoples Day on June 21.

We also encourage educators to look for events, talks, and resources through universities, local governments, Indigenous organizations, libraries, and community groups in their own cities and towns.

How might this month invite you to learn more about the Indigenous histories, communities, and Nations connected to the places where you live and work?

Nikamowin: https://nikamowin.com/en

National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation: https://nctr.ca/education/

CBC Docs: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLyBdAUI4LX9jeCbaI0PkxNuoYGPBLo_Sj

Indigenous Peoples Atlas of Canada: https://indigenouspeoplesatlasofcanada.ca/section/first-nations/

National Arts Centre: https://nac-cna.ca/en/artsalive/resources?subject=554

CBC Listen: https://www. cbc .ca/listen/search?q=indigenous (Cannot share links from CBC due to Facebook policies)

Visit the Government of Canada National Indigenous History Month website to learn more: https://www.rcaanc-cirnac.gc.ca/eng/1466616436543/1534874922512

This month is an important time to recognize, learn about, and honour the histories, cultures, knowledges, and contributions of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Peoples. It is also a reminder that this learning is not limited to one month. Indigenous histories, communities, and Nations continue to shape the places where we live, work, and learn. National Indigenous History Month offers an opportunity to deepen learning, seek out local histories, and consider the responsibilities that come with living and working on Indigenous lands.

The Government of Canada website offers information and resources for National Indigenous History Month, including learning materials, videos, podcasts, and information about National Indigenous Peoples Day on June 21.

We also encourage educators to look for events, talks, and resources through universities, local governments, Indigenous organizations, libraries, and community groups in their own cities and towns.

How might this month invite you to learn more about the Indigenous histories, communities, and Nations connected to the places where you live and work?

Nikamowin: https://nikamowin.com/en

National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation: https://nctr.ca/education/

Indigenous Peoples Atlas of Canada: https://indigenouspeoplesatlasofcanada.ca/section/first-nations/

National Arts Centre: https://nac-cna.ca/en/artsalive/resources?subject=554

CBC Docs: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLyBdAUI4LX9jeCbaI0PkxNuoYGPBLo_Sj

CBC Listen: https://www.cbc.ca/listen/search?q=indigenous

Visit the Government of Canada National Indigenous History Month website to learn more: https://www.rcaanc-cirnac.gc.ca/eng/1466616436543/1534874922512

What questions emerge when early years educators, kindergarten teachers, and post-secondary instructors gather to think together about children's transitions to school?

In March, ECPN Pedagogist Gloria Albarracin facilitated a Learning Circle in Prince George that brought together educators from across early childhood, school, and post-secondary contexts to consider transitions as a relational process rather than a set of expectations for children to meet.

The conversation was held in the kindergarten classroom at École Franco-Nord, with kindergarten teacher Julie Lizotte as host. Participants included educators from three early learning centres, the College of New Caledonia’s Early Childhood Education and Learning department, and School District 93, which is the Francophone school district.

As participants shared stories, experiences, and questions, attention turned toward the assumptions that often shape dominant ideas about “kindergarten readiness.” Together, educators considered what becomes possible when responsibility for successful transitions is shared across children, educators, schools, families, and communities.

One question lingered throughout the conversation:

Instead of preparing children for kindergarten, how might educators, schools, and communities prepare to welcome them?

Rather than seeking consensus or definitive answers, the gathering created space to think across perspectives, attend to the complexities of transition, and consider the responsibilities of educators, schools, and communities in welcoming children and families.

Thank you to everyone who joined this conversation and contributed their questions, experiences, and provocations.

For June, we are recommending Wayi Wah! Indigenous Pedagogies: An Act for Reconciliation and Anti-Racist Education by Jo Chrona.

As National Indigenous History Month begins, this book invites educators to deepen their engagement with Indigenous pedagogies, reconciliation, and anti-racist education. Chrona writes with care, clarity, and generosity, inviting readers into learning that requires humility, responsibility, and a willingness to question the assumptions that shape education.

Wayi Wah! asks educators to consider how Indigenous knowledge systems can inform teaching and learning, and how education might become more responsive to the lands, histories, and communities we are part of. It also supports educators in thinking about how racism and colonialism continue to shape educational systems and what it might mean to take action from where we are.

This is a meaningful read for educators who are beginning, continuing, or deepening their learning during National Indigenous History Month and beyond.