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Recommended Readings
Blackstock, Cindy and Eddy Robinson. 2017. Spirit Bear and Children Make History: Based on a True Story. Nanaimo, BC: Strong Nations. Cindy Blackstock is a Canadian-born Gitxsan activist for child welfare and the executive director of the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society of Canada. She is also a professor for the School of Social Work at McGill University. This book is about Spirit Bear’s long train trip to Ottawa to stand up for Indigenous children in foster care.
Dietz, Beverlie. 2006. Foundations of Early Childhood Education: Learning Environments and Children in Canada. Toronto, ON: Pearson Canada. This book offers insight into how the physical environment, the people a child interacts with, and the child’s experiences impact the development of a child’s ability to learn. Further, it offers strategies, examples, and exercises to help create beneficial learning environments for children and families.
Doucet, Andrea. 2006. Do Men Mother? Fathering, Care and Domestic Responsibility. Toronto, ON: University of Toronto Press. Doucet sheds light on the lives of stay-at-home dads and single fathers. This book illustrates the radical change in childcare and domestic responsibilities in this century.
Howe, Nina and Larry Prochner. 2013. Recent Perspectives on Early Childhood Education in Canada. Toronto, ON: University of Toronto Press. These authors address the history, social policies, economic aspects, and provincial rules related to early childhood education in Canada. It also discusses issues related to early childhood learning, education, and curriculum. Finally, this book examines recent developments undertaken by the Canadian government related to early childhood education and care.
Langford, Rachel, Susan Prentice, and Patricia Albanese. 2017. Caring for Children: Social Movements and Public Policy in Canada. Vancouver, BC: University of British Columbia Press. This book examines how the government’s childcare policies have favoured professional, nuclear families while ignoring the needs of the most vulnerable, including low-income, immigrant, and Indigenous families.
Lloyd, Eva and Helen Penn. 2013. Childcare Markets: Can They Deliver an Equitable Service? Chicago, IL: Policy Press. This book offers a comparison of the childcare systems in eight different countries, including Canada and the United States.
McDaniels, Susan, Lorne Tepperman, and Sandra Colavecchia. 2018. Close Relations: An Introduction to the Sociology of Families. Toronto, ON: Pearson Canada.
Prochner, Larry. 2010. A History of Early Childhood Education in Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Vancouver, BC: University of British Columbia Press. In England during the early nineteenth century, specialized education programs were developed by the government as a way to give kids a “head start” in life. This book explores how early childhood education subsequently spread from England to three of its colonies.
Recommended Websites
Canadian Childcare Federation
The Canadian Childcare Federation is committed to protecting and improving children, promoting the health and safety of children, and providing Canadians with the best knowledge about childcare and childcare practices. This website addresses many topics related to childcare, including the state of Indigenous childcare.
Child Care Canada: Childcare Resource and Research Unit
The Childcare Resource and Research Unit is a research institute that examines policies related to early childhood education and childcare. The website features up-to-date news, videos, and publications.
Child Care Now
Child Care Now (formerly the Child Care Advocacy Association of Canada) is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to promoting publicly funded, inclusive, quality, not-for-profit childcare. This website includes links to a variety of publications as well as information on how to join.
Recommended Films
Experiences Build Brain Architecture. United States: National Scientific Council on the Developing Child. This short two-minute video describes the neurological processes of learning in the early years of life.
The Motherload. 2015. Canada: CBC. This documentary follows several working mothers at different levels of the workforce as they struggle to balance their professional and personal lives.
Toxic Stress Derails Healthy Development. United States: National Scientific Council on the Developing Child. This short two-minute video explains the effects of stressful environments in early childhood.
Recommended Podcasts
“The Preschool Podcast” by HiMama. Through conversations with leading professionals in early childhood education, this podcast by HiMama discusses recent successes and challenges within the childcare and preschool setting. Some topics covered include managing autism spectrum disorder in preschools, creating an open classroom for all kids regardless of their socio-economic background, and using storytelling to nurture resilience in children living with family substance-use disorder.