Think, Feel, Act: Lessons from Research About Young Children
The Ministry of Education is committed to supporting early years settings in providing high quality early learning and development opportunities for children across Ontario. The
Ontario Early Years Policy Framework describes how high quality programs have an extraordinary and long-lasting impact on children’s development, and therefore we want to do everything we can to support educators in their continuous professional learning.
The Ministry has worked with leading experts in the field of early childhood education to develop six research briefs for educators working in early years settings.
We are pleased to present these briefs, which highlight the latest research in early childhood development, strategies to put the key ideas into practice and reflective questions for educators. You will notice a common thread throughout the briefs: a view of the child as competent, capable of complex thinking, curious, and rich in potential.
These briefs are intended to challenge the status quo and encourage critical reflection as we consider our work from different perspectives. As ‘briefs’, the documents are not intended to provide an in-depth analysis of each topic, but instead we hope to pique your interest and highlight key ideas that are useful and relevant to your work. We encourage you to use the reflective questions throughout the briefs to stimulate personal reflection and team discussions. We also invite you to try out some of the suggested practices and exchange ideas with your colleagues.
Above all, we hope to get people talking about some of the big ideas that have such a significant impact on the experiences of children across the province.
Thank you for everything that you do for the children of Ontario.