This is a randomized controlled experimental, sequential explanatory mixed-methods study that evaluated the effectiveness of an early childhood mental health professional development program, Caring with Caring, that was offered to early childhood educators working with infants and toddlers in a licensed group early childhood care and education…

Instability in early childhood education and care (ECEC) arrangements may have detrimental consequences on children's mental health. This study examined ECEC trajectories in the first 30 months of life for 373 children from low-income families in Toronto. We provide information about patterns of instability and reasons for instability. We also…

The purpose of this provincial cross-sectional survey (N = 254) was to explore the mental health literacy (MHL) of educators, and particularly, if training and experience explains differences in MHL. There were meaningful differences based on MHL training and between educators of different division levels. Those who completed graduate degrees or…

COVID-19 has put additional stress on teachers, whose levels of psychological distress are concerning. However, studies that look at teachers' work experiences and their association with psychological distress during the pandemic are lacking. This study aims to draw a portrait of psychological distress (i.e., symptoms of depression and anxiety)…

This study employed a qualitative content analysis of provincial policy documents, following deductive methods, to examine academic resilience and education policy developments across Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic. More specifically, the study explicates the nature and scope of provincial policy responses to the global pandemic that address…

This article engages in an autoethnographic analysis to offer an argument for the importance of bringing mad studies to pre-service early childhood education and care (ECEC) programs. Through both analysing reflections on two "maddening moments" during pre-service teaching as a mad-identified pre-service ECEC educator and discussing…

There is growing concern about the mental health and resilience of today's children and difficulties with self-regulation are implicated in educational outcomes, cognitive problems, internalizing problems such as depression and anxiety, externalizing problems such as aggression, and physical health problems. Self-regulation is a growing topic of…

The COVID-19 pandemic created an unprecedented disruption to education and schooling at the end of the 2019-20 school year. Operating in a context of great uncertainty, education leaders were tasked with making key decisions with potentially far-reaching impacts on the educational and mental and physical health of students and families. Drawing on…

Outdoor risky play provides developmental and health benefits for children, such as risk-assessment skills, increased physical activity and well-being and promoting social competencies and resilience. Modern Western society is highly risk-averse and many children are protected from risks more commonly experienced by previous generations. Forest…

We examined how emotional and communication functioning at kindergarten predicted the academic trajectories of refugee children. Drawing from a population-based Canadian cohort, the study followed 629 refugee children from age 5 to 13 and (i) modeled kindergarten, Grade 4, and Grade 7 academic trajectories via group-based trajectory modeling and…

The purpose of this pilot study was to evaluate the preliminary effects of a curriculum resource on elementary school children's social and emotional skills. In total, 98 Grade 3 children were randomly allocated to either a control or experimental group and evaluated before and after a 3-month implementation period. Experimental group showed…

This article explores trends and statistics specific to the mental health status of children from both the Canadian and the global contexts to inform a conversation on the environmental conditions and experiences that impact the mental health of young children. The research described here focused on the intersection between mental health and early…

In Spring 2018--almost a decade into province-wide implementation of Full-day Kindergarten--the British Columbia Teachers' Federation (BCTF) Research Department and British Columbia Primary Teachers' Association (BCPTA) investigated who the K/K-1 teachers are, how they teach and learn, and whether they have the resources and supports needed to…

Understanding the Early Years (UEY) is a national research initiative. It provides communities with information to enable them to make informed decisions about the best policies and most appropriate programs for Canadian families with young children. This report is based on one of seven communities studied in 2001-2002. Children's outcomes were…

Understanding the Early Years (UEY) is a national research initiative. It provides communities with information to enable them to make informed decisions about the best policies and most appropriate programs for Canadian families with young children. This report is based on one of seven communities studied in 2001-2002. Children's outcomes were…