The Research in Early Child Development (RECD) Initiative is a multidisciplinary collaboration between researchers at the UPEI Centre for Education Research (CER) and the PEI Children's Secretariat. The PEI Children's Secretariat, a group of twelve local networks involved in healthy childhood development, includes both government and community contacts. The RECD research team is working on developing and implementing a conceptual research framework of early child development (ages 0 to 8 years) in Prince Edward Island. The research model nests the child in several spheres of influence—the family, the community, the society, and the global world. Such a framework presents new challenges for the early child sector to rethink current policies and practices related to healthy child development, with the goal of developing more integrated approaches to supporting children and their families.

The economic and social benefits of integrated programs, where multiple programs and services are drawn from more holistic policies, are gaining the attention of governments and policy makers in several parts of Canada. While in Prince Edward Island there is currently no formal move to create a system for integrated programs and service delivery, there is increasing awareness and several new government initiatives which are leading stakeholders in PEI to rethink early child education. The RECD team has begun to mobilize new research, build research capacity in the province, and create a strong research culture in early child development in PEI. The objective of the research framework is to inform and influence policies, programs, and services for children, families, and decision makers, and to help shape the structure of our system to improve outcomes for all children.

Phase I
The RECD team has completed an exploration of existing research in early child development and has developed a working framework, adapted from Urie Bronfenbrenner's ecological model, for research and evaluation of early child development in PEI. This part of the project took place in the fall of 2008.

Phase II
Beginning in early 2009, the team enacted a participatory action research methodology to compile an overview of (a) existing programs and services in the province,  (b) current available provincial data, and (c) observations from the eleven active networks of the PEI Children's Secretariat. In addition, two workshops were offered to the networks to assist in developing a research project that addresses one of their research questions, while building their own research capacity. Participants were engaged in an action research project development process to articulate focused research questions, and to use the appropriate methods to answer those research questions. Currently, five projects are being facilitated by the RECD team.

Future Initiatives for the RECD Project
The RECD Initiative has opened the doors for future collaboration between researchers and community groups, both on a provincial scale and a national one. Future developments for this project include:

• the development of a centralized web presence using digital resources to support decision makers, community workers, and parents who want access to current research in early child development;
• the development of data mapping skills through participation in a national strategy for the Early Development Instrument (EDI);
• the training of RECD members in ARC-GIS to create visual data maps, highlighting areas of vulnerability in PEI;
• hosting a Research Forum for early child research in PEI (December 2009); and,
• broadening research goals to allow for further collaboration and initiatives with other researchers and agencies throughout Canada.

Research Team: Dr. Martha Gabriel (Faculty of Education, UPEI), Dr. Ray Doiron (Faculty of Education, UPEI), Cheryl Wartman (Research Coordinator, CER, UPEI), Gabriela Sanchez (Research Assistant/RA Coordinator, CER, UPEI), Esther Duncan (Digital Media Technologist, CER, UPEI), Brenda Goodine (Research Assistant, CER, UPEI), Melanie Melanson (Research Assistant, CER, UPEI), Anna Baldacchino (Research Assistant, CER, UPEI), and Sara Arsenault (Research Assistant, CER, UPEI)

Funded through the Department of Education and Early Child Development of Prince Edward Island.

RECD Monograph Files

To read more about the RECD Monograph click here.

Table of Contents

Part I: Grounding the RECD Initiative

Introduction
RECD Research Framework
A Holistic Research Rationale for Advancing Early Child Development in Prince Edward Island

Part II: Major Projects of the RECD Initiative

Mapping the Programs, Services, and Data Sources of the Networks of the PEI Children's Secretariat: A Participatory Action Research Project
PEI Child: A Digital Learning Commons for Early Child Professionals
Building Research Capacity and Community Engagement: Five Action Research Projects from the PEI Children's Secretariat

Part III: Contributions From the Field

From the Field: Introduction to Papers Written by Early Childhood Educators
The Folding and Unfolding of Play
Healthy Eating in Early Childhood Settings
Doing it Right! The Changing Landscape of Kindergarten in PEI
The Use of Worksheets in Early Childhood Mathematics Education
Moving Beyond the Chaos in the Prince Edward Island Early Childhood Structure

Part IV: Centre for Education Research Translations (CERTs)

A Conceptual Framework for Early Child Development
Investing in Early Childhood Pays Off Big Time
Power of Play
Using Worksheets in Early Childhood Mathematics Education (ECME)
"Where is Your Menu?" Healthy Eating in Early Childhood Settings

To download the monograph in sections, please see our Publications section of the website.