This week we welcomed Tracy Humphreys from BCEdAccess via Zoom to share her work with families of students with disabilities and complex learners. I appreciated her discussion because it was from a parent/advocate’s perspective. It helped me visualize differentiation in my classroom, and the importance of ensuring everyone’s needs are met. 

One thing that surprised me was that she shared the Ministry of Education and childcare are combining. I am curious how merging these will work. I am aware of the initiative to offer childcare spots to all kindergarten students and how funding for childcare is changing drastically. My two main concerns with this move towards childcare in the school are how to find qualified professionals for limited work hours and what will happen once these children move to first grade. 

Available childcare spaces and cost has been a challenge in British Columbia. From an early childhood perspective, I wonder if merging these sectors will increase support for students and potentially provide funding and a diagnosis earlier. It will be interesting to see how qualified professionals will be found for early childhood education who have the training and experience in providing care for children who need more support. As Humphreys articulated, knowledge keeping is integral to helping students who require support and technology to succeed confidently.

Photo by Sigmund on Unsplash