Milena Pimentel was interested in research that enhanced child well-being, so in 2019, she applied to work at the Early Childhood Collaborative Research Centre (ECCRC) with the director, Dr. Jessie-Lee McIsaac, Associate Professor and Tier II Canada Research Chair in Early Childhood Diversity and Transitions at Mount Saint Vincent University. Since then, Milena has supported various projects at the ECCRC and recently conducted her own research with support from a Scotia Scholars Award.
Dr. McIsaac and the ECCRC work closely with the Nova Scotia Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (DEECD) to help support commitments to high-quality, equitable, inclusive, and accessible early learning and child care.
Part of that support included a recent project, which Milena was involved with, that looked at amplifying Black voices and identifying the reality of racism that occurs in early learning and child care settings in Nova Scotia.
“There’s a misconception that children do not have racial awareness,” explains Milena. “It’s critical that early learning and child care programs are not race-silenced spaces, but that they prioritize cultural responsiveness and create transformative learning spaces.”
To support the project, the ECCRC hosted an event in East Preston where the community discussed what’s happening now and what needs to happen to continue to create culturally safe and responsive early learning environments. A need for professional development (PD) for those in the field was identified.
In January 2023, DEECD began promoting a free, optional, 12-hour PD opportunity for anyone in the early learning and child care field. It explores and unpacks privilege and seeks to support participants in learning about and reflecting on systemic discrimination and racism, and how they have a role in ensuring their early learning spaces are responsive to families and children of various cultural and racial identities.
As a continuation of her work at the ECCRC and having participated in the PD herself, Milena designed her Scotia Scholars project to understand how early childhood educators (ECEs) translated the knowledge they gained in the PD to their early learning environments.
“Engaging in this research project allowed me to delve deeper into how ECEs could be further supported to promote and sustain early learning environments that are culturally safe and inclusive for all children and families,” says Milena. “Educators provide a unique opportunity to challenge children’s thinking and support their learning through a culturally responsive and anti-racist lens.”
Milena interviewed seven ECEs that participated in the PD about if and how they shared the knowledge with colleagues and implemented culturally responsive practices, and if they didn’t, what was preventing them. Her interview guide was co-developed with the facilitators of the PD to include what they wanted to learn from her research.
She learned that the PD provided the ECEs with valuable information for their personal and professional learning. However, many described feeling unconfident in implementing the practices and feared doing it wrong. They were also unsure of how to have conversations with colleagues, and some found differences in values and opinions made the conversations difficult.
Milena concluded that it’s important to know what is needed to complement the PD to ensure knowledge leads to a shift in practice to truly achieve a high-quality, inclusive, equitable, and culturally responsive early learning system. She has shared with results with DEECD, including participants’ recommendations.
“The Scotia Scholars Award was huge for me,” says Milena. “It gave me the opportunity to develop my research skills and capacity, and my confidence to engage in research that I’m really passionate in and can make a difference with.”
It also provided her with the opportunity to establish strong relationships with community members and those interested in similar work. Milena is currently working on a manuscript with Dr. McIsaac to share the results of the study.
“There are a lot of exceptional undergraduate students, and I think Scotia Scholars Awards allow them to dig in, build confidence, and spark a passion for research and future interests,” says Dr. McIsaac.
Milena is considering a master’s degree next but is excited to continue learning and researching no matter what she does.
“As an Afro-Latina person and the first one in my family to pursue a university degree, this opportunity has helped motivate me and give me the confidence to diversify the research field and see more people who look like me doing this kind of work,” says Milena.
The Scotia Scholars Award provides financial support to students with exceptional potential who are, or wish to be, engaged in a health research project at participating institutions. It supports the growth and retention of highly skilled individuals who are advancing and translating knowledge in disease detection, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention; strengthening health care delivery systems; caring for vulnerable populations; and preventing negative impacts to health and wellbeing.
Learn more about the ECCRC’s work in Season 1, Episode 2 of the Beyond Research Podcast: