Journal No. 1

The Early Childhood Educator

The journal of Early Childhood Educators of British Columbia

Spring 2020

Vol. 35, No. 2

www.ecebc.ca

Chosen Article: Our Children Speak.

Documenting and sharing children’s thoughts, feelings, and opinions about the Coronavirus.

Author: Natalie Lucas

The title of this topic really drew me in because the children in my day care have been talking about the virus a lot since they have been back. I feel that it is important to listen to how they are feeling about the pandemic and help them understand more about it by giving them answers in a way that they can understand. And also help them express their worries, concerns and curiosities about the Coronavirus through art as well. This is something that some of my 3- and 4-year old’s have been doing, they have been drawing hospitals, people, hearts, and even the virus. Furthermore, Natalie talks about the continues connection that she kept with the families after closing the centers, which that is something that I continued to do with my families during my closure. Reading this article came very familiar to me.

Natalie Lucas is an Early Childhood Educator and the director of Wee Ones and Valhalla Children’s Center in Slocan Valley BC. These centers have been closed indefinitely due to the pandemic. Natalie talks about how the Canadian population and people around the world have been affected by the pandemic. And thinking about our children, Natalie wondered how the children were feeling not being able to see their friends and staying home everyday. How were they feeling about the sudden change? Natalie kept in contact with the families via email. She then shared some ideas of how the parents could help their children understand what was happening in the world due to the Coronavirus. One of her ideas was to send a series of questions that parents could ask their children about the pandemic, and the second idea was to have their children draw or paint pictures of what they understood or felt about the pandemic. The parents would then write down what the child said to them when explaining what the picture that they had painted or drawn meant. When the parents sent Natalie the answers to the questions, pictures and comments of the children, she put them all together on a board and posted it at the post office. “The post office was a familiar place for the children and also a place where people in the community could have a change to read about the children speaking out about the pandemic”. (ECEBC, 2020, p.7). Furthermore, this would also be a representation of the importance of what an early childhood educator does. Her thought was to send out the message that “children’s voices are important and that Early Childhood Educators should be recognized as educators and not as day care workers” (ECEBC, 2020, p. 7). This was also an opportunity to involve the parents in doing something that an educator would normally do. My understanding of this is that no matter the distance, we can maintain the connection and communication with the children and their families. “The educators continue to do their jobs during the pandemic, but in a different way”. (ECEBC, 2020, p. 8).

The key points to this article are that Children’s voices and opinions are important. It is essential to allow children to express their feelings and concerns with their families, educators and community. Early Childhood Educators work to advocate for the children and support their learning and overall well-being. They are an important part of a child’s life in their early years. They deserve the acknowledgement of a professional educator.

By reading this article, I learned that it is okay to involve the parents in doing some of the work with the children that I would normally do at day care with them. I stayed connected with the families, but never occurred to me to offer some activities to do with the children while my day care was closed. Something to take in consideration for the future.

I feel that this article has made me understand that as an Early Childhood Educator I can spread my knowledge and support to the children, parents and community in a variety of ways. Being in lock down should not stop us from reaching out and continuing our work and connection with the children and families.

In conclusion to this journal, Natalie explains that when children trust you, they can talk to you about anything. They can talk to you about their experiences, their joys, their worries and their plans. (ECEBC, 2020, p. 8.).