Early Childhood Development in the Aftermath of the 2016 Wildfires in Alberta, Canada

Autor/inn/en	Drolet, Julie L.; McDonald-Harker, Caroline; Lalani, Nasreen; McGreer, Sarah; Brown, Matthew R. G.; Silverstone, Peter H.
Titel	Early Childhood Development in the Aftermath of the 2016 Wildfires in Alberta, Canada
Quelle	In: Journal on Education in Emergencies, 7 (2021) 1, S.54-79 (26 Seiten) PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	2518-6833
Schlagwörter	Early Childhood Education; Natural Disasters; Foreign Countries; Preschool Children; Access to Education; Child Care; Family Relationship; Educational Finance; Child Development; Barriers; Stress Variables; Social Services; Financial Support; Preschool Teachers; Educational Quality; Teacher Selection; Canada + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Early childhood; Education; Frühkindliche Bildung; Frühpädagogik; Natural disaster; Naturkatastrophe; Ausland; Pre-school age; Preschool age; Child; Children; Pre-school education; Preschool education; Vorschulalter; Kind; Kinder; Vorschulkind; Vorschulkinder; Vorschulerziehung; Vorschule; Access; Bildung; Zugang; Bildungszugang; Kinderfürsorge; Kinderbetreuung; Bildungsfonds; Kindesentwicklung; Social service; Soziale Dienstleistung; Soziale Dienste; Finanzielle Förderung; Erzieher; Erzieherin; Kindergärtnerin; Quality of education; Bildungsqualität; Kanada
Abstract	The 2016 wildfires in Alberta, Canada, created numerous challenges for families with children under five years of age, due to the limited postdisaster access to early childhood development (ECD) programs, resources, and supports. In the immediate aftermath of the wildfires, families struggled to balance recovery activities with childcare responsibilities, which adversely affected their overall recovery. In this article, we discuss three main challenges experienced by families with young children after the wildfires: inadequate access to childcare services, a lack of availability and funding for ECD programs and resources, and limited long-term recovery support for families. Because of their early developmental stage, young children are especially vulnerable to the adverse effects of a disaster and dependent on their adult caregivers, thus it is essential to understand the unique challenges families face after a disaster. Children's prolonged exposure to the stress of a disaster environment is compounded when parents have limited access to crucial programs, resources, and supports during the most crucial periods of rebuilding and recovery. The findings we report in this article provide insights into the critical role disaster and emergency preparedness and planning play in ECD service delivery and infrastructure, and into the need for recovery efforts to "build back better." We advise all levels of government to consider ECD and the provision of child care to be essential services during natural disasters, crises, and pandemics. We further advise them to make the financial investment needed to ensure sustainable recovery operations, including infrastructure, provision of ECD services, and hiring of educators who can deliver high-quality, affordable early learning and child care in postdisaster environments. (As Provided).
Anmerkungen	Inter-agency Network for Education in Emergencies. 122 East 42nd Street, 14th Floor, New York, NY 10168. e-mail: journal@inee.org; Web site: https://inee.org/evidence/journal
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2024/1/01