NWT RESEARCH DATABASE

Regions: Inuvialuit Settlement Region, North Slave Region

Tags: program evaluation, daycare, early childhood education

Objective(s): This project sets out to answer the following questions: a. What evaluation approaches, methods, and tools exist for including children’s input in daycare quality evaluation? b. What are the barriers and facilitators to conducting evaluation in daycares in a way that includes children’s input? c. How can daycare program evaluation include children’s input?

Project Description: This licence has been issued for the scientific research application No. 5991. This project sets out to answer the following questions: a. What evaluation approaches, methods, and tools exist for including children’s input in daycare quality evaluation? b. What are the barriers and facilitators to conducting evaluation in daycares in a way that includes children’s input? c. How can daycare program evaluation include children’s input? This is a qualitative project that uses document and literature review, interviews, focus groups, and reflexive practice journaling as data collection methodologies. Six steps including three research methods are proposed as a starting point for this project. Recognizing that as an emergent project, the methods and tools may shift, the initial planned research methods are described below. Step 1: Initiate connections and build relationships with NT daycare program leads. Relationship building and support to NT daycare program leads will continue throughout the duration of the research project. For most potential daycare organization partners, this will begin with a letter of introduction and invitation from the Northwest Territories Early Childhood Association. The letter will introduce the project, the PI, and invite interested organizations to reach out with questions and for discussion. For those organizations that do reach out, the PI will offer to visit them to discuss the project in person where possible, to speak with their board of directors at a regular board meeting, to speak over the phone, or to connect virtually via teleconference. The goal of these preliminary discussions is to build connection and understanding of the project. There are three daycare operators/organizations with whom the PI is already connected due to previously established relationships; the Tlicho Government (Behchoko), Children's First Society (Inuvik), and the Yellowknife Women's Society (Yellowknife). These organizations have had input to design the project, so the project will start with these organizations. Step 2: Review previous written work on daycare program evaluation methods using a scoping review (research method 1), aimed at identifying daycare quality as a concept, and mapping daycare evaluation that includes children’s perspectives through published peer-reviewed literature. Depending on the volume of information available, the scoping review may include relevant grey literature (documents published outside of the peer-review process). The literature and document review will focus on daycare quality research and evaluation that includes children’s input (Munn et. al. 2018; Grant and Booth, 2009; and Adams et. Al., 2017). Step 3: Gather input from NT daycare program providers (ie., the three identified in Step 1) through culturally responsive interviews and focus groups (research method 2) (Hall, 2020). The input will focus on providers’ description of the NT daycare context, especially facilitators and barriers to including children’s input in daycare program evaluation in NT. Interviews and focus groups could take place with: Executive Directors, Board of Directors members, or program staff. Interviews or focus groups are likely to be conducted virtually or at the daycare program space after regular program hours (subject to preference and availability of the participants. Step 4: Generate draft approaches to daycare program evaluation that includes children’s input. This will be generic to NT daycare programs broadly. Step 5: For programs that want specific program evaluation plans developed, share draft daycare program evaluation approaches back to NT daycare providers for input. Throughout: Maintain reflexive practice journal notes (research method 3). These notes will be taken throughout the process. In these notes, the principal investigator will keep detailed practice notes of their experience. Following the project, the principal investigator will reflexively consider the process using their practice notes to answer the research study questions (Meyer and Willis, 2019; van Draanen, 2017). The intent of the reflexive practice journal notes are general observations and experience regarding undertaking evaluation projects with daycare programs and not specific to programs or individuals. Because the the approach is emergent and depends on input and participation from community-based childcare providers, other steps and methods may arise. If this happens, research ethics amendments will be sought. Through the NWT Early Childhood Association, and directly with participating daycare programs and organizations, the PI will keep daycare programs informed and provide them opportunities to participate in the project through a) interviews or focus groups b) review of drafted material c) development of program specific evaluation plans. Communication will take place through email, phone, and in person visits. The fieldwork for this study will be conducted from: August 12 - December 31, 2024