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Anonymous donor expands TRU early childhood education program

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A mentoring program for early childhood educators is expanding after an anonymous donor contributed $1.4 million.

The program, led by Thompson Rivers University associate professor Dr. Laura Doan, aims to keep educators from leaving the profession, according to a news release from the university.

"With this funding, we aim to firmly embed peer mentoring within the early childhood education culture in B.C.," Doan said in the release.

The pilot project, in partnership with Early Childhood Educators of B.C., started in Kamloops and grew to include peer-mentoring groups in 17 communities across the province by 2020.

Each group included six pairs of educators, with one experienced and one new to the profession.

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“This experience demonstrates what is possible when we support early childhood educators in the way they should be supported. This shows me what can work when you give early childhood educators the opportunity to come together to support each other. They are able to come up with their own solutions," Doan said.

Educators that participated said it has helped them stay in their profession and connecting with their peers has kept them from feeling frustrated and isolated, according to the release.

“We are pleased to see recognition of the need for supports for early childhood educators, especially finding a way where they can help each other to build their resiliency and retain them in the profession,” executive director of Early Childhood Educators of B.C., Emily Gawlick, said. “This project is finding a way to improve retention of early childhood educators as well as raising the bar for all of them professionally as they share their experiences and learning.”

The new funding will help expand the program to form 35 peer-mentoring groups in different B.C. communities, with nearly 500 educators joining in.

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“This initiative benefits not only students, but also graduates and families in the communities where it is being implemented. I am so proud of what Dr. Laura Doan is achieving with this project and I anticipate seeing how it makes a difference to early childhood educators going forward,” TRU President Brett Fairbairn said in the release.


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