Show Notes
As universal Pre-K becomes a real possibility in the United States, it’s important to look at other places that have these systems in place to find out what we can learn from them. In today’s episode, you’ll hear from two people who have firsthand experience with the pre-K system in Quebec.
From Montreal, Quebec, Canada, Joell Eryasa is a CLASS® Coordinator at CASIOPE since 2018. She joined CASIOPE in 2016 working as a consultant in professional development for teachers and for directors in early childhood education setting in Quebec. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a master’s degree in Education from the University of Quebec in Montreal (UQAM). She specialized in quality measurement in early childhood education settings. She has worked to support the development of the quality rating and improvement system implemented in the province of Quebec in the past years.
From Montreal, Quebec, Canada, Stéphanie Millette-Brisebois is a CLASS® Certified Trainer at CASIOPE since 2019. She joined CASIOPE in 2016 and is working as a consultant in professional development for teachers and for directors in early childhood education setting in Quebec. She holds a master’s degree in Psychoeducation from the University of Quebec in Outaouais (UQO). She believes that access to professional development, planning time to reflect daily, and being intentional in every aspect of teachers’ practice is fundamental to ensure high-quality educational environments for children.
Listen to the conversation between Joelle, Stéphanie, Marnetta, and Darlene to learn about how Quebec’s childcare system came to be, the financial aspects of universal pre-K systems, and strategies for improving and ensuring quality at scale.
Topics Discussed in This Episode
[00:00:42] Thinking about the Build Back Better campaign and the possibility of universal Pre-K
[00:01:38] Today’s guests from CASIOPE
[00:02:03] What Quebec’s childcare system looks like, and how it came about
[00:03:54] The importance of local childcare initiatives in each town
[00:05:40] How the financial aspect of universal childcare in Quebec worked
[00:07:23] The plans for making more space once slots filled up
[00:10:34] The model used with family childcare homes
[00:12:10] The importance of ensuring quality at scale
[00:15:01] The focus of CASIOPE
[00:16:29] Lessons learned through training class observers to look for quality through COVID
[00:23:04] Joelle’s and Stephanie’s advice for those who are working to improve quality at scale
[00:25:41] Building on what exists, rather than scrapping everything and starting over
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