ABOUT US

OUR MISSION

ICFC is committed to providing high quality, culturally responsive early learning and care for children while supporting families, fostering community, and building the capacity of our educators.

OUR VISION

ICFC strives to be a centre of research and learning and to be a leader in culturally responsive early learning and care. We aim to nurture children, support families and educators, and build community through a commitment to current and emerging ELCC and intercultural practices.

OUR VALUES

Our work is guided and informed by our belief in and commitment to:

Responsiveness and Respect

We respect and value diversity. We respond to the needs of educators, children, and their families. We work hard to understand the wishes, hopes, and aspirations of all those from culturally diverse backgrounds.

Quality

We meet or exceed all provincial licensing and certification requirements. We evaluate our practice, build on success, and learn from and correct mistakes.

Innovation and Transformation

We embrace and implement current and emerging research and practice in Early Learning. We share our knowledge of evidence-based practices related to intercultural early learning and care. 

Engagement and Collaboration

We are an intentional community of trust, respect, and openness. We involve parents, families, staff, and board members to provide guidance and leadership. We believe that when we work together, we all have much to give; active participation of stakeholders is vital to the success of our centre.

Capacity Building

We commit ourselves to designing and implementing ongoing relevant professional development, training, and support for our child care educators, families, and board members.

More Than Childcare

ICFC is not just about play - we are dedicated to early learning and care through the use of the Alberta FLIGHT Framework:

01

Create play-based goals for children's learning & care

Each playroom features a selection of play materials and opportunities for hands-on learning.

02

Nurture children's disposition to learn

We offer age-appropriate opportunities for decision-making and growth, encouraging children's natural curiosity and desire to learn.

03

Build & strengthen early childhood community with families

We focus on collaboration between families and educators through our quarterly family events (further information available on our socials!). Our educators share their traditions, food, and language with the children in their daily practices.

04

Engage as co-learners, researchers, & imaginers with high regard for children's potential

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FLIGHT is an active, exploratory, creative, expressive process, deeply embedded in children’s everyday experiences and through which children participate in, learn about, and actively make sense of the world.

More on FLIGHT

*FLIGHT specific information & logos not our own: credit to flightframework.ca 

Research and Projects

ICFC has engaged in relevant research studies and projects with these partners over the past few years: 
An Arts-Informed Case Study of Young Newcomer Children’s Everyday Lives, Experiences and Perspectives as They Transition to Early Learning Classrooms and Schools, Nicole Jamison, PhD Candidate  
Bridging Program for Immigrant Child Care Workers, Carole Massing, PhD 
ASaP Project (Access, Support and Services) with GRIT (Getting Ready for Inclusion Today) 
Building Cultural Identity in the Early Years Summer Institute, Edmonton Public School Board
Multicultural Childhood Assessment & Learning Partners Project, RAISED Between Two Cultures, Rebecca Georgis, PhD, Rebecca Gokiert, PhD, & Anna Kirova,PhD, University of Alberta
Play, Participation, and Possibilities: An Early Learning and Child Care Curriculum Framework for Alberta Pilot Projects 2014-2017, MacEwan University . 

Our Publications

Culturally Responsive Practice at Intercultural Child and Family Centre

By Jasvinder Heran & Mary Lynne Matheson

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Bridging Between Cultural and Professional Practice in Diverse Early Childhood Settings

By Christine Massing & Mary Lynne Matheson

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Teaching and Learning with Immigrant Child Care Educators

By Carole Massing & Lorie Shortreed

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Functional Language Skills for Early Childhood Educators in English-Speaking Canada

By Virginia Sauve

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