Langara College has received a total of $2,671,771 in federal funding for the applied research project Innovating Virtual Reality in Inclusive and Anti-biased Early Learning and Child Care Training, funded through the Early Learning and Child Care Innovation Program. The announcement was made on April 18, 2023 by the Minister of International Development, Harjit S. Sajjan, on behalf of the Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, Karina Gould.
Inclusive Teaching for Diverse Classrooms
Principal investigator, Carolyn Wing, will collaborate with a committee of members from the Musqueam First Nation – brought together by Gail Sparrow – and the YMCA BC’s Early Years and Family Development Branch to research ways in which virtual reality and immersive learning can be used to provide early childhood educators with improved training on how to work respectfully and inclusively with Indigenous, racialized, and diverse children and families.
These new methods are aiming to improve training for early childhood educators. The early learning and childcare sector continues to evolve in increasingly complex and challenging environments. Identifying innovative practices and solutions that better address the essential needs of children and families is key to continuing to improve early learning and childcare services across Canada.