Funded Research

Who’s Counting?: Numeracy and Literacy and Literary Practices of Early Learning and Child Care

Report on findings

Jo-Anne LeFevre, Lisa Fast, and Carla Sowinski, Carleton University
Helena Osana, Concordia University
Sheri-Lynn Skwarchuk, University of Winnipeg
Natalia Manay Quian, Brock University

Executive Summary (PDF 117 KB)

Full Report (PDF 1.4 MB)

Description

Because children’s competency in mathematics before school entry is very predictive of their later performance, early experiences are critical in getting children off to a good start. This study aimed to gather information about the early numeracy and literacy knowledge, practices and beliefs of early learning and child care (ELCC) practitioners.

Challenge

ELCC practitioners may have little knowledge of what constitutes ‘early numeracy’ or of how to deliver numeracy content using developmentally appropriate practices. They reported attending early numeracy professional development less frequently than other learning activities and were less aware of the availability of early numeracy learning opportunities in comparison to professional development concerning literacy, social skills, or health and safety.

Findings

  • Based on ELCC practitioners' responses about the ages at which children become capable of early numeracy and literacy activities (e.g., count to 10, read a few words), the respondents clustered in two groups: one group indicated that children were capable of these skills at a younger age (on average, about a year earlier) than the second group.
  • Of all the respondents, 428 worked with preschoolers (i.e., children aged 3 and 4 years) and 156 worked with toddlers (i.e., aged 1 and 2 years). Across both groups, ELCC practitioners reported performing pre-reading and quantity activities less frequently than language and counting activities.
  • The majority of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that social and emotional development is the primary goal of early childhood education. However, the majority of respondents also believed that it is their job to teach children about letters, and they believed that numeracy and literacy skills should be assessed regularly.