AMSSA
Bridging Immigrants and Refugees with ECD Services: Partnership Research in the Development of an Effective Service Model: This study examines Early Childhood Development (ECD) practices in the region and was funded by the United Way of the Lower Mainland in order to develop culturally competent ECD services in the Tri-Cities. Researchers held focus groups with parents and with people who work in the field of early childhood education in the Tri-Cities. Parents told researchers that accessibility, inadequate English skills, discrimination by case workers, isolation from mainstream society and difficulty integrating are all barriers to enrolling children in ECD programs. The report makes recommendations for how to improve early childhood services.