Kristin Early Childhood Education

01.Early Childhood Education

Kristin

RECE · Researcher · Curriculum Developer

I am an RECE, researcher, and aspiring professor with over ten years of community-based practice spanning direct care, supervision, curriculum development, and original research. I have spent my career working at the intersection of practice and education - supporting children and families, preparing the next generation of educators, and asking hard questions about how well we prepare them. I believe every educator who enters this field is a multiplier of safe, attuned relationships for children, and that contributing to their preparation is among the most meaningful work I can imagine. This portfolio is the evidence of that commitment.

Portrait of Kristin

Current affiliations

Jean Tweed Centre for Women and Their Families — Toronto, Ontario College of Early Childhood Educators — Member in Good Standing Honours Bachelor of Early Childhood Leadership, Sheridan College, 2026

02.Research Interests

Where my work lives

My research sits at the intersection of curriculum theory, educator development, and Scholarship of Teaching and Learning — always with an eye toward equity, community, and the everyday practice of early childhood educators.

01

Play-Based Pedagogy

Postdevelopmental and critical perspectives on child-led play in diverse urban ECE settings.

02

Educator Identity

How ECE practitioners develop professional voice and negotiate identity across preparation, practicum, and practice.

03

Scholarship of Teaching & Learning

Using pedagogical documentation as an SoTL methodology; connecting ECE practitioner knowledge to higher education research.

04

Curriculum Design

Emergent, place-responsive curriculum that honors children's questions, community knowledge, and multiple ways of knowing.

05

Equity & Anti-Bias Practice

Centering anti-racist, anti-oppressive frameworks in ECE preparation and in early childhood settings.

06

Community Partnership

Reciprocal relationships between post-secondary programs and early childhood communities as sites of mutual learning.

03.Recent Publications

Selected scholarship

  • other 2021

    Trauma-Informed Practice Workbook: For Anyone Dedicated to the Wellbeing of Children

    Tasha Palmer-Kerr, RECE, Eilish Medland, RECE, Kristin MacDonald, RECE, Kathryn Leroux, RECE, Samantha Leite, RECE, Nitali Tagger, MPH, Nicole Nosworthy, PhD, David Phillips, MSW · Jean Tweed Centre for Women and Their Families

All publications →

05.Teaching Philosophy

"I believe that early childhood educators are intellectuals — and that teacher education should honour, challenge, and expand that intellectual life."
Read my teaching philosophy

06.Contact

Let's connect

I welcome conversations about research collaboration, teaching partnerships, or opportunities in early childhood education.

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