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Full Day Early Learning Kindergarten Program Team: Perspectives from the Principal

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Abstract

The Full Day Early Learning Kindergarten (FDK) Program has expanded the role of the principal and has altered the teaching dynamics of the classroom with the introduction of an early years team. The early years team consists of a certified teacher with the Ontario College of Teachers and a registered early childhood educator from the College of Early Childhood Educators. The school principal is the third member of the early years team and is responsible for guiding and overseeing team collaboration and program delivery. The study explores how principals perceive their role and the role of the early years team in FDK. The lived experiences of the principals were investigated using semi-structured interviews and data were analyzed through Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis. Five themes emerged from the data: program awareness, role as a leader and learning partner, informal assessment and evaluation, navigating the roles of educators and building a team culture. The themes present a general conception of how principals identify their leadership role while providing evidence of their supportive nature of the program. Issues in building team relationships and in delineating the roles of the educators in the FDK program continue to be an area of concern.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Windsor, Windsor, ON, Canada

    Sara Shahbazi

  2. Faculty of Education and Academic Development, University of Windsor, Windsor, ON, Canada

    Geri Salinitri

Authors
  1. Sara Shahbazi
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  2. Geri Salinitri
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Correspondence to Sara Shahbazi.

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All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional research committee and/or national research and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Shahbazi, S., Salinitri, G. Full Day Early Learning Kindergarten Program Team: Perspectives from the Principal. Early Childhood Educ J 44, 681–691 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-015-0754-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-015-0754-x

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