Implementing iPads in the Early Years – A Pilot Project for Educators in Niagara’s Licensed Child Care Programs

The ECCDC and Niagara Region Children’s Services are excited to be join forces to pilot the use of iPads with educators in thirty Niagara licensed child care programs. We were pleased to have Speech Services Niagara support the project through facilitating the selection of appropriate educational apps and offering training specific to using iPads in early years settings to enhance speech, language and emergent literacy. We were also thrilled to have Brock University’s involvement in coordinating the pilot research components and offering training workshops.

Here are some of the benefits to participating licensed child care programs:

• access to an additional tool to support inclusive practices and pedagogies
• a free iPad to keep for their program’s use beyond the project
• free training sessions: Introduction to Using iPads; Using iPads to Support Language and Literacy; and Advanced iPad Features
• opportunities to share strategies in using iPads through in person network and pilot project blog
• opportunity to engage in an innovative research study which measures the impact of iPads on educators’ practice and pedagogy and preschool children’s learning
• increased understanding of the role of technology in children’s learning
• enhanced technological competence

For more information, visit the Implementing iPads in the Early Years Project webpages on our Supporting Technology in the Early Years website.