This section of the website concentrates on the phenomenon of young learners entering schools who have come from refugee backgrounds. Canada receives 30,000 refugees each year of which approximately 10% are young children. In this section, you will find ideas related to young refugees from pre-school to Grade 3, and suggestions for supportive school practices for both children and their families. You will also find tools and resources for supporting social and language development. Effective programming for young learners includes techniques associated with general Strategies for Young ELLs in addition to specific supportive school practices .
To consider these learners as having Limited Formal Schooling seems unusual since schooling has just begun for them and educational gaps are smaller. However, the circumstances of their migration and the situation of their families have a tremendous impact on their learning. Their forced migration means that they will not have had the kind of play experiences, social interactions and pre-literacy activities that prepare children for school. – The Links in the toolkit provide a number of resources to address these gaps and help children and their families to be more ready for school experiences.
