UPEI post-doctoral fellow awarded Mitacs Elevate Postdoctoral Fellowship

Dr. Ling Li, a post-doctoral fellow in the UPEI Faculty of Education, was awarded a Mitacs Elevate Postdoctoral Fellowship for a study to evaluate the “Pyramid to Retention: Supporting Educators to Enhance Social and Emotional Competencies in Infants and Young Children” in the early learning and child-care sector on PEI.

“The pyramid model is a US-originated framework which is well structured and research-based. It is like a roadmap for helping young children develop healthy social and emotional skills,” said Li, who is conducting the study under the supervision of Dr. Gabriela Arias de Sánchez, assistant professor of education at UPEI. “Think of it as a four-layer pyramid: At the bottom, we focus on building warm, nurturing relationships between educators and children. The next layer creates supportive learning environments. The third layer provides specific teaching strategies for social-emotional skills, and the top layer offers intensive, individualized support for children who need extra help.”

The model, in the PEI project, is currently used by participating early childhood educators, who work with infants and young children up to age five, she added.

Currently, 18 early childhood educators, from across the province, including both urban and rural areas, covering both English and French-speaking communities, are involved. A group of 10 educational coaches, mentors, and consultants are working with the educators during the project.

“We’ve seen major government investments in early learning and childcare,” she said, “and this project was one of those investments. It provided comprehensive training for early childhood educators in supporting children’s social and emotional development.”

Li said that the project will continue with funding from Mitacs.

“What makes our project unique is that we’re adapting an evidence-based model for PEI’s specific needs. PEI is one of the leading provinces in Canada with this innovative approach, and our experience could help guide other provinces.”

In partnership with the Early Childhood Development Association of PEI, the project will provide an innovative evidence-based professional development program that encompasses a comprehensive framework, consistent guidance, and practical strategies to enhance young children’s socio-emotional learning.

Specific goals include evaluating how effective the pyramid model is in PEI’s early learning settings and using the data to improve and facilitate the program’s progress; helping children develop strong social and emotional skills during their crucial early years; and supporting early childhood educators by providing them with effective tools and training.

“We're not just implementing the program,” said Li. “We’re carefully evaluating how it works in our local context and making adjustments to ensure that it best serves PEI’s children and educators. This makes our project a potential model for the rest of Canada.”

Early social and emotional skills are like building blocks for life, she said. When children learn these skills early on, they develop better self-awareness and regulation, form healthier relationships, perform better in school, and have better mental health outcomes later in life.

The project recognizes and builds upon the existing strengths of PEI’s early childhood educators, who are doing remarkable work in supporting children’s development, she said, and it helps to retain them, strengthening the Island’s early years system by developing evidence-based, locally adapted approaches.

This study has been supported by the Early Childhood Development Association of PEI from the beginning and, more recently, by Mitacs through the prestigious Mitacs Elevate Postdoctoral Fellowship Program.

UPEI acknowledges the assistance of Canada’s tri-council of federal granting agencies—Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)—through its Research Support Fund, which helps fund services and infrastructure that support research activities at the University. In 2024–2025, UPEI’s RSF allocation is $1,041,691.