Nancy van Groll

Nancy van Groll is involved in the field of early childhood studies as an early childhood educator, instructor, researcher, community organizer and advocate. Through her connections and experiences, she has developed a familiarity with the intricate tensions, strengths and areas of concern that characterize the landscape of ECEC systems in Canada.

Nancy holds a Master of Arts degree in Early Childhood Education from UBC and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Early Childhood Studies from The Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University). Her research interests include taking up post-humanist and feminist theory in early childhoods and attending to ethical matters of concern in settler colonial contexts. Her graduate thesis focused on child-place relationships in the context of an outdoor, forest-based preschool program. Throughout the research process, she experimented with the processes of pedagogical narration as research method and methodology.

Nancy serves as the British Columbia Director on the Board of the Canadian Association for Young Children (CAYC), and on the Executive of Canadian Association for Research in Early Childhood (CAREC). Through her work with children, families, communities and colleagues, she has generated a personal pedagogical philosophy that is oriented within a deep appreciation and responsiveness to place. She takes to heart the Calls to Action articulated within the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Final Report, viewing critical place-conscious pedagogies as essential pathways toward the decolonization of early childhood contexts and curriculum.