New Durham College research supports children’s emotional development in the early years

Durham College (DC) has received nearly $360,000 in federal grant funding to lead a new research initiative that will support early childhood educators in helping preschool children build strong social and emotional skills during their most formative years.

The project – Transforming Early Years Education with Simulations: Building Teacher Efficacy to Support Children’s Social-Emotional Growth – is designed to develop conversational and immersive mixed-reality training simulations that allow educators to practice responding to real-life situations they encounter in early learning environments before they face them with children and families.

The initiative is led by Social Impact Hub Project Lead and faculty member in the Faculty of Social and Community Services, Corrine McCormick-Brighton, and brings together expertise from DC’s Mixed-Reality Capture (MRC) Studio and Ontario Tech University as well as community partners from the Regional Municipality of Durham Children’s Developmental and Behavioral Supports, Grandview Kids, and Simulation Canada. It is funded by the College and Community Social Innovation Fund through the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.

The project is rooted in local data showing ongoing challenges in children’s social and emotional well-being across the Durham Region. These early experiences, including how children manage emotions, focus attention and interact with others, play a significant role in shaping long-term academic success, health, and well-being. By focusing on early intervention, the project supports an in-demand workforce while helping educators feel more confident and prepared in their roles.

“Early childhood educators play a critical role in shaping children’s social and emotional development during some of the most important years of life,” said McCormick-Brighton. “By using mixed-reality simulations based on real early learning and child care classroom experiences, this project creates opportunities for educators to practice responding to complex situations in a safe and supportive environment. Our aim is to strengthen educator confidence and ultimately support better outcomes for young children.”

Developed with essential expertise from the MRC Studio, the simulations reflect real scenarios drawn from community experience and regional needs. Aligned with the MRC Studio’s commitment to exploring cutting-edge technologies and creating immersive applications that power education and training, the initiative demonstrates how extended reality can move learning beyond passive instruction to training through doing. Educators will engage in realistic scenarios that allow them to practice, reflect, and strengthen their approach in a safe, supportive environment.

“Simulation is designed to meet the training needs of a diverse range of users,” said Kelly Bradstock, Project Partner, Child Care and Early Years Division. “For newer educators or students, the simulation may offer more prompts and guidance to help users meet the learning objectives. For more experienced ECE’s, the simulation can provide more complex situations to provide a richer learning opportunity. With the right design, the learning experience is unique to each user.”

While the research is informed by local priorities, its impact is expected to extend beyond Durham Region. The project will help inform early childhood education programs at the college level and contribute insights that can be shared with early learning communities across Canada.

In keeping with DC’s Social Impact Hub’s mandate to advance community driven applied research, this project will strengthen social-emotional learning in the early years, fostering positive outcomes for children and families, while helping to build more resilient, inclusive, and supportive early learning environments.