In working with educators and student educators, authors ECPN Co-Directors Veronica Pacini-Ketchebaw and Kathleen Kummen often hear about struggles with language. Concepts such as pedagogy, colonialism, neoliberalism, and common worlds are terms used in the BC Early Childhood Pedagogy Network (ECPN) that are often met with hesitation. They are words that do not feel “natural” to many educators, yet we see them as vital to the project of early education. In this article, we want to open a conversation by arguing that reading difficult texts is worth the struggle.

This article introduces a special issue of the Early Childhood Educator that tells some stories about the work that took place in the last year within the Early Childhood Pedagogy Network (ECPN) and the First Nations Pedagogies Network (FNPN). To read the entire issue, become a member of the Early Childhood Educators of BC here: https://www.ecebc.ca/resources-merchandise/journal

This article provides a brief introduction to the BC Early Childhood Pedagogy Network (ECPN), funded through the Ministry of Children and Family Development (MCFD). It begins with an overview of how the ECPN reimagines professional learning, followed by a description of the pedagogist role.