Curriculum Framework

The New Brunswick Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (EECD) oversees curriculum for Early Childhood Education and Kindergarten to Grade 12 programs. Education acknowledges the input of New Brunswick educators, researchers, and community members. In terms of the vision, the Elders serving on the Wabanaki Education Council have provided ongoing guidance to help shape the curriculum framework with a holistic vision that respects the knowledge and views of the Wabanaki people. They have introduced concepts and images to emphasize the relationships between learning and the land and have emphasized the importance of developing the attitudes and dispositions for harmony with each other and nature. This guidance has been offered with the hope for a better education for all children and youth.

In the Early Learning Frameworks, children’s rights figure prominently, and childhood is recognized as an age in its own right.

The uniqueness of each child is implicitly integrated into the philosophy of early learning and childcare. Educators’ visions prioritize a resourceful, collaborative, and creative approach to providing for our youngest citizen’s full participation in the social and cultural life of their communities. Beliefs about children and childhood are constructed and interpreted through social, economic, and cultural lenses.

The vision for early learning and childcare is that all children will grow to their fullest potential with dignity, a sense of self-worth, and a zest for living and learning. It is a holistic vision that seeks to provide the environment and resources needed to support dynamic development in young children.

The Portrait of a Learner, created in consultation with many rights and stakeholders, informs the K–12 curricula. The focus of this curriculum is the development of self-determined and capable learners, who are strengthening their agency through their experiences. Education aims to provide experiences that honour early learning, informal learning, and community-based learning.

Educators are central to Early Learning and the K–12 curricula. They design the environment and instruction and work directly with learners. Educators are the cornerstone of a quality curriculum and are one of the most important resources in the learning experience. Their professionalism and collaborations with each other, and with learners, are critical to a culture of continuous learning. They teach, facilitate, and shape learners and they are models of lifelong learning. Education is a learning profession and the innovations and action research of educators are part of a world class system. Support networks for educators, including the communities they teach in, must hold them in the highest regard, so they can do their best for learners every day.