Young Children’s Citizenship Education in Canada: Background, Content and Values; Based on the Analysis of Early Learning Guidelines in Alberta, British Columbia and Nova Scotia

Citizenship education for young children has been growingly emphasized by western countries. With the influence of global policy discourses, curriculum reform in early childhood education and studies of young children’s citizenship, citizenship education has become a key aspect in Canadian early childhood curriculum. Based on recent studies, this research forms a theoretical framework for citizenship education, which covers four dimensions of citizenship (political education, social education, subjectivity education and civic practice education). The early learning frameworks in Alberta, British Columbia and Nova Scotia are analyzed through thematic analysis. In general, citizenship education for young children in these three provinces reveal the following features: emphasizing young children’s rights and responsibilities, and advocating young children’s subject positions as citizens; the traditional citizenship is being changed and young children’s participation is highlighted as the root of democracy; young children’s citizenship lies in multiple discursive fields with indigenous perspective emerging.