About Us > Staff & Faculty > Janette Pelletier
Janette Pelletier
Tel: (416) 934-4506
Email: janette.pelletier@utoronto.ca
Janette Pelletier, PhD, is the Director of the Dr. Eric Jackman Institute of Child Study.
My research interests are in the area of early child development and education. A current longitudinal research project is examining the implementation and impact of Full-Day Early Learning Kindergarten in collaboration with the Region of Peel, the Peel District and the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Boards. This work builds on research in Toronto First Duty and Peel Best Start which describe the design, implementation and evaluation of innovative integrated approaches to kindergarten, child care and parenting supports. Another major focus has been on parent involvement and its relation to children’s learning in kindergarten and primary classes, including a longitudinal study of Family Literacy programs. My research includes participants from a wide range of cultural and linguistic backgrounds, many of whom are recent immigrants to Canada. This research extends to other second language contexts such as early French immersion. A related area of research is young children’s literacy development and communication through writing and drawing.
Applied clinical interests
I am a former elementary classroom teacher in English and French immersion contexts and a former school psychologist. My research is carried out in and applies directly to kindergarten and primary classrooms. I am also engaged in program and policy research in the area of early learning and care.
Current research grants & contracts
2012-2013. SSHRC Partnership Proposal Development Grant (for successful Letter of Intent). Pedagogy and assessment for ELL and Aboriginal children’s early literacy and oral language development through play in Kindergarten classrooms. Stagg Peterson, S., Jang, E., & Pelletier, J. ($20,000).
2011-2014. National Science Foundation (Group grant led by Jianwei Zhang, SUNY Albany). Fostering collective progress in online discourse for sustained knowledge building ($550,000).
2011-2012. TVOntario. Evaluating the training effects of TVO Kids working memory computer games: A controlled, randomized study with children aged 6-9. Pelletier, J. & Hawes, Z. ($29,230)
2011-2012. OISE Proposal Development Fund (Support for development of SSHRC Partnership proposal). Pedagogy and assessment for ELL and Aboriginal children’s early literacy and oral language development through play in Kindergarten classrooms. Stagg Peterson, S., Jang, E., & Pelletier, J. ($10,000). 2011-2014.
SSHRC Standard Research Grant. Lasting effects of family literacy programs in early childhood. Pelletier, J. (PI) (103,285).
2010-2013. Region of Peel. Full-day early learning/kindergarten in Peel: A longitudinal comparison of full-day, half-day and Best Start sites. Pelletier, J. (PI) ($184,004)
2010-2014. SSHRC Standard Grant. Effects of emergent literacy programs. Girolametto, L., Weitzman, E., Pelletier, J. (Co-Applicant), & Greenberg, J.
2009-2011. TVOntario. Design and implementation of a TVO Family Literacy intervention for school readiness. J. Pelletier (PI).
2009-2013. SSHRC Standard Grant. Redesigning early childhood services through integrated service hubs in schools: Outcomes and scaling up of the Toronto First Duty model. Corter, C (PI), Pelletier, J. (Co-PI)
2009-2011. Atkinson Charitable Foundation. Toronto First Duty, Phase 3. Corter, C. (PI), Pelletier, J. (Co-PI)
2009-2010. OISE School/University Partnerships: Inquiry Into Practice Grant. “We all belong”: The effects of photograph books to enhance literacy development and social inclusion in early years classrooms. Pelletier, J. (PI), Morley, E. & Messina, R.
September 2008 – December 2010. Region of Peel. Best Start Peel Research and Evaluation. Pelletier, J. (PI).
March 2006-March 2010. SSHRC Standard Grant. Effects of within-class homogeneous ability grouping in early reading instruction. Hong, G. (PI), Pelletier, J. (Co-PI), Corter, C. (Co-PI) & Raudenbush, S. (Co-PI)
Representative publications
Pelletier, J. (2012). New directions in integrated early childhood services in school-as hub models: Lessons from Toronto First Duty and Peel Best Start. In N. Howe and L. Prochner (Eds.), New Directions in Early Childhood Care and Education in Canada, pp. 367-396. Toronto, ON: University of Toronto Press.
Hong, G., Corter, C., Hong, Y., & Pelletier, J. (2012). Differential effects of homogeneous grouping and literacy instruction time in kindergarten classrooms: Who will benefit? Who will suffer? Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 34(1), 69-88. (co-authors listed in alphabetical order) Journal homepage: DOI 10.3102/0162373711424206
Zhang, J., & Pelletier, J. (2012) (Eds.). Frontiers of Education in China, Special Issue on International Perspectives in Early Childhood Education. Beijing, China: Higher Education Press. (former student first author/editor. Seven papers were included in this special issue.)
Zhang, J., & Pelletier, J. (2012). Cultural differences: An international perspective on early childhood education. Frontiers of Education in China, Special Issue on International Perspectives in Early Childhood Education. Introduction to Special Issue, 1-4.
Pelletier, J., Hipfner-Boucher, K., & Doyle, A. (2011). The use of metacognitive language in story retell: The intersect between theory of mind and story comprehension. In A. Antonietti, E. Confalonieri, & A. Marchetti (Eds.), Metarepresentation and narrative in educational settings: A cultural framework for reflective thinking. Studies in honour of Olga Liverta-Sempio. Madrid, SP: Cambridge University Press.
Pelletier, J. (2011). Language and literacy development in early childhood classrooms. Ontario Literacy Numeracy Secretariat: What Works? Toronto, ON: LNS
Harper, S., Platt, A., & Pelletier, J. (2011). Unique effects of a family literacy program on the early reading development of English Language Learners. Early Education and Development, 22(6), 989-1008.
Pelletier, J. (2011). School-based family literacy intervention programs. Research for Teachers. Toronto, ON: Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario.
Arimura, T. N., Corter, C., Pelletier, J. Janmohamed, Z., Patel, S., Ioannone, P., & Mir, S. (2011). Schools as integrated hubs for young children and families: A Canadian experiment in community readiness: the Toronto First Duty project. In D. M. Laverick & M. Jalongo (Eds.), Transitions to Early Care and Education: International Perspectives on Making Schools Ready for Young Children. Springer International, 189-202.
Corter, C. & Pelletier, J. (2010). Schools as integrated service hubs for young children and families: Policy implications of the Toronto First Duty Project. International Journal of Child Care and Education Policy, 4(2), 1-17.
Harper, S. & Pelletier, J. (2010). Parent involvement in early childhood: a comparison of English language learners and English first language families. International Journal of Early Years Education, 18(2), 123-141.
Pelletier, J., Doyle, A., & Hipfner-Boucher, K. (2010). Family literacy in action: A guide for literacy Program facilitators. Toronto, ON: Scholastic Education.
Janmohamed, Z., & Pelletier, J. (2010). Implementing early learning programs in Ontario schools: Lessons from Toronto First Duty and Peel Best Start. Ontario Principals Council Register, June, 17-20. Toronto, Ontario.
Peel Projects
1) Full-Day Early Learning/Kindergarten. Building on my research on Peel Best Start, I am examining the implementation and impact of Ontario’s FDK program on staff teams, on parents and on children. This is a collaborative study with funding contributions from all partners. First year results, available on the Atkinson Centre website, show significant benefits for parents and children and describe ways in which staff teams of early childhood educators and kindergarten teachers are working together to create an integrated team and curriculum approach that includes parents. Second year data have been collected and are currently being analyzed. Results will also be made available through the Atkinson Centre.
2) Family Literacy. For many years, my research team and I have been developing, implementing and carrying out research on family literacy programs at schools in the Peel region. Some of the research has involved randomized control trials. In all cases, there have been demonstrated benefits to parents as evidenced by parent testimonials and by changes in home literacy practices. Likewise, significant benefits to children have been evidenced by greater gains in early literacy development for family literacy children than for a matched control group. We are currently engaged in a longitudinal follow-up study, funded by SSHRC, to see whether early benefits are maintained.