Ella Karia Photo

Ella Karia, Ed.D.

Email: ella.karia@utoronto.ca
Associate Researcher

Dr. Ella Karia is an Associate Researcher with the Atkinson Centre for Society and Child Development and Postdoctoral Fellow at the Department of Applied Psychology and Human Development, OISE, University of Toronto. Her research interests are in Full Day Kindergarten (FDK) in Ontario examining pedagogical practices and parent participation. She is a Research Team Member for the Canadian Early Learning and Child Care Innovations Toolkit. With a strong commitment to student excellence and community collaboration, for the past decade, she continued to teach in the elementary public school board engaging learners and connecting with educators while staying involved in various educational research initiatives. She is currently involved with the Early Childhood Education Report (ECER) evaluating the quality of provincial early years services. Dr. Karia is an active workshop facilitator and presenter for the Child Development Resource Connection, and author of the book, Fostering Creativity. Over the past two years, she presented at the Annual Summer Institute on Early Childhood Development and engaged as a planning committee member sharing ideas for upcoming conferences. She graduated with her doctorate degree in 2014 and has since participated as an active Alumni Mentor, for over five years, in the OISE Mentorship Program supporting Masters and Doctoral students across various disciplines.

Publications

Karia, E (2020). Exploring Creativity: Splatter of Hope – Become Your Most Empowered Self. Bloomington, IN: iUniverse.

Akbari, E., Foster, D., Hernandez, M.H., Karia, E., McCuaig, K., Plamondon, A., & Soloway, A. (2019). Early Learning and Childcare Innovation ToolKit. Toronto, ON: Atkinson Centre for Society and Child Development, OISE/University of Toronto.

Karia, E., (2014). Fostering Creativity: The Full Day Kindergarten Classroom in Ontario – Learning Through Inquiry and Play and its Implications for Child Development. Bloomington, IN: iUniverse.

Karia, E. (2014). The Full Day Kindergarten Classroom in Ontario: Exploring Play-based Learning Approach and its Implications for Child Development. Toronto: OiSE/U of Toronto.

Presentations

Parents at Play. Life Long Conference – Child Development Resource Network. (October 2019).

Fostering Creativity – Inquiry-based and Play-based Learning. The Summer Institute on Child Development 2019: Accounting for Quality in the Early Childhood Workforce. (June 2019).

Classroom Engagement with Inquiry-Based Learning. Child Development Resource Network. (April 2019).

Parents as Partners in Play-based Learning, The Summer Institute on Child Development 2018: Equity, Access and Quality in Early Childhood Education and Care. (June, 2018).

Mindfulness, Educating for Peace and Justice Conference (EPJ). University of Toronto. (January, 2017).

Public School Board Resources

1) Research and Writing Team Member - Programming Practices in the Early Years – Kindergarten. Developed a resource for Kindergarten Teachers and Early Childhood Educators. An active Early Years Collaborative Team Member presenting at conferences and facilitating workshops for early years educators.

2) Research and Writing Team Member - Advancing Equity and Inclusion for Special Needs Children. (2017). Researched practices with various Ontario school boards and compiled a report and resource integrated innovations to support learners.