Principal Investigator – Kimberly Squires
she/her
PhD, RECE, OCT
Contact: ksquires@uoguelph.ca
Kimberly Squires is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Family Relations and Applied Nutrition at the University of Guelph. She is a Registered Early Childhood Educator (RECE) and Ontario Certified Teacher (OCT) and has previously worked in both child care and school-based early childhood education and care (ECEC) settings. The majority of her teaching focuses on courses related to the Bachelor of Applied Science Child Studies program. Her research focuses on a variety of aspects of ECEC with a specific interest in outdoor and nature play and pre-service and in-service educator learning.
Graduate Students
Alanis Sanchez Nolte (she/her)
Alanis is pursuing a master’s degree in Family Relations and Human Development at the University of Guelph. Her focus is on exploring how structured play can impact children with neurodevelopment disorders, such as autism. Alanis aims to contribute to evidence-based practices in educational settings and to be a part of interdisciplinary teams in both research and community support settings.
Katie McPhee (she/her)
Katie is a first-year MSc student in the Family Relations and Human Development program at the University of Guelph where she has also completed her undergraduate degree in Psychology. During her undergraduate degree, she completed a co-op placement at the University of Guelph Child Care and Learning Centre and continued her employment there for a total of two years. With her experience working in early childhood education, she understands the significant impact of the learning environment on children’s overall wellbeing. She is particularly passionate about protecting and supporting children’s mental health in the classroom and exploring inclusive practices for children with disabilities and exceptionalities.