Final Version May 5 07

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Figure 1. The weather project.
Context.
At age 40, Layla has had a fairly linear journey as an early childhood educator.
On a course chosen early in life she has taken a direct route from college to employment
with some time taken to raise her own family. Her ease and self-assuredness point to
years of learning to teach. For the past ten of the twenty years since graduating from
college, Layla has been working at the same child care centre located within a public
school.
Surrounded by low to middle range housing and apartment complexes this is a
multi-ethnic community with many recent immigrants from Central Asia. The centre had
been established to provide non-profit child care to children from ages 30 months to
twelve years. At a time of declining enrolment, a classroom in the local school was
converted to accommodate a licensed child care program. In terms of auspice and
organizational structure, this centre has always been operated by a volunteer parent
board; considered a non-profit, community-based child care program.