Providing quality training experiences for students who are preparing to become early childhood educators in the nineties presents many challenges to post secondary Early ChildhoodEducation Programs (ECE Programs) throughout Canada. Recent research studies indicate that if practical training events (field placements) are to ensure quality experiences for students, then it is crucial to provide the student's field placement supervisors with support and training on how to formally guide students. (Whitebook & Sakai, 1995)
This support and training ensures that the field placement supervisors are qualified and empowered to support and guide students during this critical time. Support and training of this nature has the potential to address many of the challenges that face ECE Programs in Canada. One form of support and training for field placement supervisors is mentoring.

Mentor programs include opportunities for experienced early childhood educators and students to reflect upon and analyze the field placement experiences and establish professional relationships. Mentor programs are a promising and innovative approach that has potential the enhance preservice ECE Programs. They present a unique way of understanding and meeting the needs of students (mentees) and experienced early childhood educators (mentors).

One of the most promising professional development approaches for the Early Childhood field is the creation of Early Childhood Mentoring Programs. These programs offer a model for on-the-job training and formal guidance and support that is often linked with improved quality child care, enhanced pre service training, and increased compensation. Wildman et al (1992) found that when excellent teachers work together to develop and implement quality mentoring programs like these, all participants benefit. they found that when mentoring programs were developed in a way that was unique to each individual setting, the mentoring relationships flourished.

Odell (1990) refers to a mentor as an older, more experienced person who is committed to helping a younger, less experienced person become prepared for all aspects of life. Whitebook, Hnatiuk and Bellm (1994) define an early childhood education mentor as one who is concerned not only with how children grow and learn, but in gaining skills to help other adults become more effective practitioners.

Mentoring: The People, the Practice, The Place:

A qualitative research study undertaken by Singleton (1997) explored the components that are necessary to include in a post secondary Early Childhood Education Program. The study, which took place at a provincial college in Newfoundland, examined the experiences of four early childhood educators ( mentors) and four early childhood education second year students ( mentees) in a variety of situations, ie. personal interviews, working with children and each other, conference, and journal writing.
The mentors planned formal mentoring opportunities for the mentees to reflect on their practical teaching experiences during field placement. these formal opportunities promotes professional, supportive and supervisory relationships between the mentors and mentees. As the research evolved, the mentors and mentees were empowered to develop meaningful mentoring relationships and become reflective thinkers. The findings of the research ( singleton, 1997) offer us insight to some important ingredients in the people, practice and places of mentoring programs.
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Mentoring: The People

An effective mentor for early childhood education preservice students is knowledgeable about~ the courses and content included in the students' Early Childhood Education program; young children's development and how they learn; their professional and personal responsibilities to a mentee; the professional, emotional and social benefits of mentoring. When mentors demonstrate strong communication skills and are friendly , honest, caring, sensitive and encouraging, they are most effective. Both mentors and mentees benefit from seminars prior to and during the mentoring experiences. These seminars cover the role of the mentor; benefits of mentoring; mentoring strategies and skills and reflective thinking.
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Mentoring: The Practice

Strategies:
Modeling and coaching are two effective mentoring strategies used by mentors to demonstrate and assist mentees as they plan and implement early childhood teaching practices.

Modeling provides the mentees with opportunities to observe new and/or appropriate teaching practices before they were expected to demonstrate them. Modeling is most meaningful when preceded or followed by mentor/mentee discussion of a specific teaching strategy or skill to be demonstrated.

Coaching is effective when used by the mentors to assist and instruct mentees to demonstrate meaningful teaching practices. It provides opportunities for the mentees to teach collaboratively with their mentors in a teaching/learning environment, as they become confident and competent at demonstrating teaching practices. Coaching is most effective when it occurs after the mentees have had many opportunities to observe their mentors modeling a variety of teaching practices and when it was preceded or followed by mentor/mentee discussion.

Mentees become more confident and competent implementing teaching practices after they had many opportunities to observe mentors modeling and coaching teaching practices.