Beverly-Jean Daniel
Associate Professor
Department: School of Child & Youth Care
Office: SHE-624, Sally Horsfall Eaton Centre for Studies in Community Health
Phone: 416-979-5000 x553643
Email: bdaniel@torontomu.ca
Education: Honours BA (York University), MA (University of Toronto, Counselling Psychology), PhD (University of Toronto, Sociology and Equity Studies in Education), Graduate Certificate (University of Toronto, Women & Gender Studies)
Discipline: Child & Youth Care
Areas of Expertise:
Anti-Black Racism
Anti-Oppression & Critical Anti-Racism Practices in Education
Post-Secondary Student Engagement & Retention
Race-Based Identity Development of Children & Youth
Social Justice & Equity in Education
Strength-Based Strategies for Supporting Racialized Youth
Research Interests
Black Females’ Experiences of Child Welfare and Foster Care Systems; Black Student Academic Success and Retention; Race, Identity, and Education; Race in Post-Secondary Contexts; Black Male Success and Identity Development; High-Achieving Black Students (HABS).
Dr. Beverly-Jean Daniel is Program Director and Associate Professor at Toronto Metropolitan University in the Child and Youth Care Program, with over 25 years of experience across a range of sectors, including education, justice, community-based, and not-for-profit organizations.
Her research focuses on the factors that foster positive & healthy racial identity development amongst Black youth; the role of practitioners in supporting children who have aged out of care, the role of anti-oppressive praxis for child and youth care practitioners working with marginalized children and their families; and exploring resilience amongst Black girls in care and those who have aged out of care. Dr. Daniel also researches Black student engagement and retention in post-secondary education, as well as the experiences of high-achieving Black students (HABS). Recently, her research has examined patterns of suicidality amongst Black youth and young adults.
In 2010, Dr. Daniel founded and developed the ground-breaking, strengths-based student support program called The Bridge, the first of its kind in any Canadian college or university. She continues to research Black student engagement and retention from pre-K to Ph.D.
She has published widely on race, racism, and equity in the education and justice systems in the Canadian context. She has completed an edited collection titled "Diversity, Justice and Community: The Canadian Context."
Scholarly Calling
My work is rooted in supporting the well-being, success, and full potential of Black youth and young adults. I explore how racism and systemic inequities shape educational experiences and mental health, and how culturally affirming, community-based supports can open pathways to belonging, safety, and possibility. Much of my research focuses on Black student success and suicide prevention, with close attention to how schools, post-secondary institutions, families, and communities can become places of care, connection, and hope.
My work has helped inform institutional policies, equity-focused programming, and community-based interventions aimed at improving educational access, mental health supports, and student outcomes for Black youth. I came to this work through lived and professional experiences that showed me how often Black brilliance is constrained by systems—not by ability or ambition. I am committed to research that is grounded in community and designed to make a real difference in people’s lives.
To Black students and emerging scholars: your story matters, your knowledge is powerful, and your presence helps reshape what these spaces can be.
Related Content
- Daniel, B.M. & Jean-Pierre, J. (2020). Re-imagining child and youth care practice with African Canadian youth. International Journal of Child, Youth and Family Studies. 4(2), 25-39.
- Daniel, B.M. & Escayg, K. (2019) "But, I don’t believe it’s about race’: Challenging fallacies of race and racism amongst early childhood educators in Ontario," Journal of Curriculum, Teaching, Learning and Leadership in Education: Vol. 4(2) 14-28.
- Escayg, K. & Daniel, B.M. (2019) "Introduction: Children, Race, and Racism: Global Perspectives," Journal of Curriculum, Teaching, Learning and Leadership in Education, 4(2).
- Daniel, B.M. (2018). Racism is a Thing! Re-examination of the Concepts of Care and Relational
- Practice in the Preparation of Child and Youth Care Practitioners. Relational Child and Youth Care Practice, 31(3), 31-42.
- 2019 Equity & Inclusion Fund (Faculty of Community Services) - The Bridge – Toronto Met Project - $5,000
- 2018 SEED Grant (Faculty of Community Services) – “What’s happening to our girls? Examining the experiences of Black girls who have aged out of care. $5,000
- 2018 Ontario Black Youth Action Plan – Post secondary Connector Program $69,000
- 2015 – present SSHRC Insight Grant – Co-Investigator with Toronto Metropolitan University – Can we talk about race? Exploring the experience of race and racism in Early Childhood Education settings - $35,000
Dr. Beverly-Jean Daniel has worked as a frontline therapist with youth and families who have experienced a range of personal challenges and various forms of violence. She has provided individual and group-based supports for survivors of sexual and domestic abuse and continues to offer integration and settlement supports for immigrant and refugee mothers in Etobicoke. Her direct service work has also included serving as a youth counsellor for youth identified as at risk in Toronto-area schools and as a counsellor on the adolescent ward of a mental health hospital in Maryland, U.S.A.
Dr. Daniel has worked in the areas of diversity training and cultural competence programming for over 15 years. She has supported school boards, organizational leaders, frontline staff, and for-profit organizations in strategically enhancing organizational environments and strengthening the knowledge and application of diversity-related policies. Additionally, she developed anti-Black racism curriculum and training materials for the City of Toronto’s Confronting Anti-Black Racism (CABR) Unit and continues to provide training and consultation for the City.
In 2010, she developed a strengths-based student support program called The Bridge, the first of its kind at any Canadian college or university. The program develops and implements a range of personal, academic, and career-related programming aimed at fostering and enhancing academic success in post-secondary institutions among students who self-identify as African, Black, and Caribbean. With a significant research component, the program has supported students in transitioning from college to university, increased program completion rates, and enhanced preparation for graduate studies.
For the latest updates, please visit the faculty page linked below.
Selected Media & Activities
Watch Dr. Beverly-Jean Daniel in conversation about racism & urban environmental stress hosted by the Canadian Caribbean Institute (CCI).
Dr. Beverly‑Jean Daniel discusses strategies and insights for effectively mentoring Black children and youth, the importance of culturally affirming support, and fostering positive development and well-being, as part of Mentor Canada's Visiting Expert series.
Dr. Beverly-Jean Daniel shares insights in her TEDxDownsviewWomen talk, “The Lessons We Forget to Teach Ourselves.”