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Posted on The Conversation.

Excerpt: "Strong, focused and equitable policies to support children are needed now more than ever. Now that we have seen decades of consistent evidence of inequity and poverty, Canadian policy makers should not need to see another report. They need to take action. Canada’s children deserve better. They need federal efforts to rectify the obvious opportunity gaps. Canada’s track record leaves out too many: it needs to do better. Not tomorrow, today."

Excerpt: "Fair compensation and supported working conditions are a proven formula for incenting ECE graduates to return to the sector. For example, almost half of the 53,000 registered educators in Ontario’s College of ECEs do not work in licensed child care, largely because of low wages and poor working conditions. Nova Scotia has demonstrated it is possible to bring back and retain these skilled workers. When the province rolled out its universal pre-primary school program, 70% of the educator positions were filled by certified ECEs who returned to the profession. Many moved back to N.S. to work in the program. It is a striking example of how recruitment prospects really change when workers are paid commensurate to their training and skills."

The Atkinson Centre promotes research on child development, and the development of early learning policy and practice that serve young children and their families.

Najme Kishani Farahani, Angela Guerra-Sua, and Kathy Bickmore

Excerpt: "The program will be delivered through the already established Operating Grant Program. Regulated child care services that participate in the program are provided a grant to offset the reduced fees they charge families. That grant amount will be increased to allow them to reduce their fees further and charge just $25 a day."

An assistant professor in OISE’s Department of Applied Psychology and Human Development and the lead researcher on the study, concluded that there was a link between social isolation and worsening mental health among university students.

The Atkinson Centre promotes research on child development, and the development of early learning policy and practice that serve young children and their families.

Excerpt: "Today, the Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, Ahmed Hussen, announced $137 million in federal support for Quebec’s child care sector to help ensure that safe and sufficient child care spaces are available to support parents’ gradual return to work."

Excerpt: "The agreement allocates nearly $2.4 million in 2020-21 to Nunavut for early learning and child care investments. Nunavut’s priority areas of investment include supporting and maintaining access to affordable early learning and child care programs through operations funding, creating child care spaces in underserved communities, promoting training and professional development opportunities for early childhood educators, and developing teaching resources and programming materials in all of Nunavut’s official languages."

Professor Jim Slotta, from OISE’s Department of Curriculum, Teaching and Learning, is one of five University of Toronto recipients of the Connaught Global Challenge Award.

Carmen Geha and Rima Karami Akkary

Excerpt: "The government is acting based on feedback, outlined in the report, by: Supporting consistent quality programs in child care and early years settings by developing a provincial definition of "quality child care" that will provide parents and the child care sector with clear, consistent high-quality programming across the province; Creating more options for families and providers through increased choice in-home child care settings; Increasing access to before and after school programs by allowing authorized recreation programs to provide both before and after programs, rather than just one; Supporting workforce recruitment and retention; Clarifying program guidelines related to Special Needs Resourcing by working with other ministries to identify opportunities for providing health and rehabilitation services to children with medical needs in licensed child care, children's recreation programs and day camp programs; Supporting Indigenous-led and culturally relevant programming including examining current programs to promote better alignment with Indigenous history and culture; Reducing administrative burdens and addressing technical issues and gaps."