Early Learning and Child Care in Canada [Early Childhood Development] - Non-Governmental Organizations -

Apprentissage et garde des jeunes enfants au Canada [Développement de la petite enfance] - Organismes non-gouvernementaux -

What's new from the
Childcare Resource and Research Unit (CRRU):

May 9, 2008

Why aren’t the day care children playing outside? Flip flops, mulch and no coat
9 May 08
- Article from Science Daily presenting new research on barriers to outdoor physical activities at child care centers.

Child care choices: A plan to support our families
9 May 08
- Child care investment plan released by the Alberta Government.

Developing positive identities: Diversity and young children
9 May 08
- Publication from the Bernard van Leer Foundation focusing on the formation of children’s identities in early childhood.

Consequences of corporatization and marketization of child care
9 May 08
- Webcast of Deborah Brennan’s presentation on Australia, policy, and the corporatization of child care during her two-week tour across Canada in April.

LHMU: Long day care parent survey
9 May 08
- Report from the Australian LHMU presenting the findings from a national survey on what parents want from long day care.

more WHAT'S NEW ONLINE »

child care in the news


· Empowered mothers change the world [CA-NB]
8 May 08

· Report slams child care [CA-BC] 7
May 08

· Conservative to head review of kindergarten [CA-PE]
7 May 08

· Provincial government increases day-care funding [CA-SK]
6 May 08

· Construction sites now have childcare centres [IN] 5 May 08

more CC IN THE NEWS »

Related Links:

Links to child care sites in Canada and elsewhere
CRRU Publications - briefing notes, factsheets, occasional papers and other publications
ISSUE files - theme pages, each filled with contextual information and links to further info

More CRRU content (this link takes you further down the page you're now reading)

Atkinson Centre for Society and Child Development

June 8, 2005
Study urges caution on Best Start strategy (Word file - 30K, 2 pages)
"TORONTO - Three education leaders who released a study last year advising the province to rethink its strategy for preschoolers are urging caution as Ontario finalizes it child care plans with the federal government. Early Learning and Care in the City: Update 2005 warns that new federal funding for Ontario must be accompanied by a stronger policy framework than is now outlined in the province's Best Start Plan."
Study update:
Early Learning and Care in the City Update - June 2005

Original study:
Early Learning and Care in the City:
A New Blueprint for Ontario (PDF file - 326K, 30 pages)
September 2004
Michael Cooke, Daniel Keating & Marjorie McColm
The Centre of Early Childhood Development, George Brown College and
Atkinson Centre for Society and Child Development, Ontario Institute of Studies in Education/ University of Toronto

Highlights of the original study (PDF file - 147K, 4 pages)

-----------------------------------------

New study urges Ontario to act quickly on preschool strategy
September 2, 2004
"TORONTO, ON – A new study urges the Ontario government to revamp its policies for children 0-5 years and their families as the federal government boosts its early years funding to Ontario by up to $1 billion in the next five years. Education leaders at George Brown College and OISE/UT authored the study, Early Learning and Care in the City, which recommends ways to achieve a more effective, accountable system. Its goal is to better respond to the needs of today’s families and provide early learning and care to every child in the province."
Source:
Media Release (PDF file - 21K, 2 pages)

Complete report:
Early Learning and Care in the City : A New Blueprint for Ontario (PDF file - 326K, 30 pages)
September 2004
by Michael Cooke, Daniel Keating & Marjorie McColm
Questions and Answers about the study (PDF file - 147K, 4 pages)

Source:
Atkinson Centre for Society and Child Development
"The Atkinson Centre for Society & Child Development supports Dr. Daniel Keating, the Atkinson Charitable Foundation Chair for Early Child Development and Education. ACSCD and the Chair want to build a network for research activities, scientific understanding, practical knowledge and societal and community support
[ Ontario Institute for Studies in Education of the University of Toronto (OISE/UT) ]
Centre for Early Childhood Development at George Brown College

Beverley Smith's Page
In May 1997 a Canadian homemaker, Beverley Smith, laid an official complaint at the United Nations that Canada discriminates against homemakers in its tax, divorce and childcare laws and in Statistics Canada studies.
"Beverley Smith is a long-time researcher and activist promoting equality for all roles for men and women, paid and unpaid, and for the state to value the family side of the career family balance. (...) working to get a fairer tax climate to all kids, and all ways to raise them, addressing child poverty in a way that shows no favoritism for lifestyle or career choice"

Caledon Institute of Social Policy

More Than a Name Change: The Universal Child Care Benefit (PDF file - 69K, 10 pages)
Ken Battle, Sherri Torjman and Michael Mendelson
May 2006
The federal government’s new Universal Child Care Benefit (UCCB) - formerly known as the Choice in Child Care Allowance - contains two serious flaws. First, the UCCB will be taxable in the hands of the lower-earner parent in the case of couples or the parent in one-parent families. As a result, different types of family with the same income will pay different amounts of federal and provincial/territorial income taxes on their $1,200 annual payment and so will receive different after-tax benefits. Single-parent families typically will end up with the smallest after-tax benefits from the new program. Second, to help pay for the new scheme, the Canada Child Tax Benefit’s $249 annual young child care supplement - used mainly by low- and modest-income families - will be axed. The resulting distribution of net benefits (i.e., after the loss of the young child supplement and income tax increases) will be irrational, confusing and unfair. No family will end up with $1,200. The largest net benefit - $971 - will go to upper-income one-earner couples, while those on welfare will get $20 less. Working poor families will get less than those on welfare, so the Universal Child Care Benefit will raise the welfare wall. The paper compares the UCCB with Caledon’s proposal to deliver the $1,200 through the Canada Child Tax Benefit, and finds the latter option superior on a range of criteria.

Related Links:

The Incredible Shrinking $1,200 Child Care Allowance: How to Fix It (PDF file - 121K, 26 pages)
Ken Battle, April 2006
As proposed to date, the new $1,200 Child Care Allowance will be a flawed scheme creating deep inequities. Working poor and modest-income families will end up with low net benefits, and one-earner couples will get more than single parents and two-earner couples. For example, an Ontario two-earner couple with net family income of $30,000 would end up with just $199, while a $200,000 one-earner couple would get a net benefit of $1,076. The paper explores several options to fix the flaws in the Child Care Allowance. First, Ottawa should not go ahead with its plan to eliminate the $249 young child supplement, which is part of the Canada Child Tax Benefit. Second, the Allowance could be exempt from the calculation of net family income. Third, it could be designed as a universal non-taxable benefit. Fourth, it could be delivered through the existing Canada Child Tax Benefit. Caledon favours the first and fourth of these options.

Finding Common Ground on Child Care (PDF file - 15K, 3 pages)
Ken Battle, Sherri Torjman and Michael Mendelson
February 2006
The proposed $1,200 Choice in Child Care Allowance is a stealth program that will in fact deliver smaller benefits than advertised. Caledon proposes that the federal government instead deliver the $1,200 through the tried and true Canada Child Tax Benefit.

The Choice in Child Care Allowance:
What you See Is Not What You Get (PDF file - 63K, 7 pages)
Ken Battle
January 2006

Architecture for National Child Care
Ken Battle and Sherri Torjman
November 2002
The case for investing in high quality child care is compelling and unequivocal. The current challenge is to develop an architecture that will help guide the construction of a Canadian child care system open to all families that want to use it. This paper discusses four possible implementation mechanisms: a codicil to the Early Childhood Development Agreement, a new national child care strategy, bilateral agreements on child care and federal-municipal agreements on child care. These implementation mechanisms were developed in collaboration with the National Liberal Caucus Social Policy Committee, Chair, John Godfrey, MP.

A Proposed Model Framework for Early Childhood Development Services Within the National Children's Agenda (Abstract)
Ken Battle and Sherri Torjman
September 2000
Complete report (PDF file, 7 pages, 31K)

Issue Papers on Child Care Policy and Programs in Canada

Diversity or Disparity?
Early Childhood Education and Care in Canada (ECEC)
Second Report, Community Indicators Project
October 2003

For the first time, the number of child care spaces declines in Canada
News Alert
October 28, 2003
Release of Diversity or Disparity? Early Childhood Education and Care in Canada (ECEC), Second Report, Community Indicators Project
"...cuts to child care budgets in the three richest provinces - British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario - resulted in an overall loss of spaces"

Media Kit: contains media release, Q&A. (PDF file - 178K, 3 pages)
Full Report - HTML (NOTE: the table of contents is in the left-hand margin of the report page)
Full Report - PDF - 288K, 16 pages

About the Community Indicators project
Project reports - links to HTML and PDF versions of this year's report and last year's (released in October 2002), as well as French versions of reports for both years

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Multilateral Agreement of Early Learning and Care :
An Open Letter to John Manley, Finance Minister of Canada
cc. • The Right Honourable Jean Chrétien, Prime Minister of Canada
cc. • The Honourable Jane Stewart, Minister of Human Resources Development Canada
May 22, 2003
- endorsed by over 50 local, provincial/territorial and national family and children's groups, from the Association of Early Childhood Educators of Newfoundland and Labrador to YWCA Vancouver
- supportive of the new prominence of child care in the federal budget and of the Multilateral Agreement of Early Learning and Care, but critical of the lack of financial commitment of the federal government over the next five years.
"... it is useful to reflect on the fact that the anticipated fifth year transfer to provinces/ territories of $350 million is approximately what your government was spending for child care through the Canada Assistance Plan when it was abolished in 1996 ($320 million in 1996 dollars) (...) The $25 million in the first year and $75 million in the second year scarcely reflect the importance of child care both for early learning and support for parents as highlighted in the Throne Speech and budget."
Source : Campaign 2000

Campaign 2000 Critique of the 2003 federal budget:
Deferred Investments Leave Children Behind (Feb. 19/03)
Budget 2003 - Child Poverty Backgrounder (Feb. 12/03)

Diversity or Disparity? Early Childhood Education and Care in Canada (ECEC)
ECEC Community Indicators Project Report
October 2002
Complete report (HTML)
Complete report (PDF file - 145K, 8 pages)
Additional references (PDF file - 33K, 1 page)

The Early Childhood Development Initiative: A Vision for Early Childhood Development Services in Ontario
April 9, 2001
PDF file - 10 pages, 229KB
This Ontario Campaign 2000 paper developed in consultation with representatives from: Campaign 2000, Ontario Coalition for Better Child Care, Ontario Association of Family Resource Programs, Toronto Public Health, Metro Association of Family Resource Programs and Toronto Coalition for Better Child Care.

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation - CBC

Day Care in Canada - CBC News Indepth
February 24, 2006
It was first proposed in 1970 – a program that would provide affordable day care across the country. It was promised when Brian Mulroney and the Conservatives swept to power in 1984. And again four years later. By the time Jean Chrétien's Liberals did some political sweeping of their own in 1993, promises of a national day-care strategy had fallen victim to the realities of a government wallowing in debt. With budgetary knives sharpened and drawn, day care would have to wait..."
- be sure to check out the links down the right side of the page for interesting info* on day care and for links to five reports (under "External Links").
*for example:
Day care: cost to parents (Feb/05) - median cost per month to parents for full-time centre-based child care (and these have gone up since Feb/05 when the analysis was done.)
- according to the table, the median paid for full-time day care of a preschooler 3-5 yrs of age in Ontario is $541 - almost five-and-a-half times the amount of the Conservative Child Care Allowance.
Source:
CBC News Indepth
[ CBC.CA ]

Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives-BC

Making Early Childhood Development a Priority: Lessons from Vancouver
May 2004
By Clyde Hertzman
"Canadians have become increasingly aware of the benefits of early childhood development. Traditional voices demanding increased access to child care and the prevention of childhood poverty were joined by those who, from a scientific perspective, recognized that the experiences of early childhood can have a profound impact on health, well-being, and coping skills across the entire life course. Governments too have recognized the value of funding these programs, and have implemented agreements that have brought modest levels of federal-provincial transfer payments. While this is a good start, it is only a start. Funding for children from birth to age 5 remains only a fraction of that spent on children in the K-12 system, despite mounting evidence that programs and services are needed earlier. This paper draws on findings from the National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth, which suggests that as many as one-quarter of Canada's young children may be developmentally vulnerable at school entry. It also summarizes findings of a Vancouver initiative, the Early Development Instrument, which measured readiness for school across Vancouver's 23 neighbourhoods."
(Excerpt from the summary)

Complete report (PDF file - 564K, 13 pages)

Canadian Child Care Federation
Our mission is to improve the quality of child care services for all Canadians
"Founded in 1987, the Canadian Child Care Federation (CCCF) is a national non-profit organization whose mission is to improve the quality of child care services for Canadian children and families. CCCF includes 16 regional affiliate organizations, independent members and other partner national organizations. The CCCF uses a variety of techniques to communicate amongst its members and to the larger child care community. "
- incl. links to : Affiliates - About Us - Membership - Practice - Press Room - Projects - Publications - Search

Canadian Council on Social Development

Child Care for a Change!Shaping the 21st Century
Childcare & Early Learning Conference
November 12-14, 2004
Winnipeg Convention Centre
"The Canadian Council on Social Development (CCSD) is the host of the conference “Child Care For A Change! Shaping the 21st Century." The conference will take place at the Winnipeg Convention Centre, in Winnipeg, from November 12th to 14th, 2004. This exciting pan-Canadian conference will feature inspiring speakers such as UN Special Envoy Stephen Lewis and Quebec Education Critic Pauline Marois. It will provide ample time for a rich dialogue and debate during sessions like the special Town Hall Meeting on Child Care. It is expected that the ideas generated from the conference will influence public policy and public perception about early learning and child care and help set the agenda for the next decade."
General Info - Program (incl. list of 15 workshops)- Speakers - Papers - Registration - Accommodation

----------------------------------------------------------------

Perception Magazine (November 4, 2004)
"A double issue of CCSD's magazine, Perception, was just published. This is a special theme edition, focusing on child care and early learning.
Four articles are available online to the general public.

Child Care for a Change (by Marcel Lauzière)
Fast Facts on Child Care in Canada
Count business in... (by Charley Coffey)
Saying Yes to Inclusion

CCSD commissioned three papers to enhance and promote discussion at the Child Care For A Change conference (Nov. 12/04, Winnipeg).

Financing Early Learning and Child Care in Canada (PDF file - 121K, 10 pages)
by Gordon Cleveland and Michael Krashinsky

Early Child Learning and Care in Canada: Who Rules? Who Should Rule? (PDF file - 137K, 17 pages)
by Rianne Mahon

Who Benefits from Educational and Child Care Services and What Purpose do they Serve? (PDF file - 124K, 14 pages)
by Jocelyne Tougas

Canadian Feminist Alliance for International Action (FAFIA)

Child care

BuildChildCare.ca
"Public Child Care --- Build it Right, From the Start"
- incl. links to : Action centre * Spread the word * Join the network * Background * Downloads * Links * Contacts

www.buildchildcare.ca pushes ministers to get the new system right
News Release
December 21, 2004
"OTTAWA – A new online action centre is upping the pressure on Social Development Minister Ken Dryden to lay the best groundwork for a new child care system. Visitors to www.buildchildcare.ca will be able to send a message to Dryden, their provincial minister responsible for child care and other decision-makers. The site, run by the Canadian Union of Public Employees, joins other advocacy campaigns promoting the four building blocks of quality child care. 'This online campaign will add new voices to the call for Minister Dryden to make sure that Canada’s new child care system is publicly funded and publicly delivered,' said CUPE National President Paul Moist."

BuildChildCare.ca Links:

Child Care Advocacy Association of Canada
Childcare Resource and Research Unit
Child Care Human Resources Sector Council
Ontario Coalition for Better Childcare
Coalition of Child Care Advocates of British Columbia

Child care: public program or big box boondoggle?
November 12, 2004
"OTTAWA – Social Development Minister Ken Dryden must make Canada’s new child care system public and not-for-profit or he will run the eventual risk of trade challenges, warns a legal opinion commissioned by the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE). 'The trade implications make it imperative that our long-awaited child care program be public from the beginning,'said CUPE National President Paul Moist. 'The faster we make child care a public program, the better protected we will be from trade challenges by massive US big box chains like Kindercare.'"

From patchwork to excellence in child care
November 2, 2004
"OTTAWA – Canada will go from patchwork to excellence if all levels of government work together to create the public, not-for-profit child care system that Canadians deserve and need, said Paul Moist, CUPE national president. Moist made the remarks as he joined with child care workers, parents and children to greet Minister Dryden Tuesday morning as Dryden began his day-long meeting with provincial social development ministers to discuss the child care program."
- incl. links to the following related articles:
* Wages for child care workers: the link with quality
* URGENT: Tell Ken Dryden to make child care history
* CUPE’s analysis of the federal speech from the throne
* CUPE blasts throne speech as blueprint for weak federalism
* Rapid response wins reprieve for BC college child care centre

Child Care Advocacy Association of Canada
"The Child Care Advocacy Association of Canada (CCAAC) arose from the second Canadian conference on Child Care held in Winnipeg in 1982. Over 700 delegates from all Provinces and Territories called for an effective voice to pursue child care issues at the federal level and to promote a broad consensus of support within all regions of Canada. We are an incorporated, non-profit, bilingual Association."

What's New at the CCACC - links to a large collection of recent reports, alerts, and articles on child care in Canada

Sample content:

Making the Connections: Using Public Reporting
to Track the Progress on Child Care Services in Canada
November 16, 2007
* Full Report (PDF file - 559K, 67 pages)
* Executive Summary (PDF file - 49K, 3 pages)
"(...) Our project findings show that few governments have clear public reporting that allows the public to easily track progress throughout the required reporting period (2000/01 through 2005/06). None meet all of the performance and reporting requirements outlined in the FPT Agreements. (...) [Therefore] in order to promote clear public reporting that supports the public in tracking the ongoing progress in child care services, we have one overarching recommendation: FPT governments should expedite the implementation of key public performance reporting guidelines"

NOTE Clicking on the title of the report opens a page that includes links to the complete study and executive summary, to the individual sections of the report and its two appendices, and to information about child care expenditures in each province and territory and by the Government of Canada.

A guide to the Conservative government’s child care doublespeak (PDF file - 58K, 4 pages)
June 15, 2006
The Conservatives claim child care is one of their priorities, but everything they’ve said and done indicates they don’t believe in quality early learning and child care. Words such as 'choice', 'universal' and 'institutional' take on peculiar meanings when Stephen Harper and his ministers use them. It’s time to deconstruct the Conservative spin on child care..."
Source:
Child Care Advocacy Association of Canada
Found on the website of the
Canadian Union of Public Employees

Open Letter to Honourable Ken Dryden and the Provincial and Territorial Ministers Responsible for Child Care /
Lettre ouverte à l’honorable Ken Dryden et aux ministres provinciaux et territoriaux responsables des services de garde à l’enfance
October 27, 2004

Provincial budgets 2004-2005 and Child Care
April 2, 2004
- brief analysis of child care components of each provincial-territorial budget for 2004-2005

Early Learning and Child Care - Federal Funding in accordance with the Multilateral Framework (Budget 2003/04)
- $ allocations by province/territory for each of the five years of funding starting in 2003-2004

Child Care Coalition of Manitoba
"The Child Care Coalition of Manitoba (est. 1993) is a broadly-based and unincorporated coalition of groups and individuals. The Coalition currently has nearly 50 group memberships. Our members include parents, the labour movement, women's groups, the childcare community, educators and researchers and organizations committed to social justice, among others."

Child Care Human Resources Sector Council

Working conditions key to success of Ottawa’s child care plan
Media Release
November 9, 2004
"Wages and working conditions are so poor in many licensed child care settings that staff are taking their child development expertise elsewhere. Staff turnover has long plagued the child care sector but a new study released today by the Child Care Human Resources Sector Council, says the situation has never been worse."

Working for Change:
Canada’s Child Care Workforce
By Jane Beach, Jane Bertrand, Barry Forer,
Donna Michal and Jocelyne Tougas
Complete report (PDF file - 3MB, 185 pages)
"provides an in-depth profile of the workforce, the environment and context in which they work, and the challenges they face."

Executive Summary (PDF file - 704K, 20 pages)

Profiles and Case Studies (PDF file - 1MB, 77 pages)
"tells the story of 20 individuals working in various sectors and capacities in early childhood education, and examines the roles played by Toronto and Vancouver in supporting regulated child care."

Literature Review (PDf file - 794K, 89 pages)
"identifies the key themes and issues relevant to the child care labour market contained in research and reports produced since 1998."

["The Child Care Human Resources Sector Council is a pan-Canadian, non-profit organization dedicated to moving forward on the human resource issues in child care. We bring together national partners and other sector representatives develop a confident, skilled and respected workforce valued for its contribution to early childhood care and education."]

Childcare Resource and Research Unit (CRRU)
"The Childcare Resource and Research Unit (CRRU) focuses on research and policy resources in the context of a high quality system of early childhood education and child care in Canada.."

Child Care in the News - hundreds of media articles from January 2000 to the present

Links to child care sites in Canada and elsewhere- links (provincial/territorial, federal/national, and international) organized under the following headings: - Government - Child care organizations - Social policy/child organizations - Research centres - Clearinghouses - Periodicals

CRRU Publications - links to ~60 briefing notes, factsheets, occasional papers and other publications

---------------------------------------

What's New from the Childcare Resource and Research Unit:
Each week, the Childcare Resource and Research Unit disseminates its "e-mail news notifier", an e-mail message with a dozen or so links to new reports, studies and child care in the news (media articles) by the CRRU or another organization in the field of early childhood education and care (ECEC). What you see below is content from recent issues of the notifier.

May 2, 2008

Family choices: Manitoba’s five-year agenda for early learning and child care
2 May 08
- Agenda from the province of Manitoba outlining their plan of action for the maintenance and improvement of early learning and child care in the province.

Vulnerable children in Canada: Research insights and policy options
2 May 08
- Presentations from the IRPP symposium on April 11, 2008 that focused on child vulnerability in the Canadian context.

Lessons from Sweden
2 May 08
- Document from CCPA describing the social programs in Sweden that provide the foundation for their superior economic indicators.

Improving quality, enhancing inclusion
2 May 08
- Evaluation report from Special Link describing the first four years of an innovative approach targeted at enhancing child care centres' inclusion capacity and quality.

Preschool programs: Effective curricula
2 May 08
- Document from Columbia University identifying components of effective preschool curricula.

more WHAT'S NEW ONLINE »

child care in the news

· Childcare design guidelines dropped [CA-BC]
2 May 08

· The benefits of early learning [CA-ON]
2 May 08

· Almost 900,000 Canadian children living in poverty, StatsCan finds [CA-ON]
1 May 08

· Daycare attendance early in life cuts childhood leukemia risk by 30 percent, analysis finds [US]
28 Apr 08

· Child-care crunch puts parents in bind [CA-AB]
26 Apr 08

more CC IN THE NEWS

April 25, 2008

A global history of early childhood education and care
25 Apr 08
- Background paper prepared for the EFA Global Monitoring Report 2007 examining the history of developments in ECEC around the world.

Stats and Facts: A profile of the labour market in Canada
25 Apr 08
- Stats and Facts from the Canadian Council on Social Development presenting national data on family demographics, child care, and labour force participation.

Blueprint for early childhood development and school reform
25 Apr 08
- Discussion paper from the Victorian Government (AU), outlining the proposed priorities and actions for the integration of early childhood services and schools.

Implementing policies to reduce the likelihood of preschool expulsion
25 Apr 08
- Policy brief from the Yale Child Study Center examining factors associated with prekindergarten expulsions in the United States.

Little Britons: Financing childcare choice
25 Apr 08
- Report from Policy Exchange UK recommending a demand rather than supply side method of financial assistance to increase parental preferences for child care.

child care in the news

· Childcare windfall for dual-income families [AU]
26 Apr 08

· Kiddie credits [CA-ON]
24 Apr 08

· Childcare subsidies face shake-up [NL]
23 Apr 08

· Options studied for kindergarten [CA-ON]
23 Apr 08

· ABC sells US centres, expects loss [AU]
22 Apr 08

April 18, 2008

Foreign investment in child care sector: Canada’s international trade obligations
18 Apr 08
- Legal opinion prepared for CUPE assessing the potential impact of Canada’s international trade obligations on provincial policy and law related to child care services.

Disparities in California’s child care subsidy system: A look at teacher education, stability and diversity
18 Apr 08
- Report from the Center for the Study of Child Care Employment comparing staff characteristics of voucher vs subsidy systems in California.

Next steps for federal child care policy (U.S.)
18 Apr 08
- Report from The Future of Children discussing current federal policies and reformations to increase the accessibility of quality child care for low-income families in the US.

Ladders of learning: Fighting fade-out by advancing PK-3 alignment
18 Apr 08
- Report from the New America Foundation discussing the importance of having strong well aligned programs beginning in pre-k extending through grade 3.

Child care statistics 2007
18 Apr 08
- Revised version of report, as of April 18, 2008, is now available online.

child care in the news

· Plant the seeds: Education youngsters could become literate, learn second language at junior kindergarten [CA-NB]
18 Apr 08

· PM’s 2020 pledge for every child [AU]
16 Apr 08

· One of these states is not like the others… [US]
15 Apr 08

· Luring immigrants not enough [CA-NB]
14 Apr 08

· Women paying to go to work [AU] 13 Apr 08

---------------------------------------

April 11, 2008

Child care space statistics 2007
11 Apr 08
This report presents provincial/territorial data on the number and breakdown of spaces in regulated child care as of March 31, 2007. It updates the Childcare Resource and Research Unit's most recent edition of Early Childhood Education and Care in Canada (2006) which presented Canadian child care data as of March 31, 2006.

Hand in hand: Improving the links between ECEC and schools in OECD countries
11 Apr 08
- Paper prepared for The Institute for Child and Family Policy at Columbia University exploring the efforts in OECD countries to link ECEC and schools.

Full-day kindergarten and student literacy growth: Does a lengthened school day make a difference?
11 Apr 08
- Report from Early Childhood Research Quarterly examining literacy outcomes for economically disadvantaged students in full-day versus half-day programs.

Who is ahead and who is behind? Gaps in school readiness and student achievement in the early grades for California’s children
11 Apr 08
- Report from RAND examining achievement gaps for children in California and the potential of high-quality preschool programs to reduce the differences.

Exploring recruitment and retention issues for BC’s community social sector employees
11 Apr 08
- Report from SPARC BC examining the evidence, impacts, and ways of improving recruitment and retention in the community social service sector in BC.

child care in the news

· Growth of new child-care spaces stunted after Tories took power: report [CA-ON]
10 Apr 08

· More money for early education [CA-SK]
10 Apr 08

· Primary watch: Ignoring early education [US]
8 Apr 08

· Bringing in baby [UK]
8 Apr 08

· Canadian early childhood educators get life-changing experience in Jamaica [JM]
6 Apr 08

· Protestors rally against uncontrolled nurseries in Spain [ES]
4 Apr 08

--------------------------------------------

April 4, 2008

New CRRU Issue File:
What do mealtimes and food mean in early childhood programs?
4 Apr 08
- Issue File from CRRU that focuses on food polices and the significance of mealtime practices in child care programs.

Diversity and equality guidelines for childcare providers
4 Apr 08
- Document from the Department of Health and Children, Ireland, that seeks to raise awareness of all diversity in the early childhood and education sector.

For love or money: Pay, progression and professionalisation in the ‘early years’ workforce
4 Apr 08
- Report from the Institute for Public Policy Research highlights the perpetuation of low pay and poorly qualified practitioners in the UK early years workforce.

The need to improve: Canadian child care
4 Apr 08
- Article in Canadian Family magazine discussing Canada’s ‘patchwork’ child care system and the need for a universal plan.

Government departments change to reflect island priorities
4 Apr 08
- Press release from the Premier’s office in PEI announcing government department shifts including the blending of education and early childhood development.

child care in the news

· Union report sounds alarm over foreign daycare chains [CA-ON]
2 Apr 08

· Majority of nursery staff are poorly qualified [UK]
2 Apr 08

· Corporate link to child care draws concern [CA-ON]
1 Apr 08

· Childcare subsidization starts today [CN]
1 Apr 08

· Low wages causing widespread recruitment problems in community social services—study [CA-BC]
25 Mar 08

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March 28, 2008

Today’s Parent magazine
28 Mar 08
- Articles from the April 2008 issue of Today’s Parent discussing child care in Canada available online.

ECEC: Where does Canada stand and what does the future hold?
28 Mar 08
- Colloquium featuring Martha Friendly and Linda White discussing early childhood education and care in Canada is available online for viewing.

Income splitting and joint taxation of couples: What’s fair
28 Mar 08
- Report from the Institute for Research and Public Policy provides an assessment of proposals for income splitting in the Canadian tax system.

Australian social policy expert Deborah Brennan tours Canada
28 Mar 08
- Deborah Brennan will discuss lessons learned from child care in Australia. Tour dates and locations are provided.

The state of preschool 2007: State preschool yearbook
28 Mar 08
- Report by the National Institute for Early Education Research profiling the state-funded prekindergarten programs for children at ages 3 and 4 in the United States.

child care in the news

· College day-care centre closing; St. Lawrence facility opened in 1969 [CA-ON]
28 Mar 08

· Mums still home, despite the hype [AU]
26 Mar 08

· Families get child-care boost [CA-NS]
26 Mar 08

· Ontario budget 2008: More disappointment for working families [CA-ON]
25 Mar 08

· EI extension had Ottawa squirming [CA-ON]
22 Mar 08

-------------------------------------------

March 20, 2008

Early childhood education markets and democratic experimentalism: Two models for early childhood education and care
20 Mar 08
- Discussion paper by Peter Moss comparing two models for the provision of ECEC services, the model of the market and that of democratic experimentalism.

Budget 2008: What’s in it for women?
20 Mar 08
- Report from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives addresses the disregard of women’s issues and concerns in the 2008 federal budget.

Hemispheric commitment to early childhood education
20 Mar 08
- Document signed by the Ministers of Education of the Organization of American States to strengthen early childhood education in their countries.

The physical environment
20 Mar 08
- Article from Child Care Exchange magazine discussing key physical environmental characteristics in child care settings.

· State-funded preschool enrollment passes one million mark, yet most 3 and 4-year olds are denied access to public preschool programs [US]
19 Mar 08

· Why more moms do the daycare shuffle [CA-ON]
18 Mar 08

· Child-care rebate bad for kids [AU]
18 Mar 08

· Child care isn’t child’s play [CA-ON]
17 Mar 08

· The kindergarten dilemma [CA-PE]
14 Mar 08

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March 14

Lunchbox Speaker’s Series: ECEC--Where does Canada stand and what does the future hold?
14 Mar 08
- Colloquium featuring Martha Friendly and Linda White on the present and future state of early childhood education and care in Canada.

The current state of Canadian family finances
14 Mar 08
- Report from the Vanier Institute of the Family on the latest Canadian trends in incomes, spending, savings, debt and net worth across family and household types.

Designing subsidy systems to meet the needs of families: An overview of policy research findings
14 Mar 08
- Report from The Urban Institute exploring key strategy and policy options states have been implementing to help eligible families gain and retain subsidies.

Good governance of early childhood care and education: Lessons from the 2007 EFA Global Monitoring Report
14 Mar 08
- Policy brief from UNESCO reviews how nations govern early childhood care and education systems, the successes, challenges and lessons learned.

Broadening and deepening our understanding of quality: Working toward inclusion and equity
14 Mar 08
- Presentations and notes from conference session focusing on understanding quality beyond commonly identified criteria.

Perfect chance to improve child care [AU]
14 Mar 08

· More spaces for child care [CA-QC]
13 Mar 08

· Reducing kids to numbers [AU]
12 Mar 08

· Extra fees sought for ‘free’ childcare [NZ]
12 Mar 08

· Play: The Swedish way [SE]
11 Mar 08

· Alberta spends less on daycare than it gets in federal funding [CA-AB]
7 Mar 08

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March 7

Child care must serve kids not corporate shareholders
7 Mar 08
- Article by Martha Friendly and Margaret McCain discussing for-profit child care in Canada and Australia.

Still left behind: A comparison of living costs and income assistance in British Columbia
7 Mar 08
- Report from SPARC BC discussing how effective BC Employment and Assistance benefits are at covering minimum living expenses.

Partnering for preschool: A study of center directors in New Jersey’s mixed-delivery Abbott program
7 Mar 08
- Report from the Center for the Study of Child Care Employment on directors accounts of the Abbott Preschool Program implementation since 1999.

International Women’s Day 2008 marks a special anniversary
7 Mar 08
- Article from NUPGE celebrating International Women’s Day 2008 on March 8th.

Digital copies of selected Children in Europe magazine issues available for purchasing
7 Mar 08
- Children in Europe is a magazine for everyone working with and interested in issues concerning children 0-10 and their families.

· Morgan Stanley unit sets deal with ABC Learning [US]
6 Mar 08

· Busy Bees childcare vouchers up for sale [UK]
5 Mar 08

· Whistleblower raises child safety fears [UK]
5 Mar 08

· Parents cautioned about early Grade 1 start [CA-PE]
4 Mar 08

· Child-care wait list shows new rules work [CA-ON]
4 Mar 08

· Activists urge freeze on daycare licences [CA-ON]
3 Mar 08

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