Context
The Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care (CWELCC) system is evolving as demand for high-quality, affordable spaces grows across the country. Outdoor and Land-Based Programs (OLBs) provide a unique opportunity to expand access to Early Learning and Child Care (ELCC), advancing healthy child development, early learning, equity, environmental stewardship, and reconciliation.
Currently, OLBs are not yet regulated or licensed as independent programs1 due to regulatory frameworks designed around facility-based care models, which make it challenging to accommodate outdoor and land-based approaches. As a result, efforts to license OLBs within existing frameworks often feel like forcing a square peg into a round hole.
Without regulation, these transformative programs are excluded from the CWELCC system and remain inaccessible to many families, perpetuating inequities and denying benefits and opportunities to children.