Description: About Canada: Childcare answers questions about early childhood education and childcare (ECEC) in Canada.Why doesn’t Canada have an ECEC system, even though other countries do? Why is ECEC so important? What is missing in Canada’s ECEC landscape and why? Can ECEC programs be designed as wonderful environments for young children or are they merely necessary but not particularly desirable places to keep children safe while mothers are at work? Is ECEC primarily a public good, a private family responsibility or an opportunity for profit-making? Early childhood education and childcare is a political issue, the authors argue, and Canada needs an integrated system of services. The absence of a universal publicly funded ECEC system is detrimental to families, women and children and Canada’s future. Table of Contents: - Introduction - Chapter One: Why is Early Childhood Education and Childcare Important? What We Know - Chapter Two: Taking Stock of Early Childhood Education and Childcare in Canada: What We Do - Chapter Three: Early Childhood Education and Childcare: What’s Missing in Canada? - Chapter Four: How did We get Where We Are? A History of Child Care and Early Childhood Education in Canada. - Chapter Five: Politics and Policies: Explaining Childhood Education and Care in Canada - Chapter Six: The Great Childcare Debates - Chapter Seven: How Canada can Do Better: Moving from Vision to Action