Excerpted from introduction

Canada has an unprecedented opportunity to ensure that child care settings support optimal and equitable child health and well-being. As of March 2022, federal-provincial/territorial child care investment agreements are in place across the country. With the prospect of much needed-investments in the child care sector now a reality, there is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to define and act upon a vision for healthy and sustainable early learning environments that support the well-being of children and staff.

We, the undersigned, envision a Canada in which all levels of government are working in concert with the child care sector, advocacy organizations, communities, families, and other stakeholders to ensure that all children in Canada have the opportunity to learn, play, grow and thrive in child care settings that are: 

• Healthy, with health defined broadly to include the full array of physical, mental, emotional, social, and ecological dimensions of human well-being; and 
• Sustainable, climate-resilient, and respectful of the land, with design features and day-to-day practices that conserve resources, reduce waste, minimize carbon emissions and other  pollutants, and support children’s connections with the natural world.