Abstract:

Early childhood education and childcare (ECEC) is on a range of Canadian social policy agendas from anti-poverty to human rights. There is good agreement among these sectors about the desirability of blending care and early education; accessibility for all children; substantial public funding accompanied by clear public policy; complementary parental leave; and choices within a system for parents. While there is an international trend toward such systems, Canada has seen little substantive change to reflect contemporary evidence about effective ECEC practices. Canadian ECEC policy-making is not based on the best available knowledge, leaving an extensive gap between what we know and what we do.