Seven new Government of Canada projects will support innovative practices in early learning and child care in the Greater Tor
Friday, 16 August 2019 08:00.AM
The first years of life are essential for children's development and future well-being. The Government of Canada is committed to promoting and investing in innovative projects that support early development to give every child a good start in life so they can succeed.
Adam Vaughan, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, and the Honourable Ahmed Hussen, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, announced that seven early learning and child care innovation projects in the Greater Toronto Area are receiving nearly $1.8 million in funding.
"The early years of life are critical to a child's development and future well-being. As the needs of Canadian families evolve, we are committed to finding creative solutions to ensure our kids have the opportunity to experience the kinds of quality early learning that will help them build the skills needed to succeed."
– Adam Vaughan, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Families, Children and Social Development and Member of Parliament for Spadina—Fort York
The seven projects being funded are:
- Scaling ELCC innovation led by Kerry McCuaig at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education's Atkinson Centre
- Inclusive early childhood service system action research project led by Dr. Kathryn Underwood at Ryerson University's School of Early Childhood Studies
- Social finance models for ELCC service providers by the MaRS Centre for Impact Investing
- A national network on early learning and child care human resources innovation and decent work by the Ontario Coalition for Better Child Care
- Knowledge production and transfer to support innovative approaches to ELCC service delivery by the Childcare Resource and Research Unit
- Improved staff qualifications and service quality through enhanced and accelerated ECE training by the Learning Enrichment Foundation
- Rebuilding the village: A novel approach to inclusive early learning and child care environment by the Regional Municipality of Durham
These projects are supported by long-term Government of Canada investments announced in Budgets 2016 and 2017, totaling $7.5 billion over 11 years to create more high-quality, affordable child care across the country. Of this amount, $100 million is going towards early learning and child care innovation, including an investment of $10 million over two years in 2018-19 and 2019-20.
These projects were selected as part of a call for concepts to find new and innovative ways to improve early learning and child care service delivery launched in June 28, 2018.
On June 12, 2017, the Federal, Provincial and Territorial Ministers Responsible for Early Learning and Child Care signed a Multilateral Early Learning and Child Care Framework.