Terms Used

Early Childhood Education (ECE) / Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC). These terms are used interchangeably in the report and refer to programs for young children based on an explicit curriculum delivered by qualified staff and designed to support children’s development and learning. Settings may include child care centres, nursery schools, preschools, pre-primary, pre- or junior kindergarten (for 4 year olds), kindergarten, and Aboriginal Head Start. Attendance is regular and children may participate on their own or with a parent or caregiver. The following are included in the definition of ECE.

AHS: Aboriginal Head Start. National community-based early intervention program funded by the Public Health Agency of Canada. Focuses on early childhood development for First Nations, Inuit, and Métis children and their families living off-reserve and is delivered by community educators.

SSBC: StrongStart British Columbia. SSBC early learning centres provide school-based, early learning programs for children from birth to age five, accompanied by a parent or caregiver. Programs are delivered by early childhood educators.

PFLC: Parenting and Family Literacy Centres (Ontario). A school-based program for parents and caregivers with children from birth to age six. Programs are designed to support early learning and development and are aligned with the Kindergarten program. Programs are delivered by early childhood educators.

Early Childhood Educators (ECEs) refer to the adults who work directly with children in early childhood education settings, have at least one year of ECE post-secondary education credentials and are recognized by provincial/territorial legislation as qualified to teach in licensed child care, nursery schools, preschool or kindergarten programs.

Curriculum is a way of structuring learning experiences as an organized program of activities. In early childhood education, learning experiences include everything that happens to a child from arrival to departure.

The following abbreviations of provincial/territorial names are used in this report:

NL  Newfoundland and Labrador
PE  Prince Edward Island
NS  Nova Scotia
NB  New Brunswick
QC  Québec
ON  Ontario
MB  Manitoba
SK  Saskatchewan
AB  Alberta
BC  British Columbia
NU  Nunavut
NT  Northwest Territories
YK  Yukon