Q & A

A: ECER 2020 assesses developments in early childhood policy and activities between April 1, 2017 and March 31, 2020, the years coinciding with the Multilateral Early Learning and Child Care Framework and federal funding to provinces, territories and First Nations through bilateral agreements. A small federal investment of $500 million a year heightened attention for early learning and child care with New Brunswick, British Columbia, Yukon, and the Northwest Territories announcing plans to create universal access for young children. Public investments grew by $3 billion over the three-year period and more than 100,000 child care spaces were added across Canada.

A. Provinces and territories are drawing on their school systems to scale up access to early learning and care. Pre-Primary is now available to all 4-year-old children in Nova Scotia, Quebec added another 1,000 PreK classrooms and is committed to having PreK in all its elementary schools by 2023. Four-year-olds living outside Whitehorse will start PreK in the Yukon in the 2021 school year, and PEI and Newfoundland and Labrador are proceeding with their PreK plans. Some jurisdictions, including Ontario and Quebec, direct their schools to provide before- and after- school care for their students as well.

A. Federal funding also contributed to an uptick in for-profit child care. The prospect of substantial public dollars announced in Budget 2021 has heightened even greater commercial interest. For-profit operators already dominate child care, capturing over 50 percent of the market in seven out of 13 jurisdictions. Of the $7.0 billion in public funding spent in 2020 on regulated child care, 43 percent (over $3 billion) went to for-profit providers. Some premiers have already signalled an interest in expanding commercial care, arguing private sector efficiencies. Research into Quebec's two-plus decade experience delivering different child care models reveals the dangers of relying on for-profit providers, whose programs are known for their poor quality and poorer outcomes for children.

A. PEI and New Brunswick provide examples of how public funding for child care can be tied to strong standards for commercial providers reducing the profit incentive. Expanding prekindergarten and requiring schools to offer extended hour care for their students removes a large portion of the child care market from corporate access. Nunavut, the Northwest Territories and Saskatchewan restrict their child care funding to public and non-profit programs.

A. The final tally of the toll of the pandemic on child care has yet to be calculated. ECER 2020 describes what steps jurisdictions took to mitigate the worst effects. Since the information is current to March 31, 2020, the ECER provides a baseline to assess the pandemic's impact. It also provides a baseline to assess any outcomes that may emanate out of Budget 2021.

A. There are many trend-setting examples. Quebec made real efforts to address quality concerns by introducing a new curriculum and training all operators and providers in its use. New Brunswick brought 91 percent of its child care programs up to standards enabling them to receive Designated Early Learning and Child Care Centre status. Nova Scotia completed the roll out of Pre-primary for all its 4-year-olds. Although the Yukon's initiatives didn´t take place until April 2021, it transformed its early childhood services, slashing parent fees, increasing staff wages and enriching programming supports.