Seven new Government of Canada projects will support innovative practices in early learning and child care in the Greater Toronto Area

Newswire.ca
August 13, 2019

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.

Today, 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 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. 

Quotes

"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

"Children are our future. We are investing in the professional development of Canada's early childhood assistants and early childhood educators to ensure all children and families have access to high-quality, inclusive early learning and child care. Working with partners like The Learning Enrichment Foundation will help us further develop the skills of our education and child care workforce."
--The Honourable Ahmed Hussen, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship and Member of Parliament for York South—Weston

Quick Facts

• 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.

Early Learning and Child Care (ELCC) Innovation

• The Government of Canada has committed $100 million over 11 years for innovation in early learning and child care, starting with $10 million over two years in 2018-19 and 2019-20.
• The Government of Canada issued a call for concept applications for early learning and child care innovation projects on June 28, 2018.
• A short-list of applicants was asked to submit full proposals for review, and projects are being approved for funding based on a range of factors.
• Seven projects from the Greater Toronto Area have been approved, representing a total investment of nearly $1.8 million.
• The seven projects are:

• Organization: Kerry McCuaig at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education's Atkinson Centre
• Project Name: Scaling ELCC Innovation
• Funding Amount: $150,235
• Project Description: This project will identify and increase knowledge about innovative approaches to ELCC currently happening in Canada that are promising and could be scaled to spread their impact.

• Organization: Kathryn Underwood at Ryerson University's School of Early Childhood Studies
• Project Name: Inclusive Early Childhood Service System Action Research Project
• Funding Amount: $123,979
• Project Description: This project will identify inclusion strategies that recognize the systemic and cultural factors that shape the actual context within which services are delivered to children with disabilities.

• Organization: MaRS Centre for Impact Investing and the JW McConnell Family Foundation
• Project Name: Social finance/ models for ELCC service providers
• Funding Amount: $139,881
• Project Description: This project will build knowledge of social finance models for the ELCC sector, improve the capacity of ELCC providers to engage in social finance models, enhance capacity for partnerships within the sector and mobilize social finance funding.

• Organization: Ontario Coalition for Better Child Care
• Project Name: A National Network on Early Learning and Child Care Human Resources Innovation and Decent Work
• Funding Amount: $216,500
• Project Description: This project will address ELCC staff recruitment and retention issues by bringing together a national network of employers, sector experts, human resources (HR) specialists, labour unions and Indigenous representatives to develop and incubate innovative solutions to common ELCC workplace challenges.

• Organization: Childcare Resource and Research Unit
• Project Name: Knowledge production and transfer to support innovative approaches to ELCC service delivery
• Funding Amount: $131,263
• Project Description: This project will synthesize and consolidate research and resources into accessible tools to improve accessibility, affordability, quality and inclusion in ELCC services.

• Organization: Learning Enrichment Foundation
• Project Name: Improved Staff Qualifications and Service Quality through Enhanced and Accelerated ECE Training
• Funding Amount: $734,805
• Project Description: This project will develop and test an enhanced and accelerated early childhood education training program to respond to the growing demand for registered early childhood educators in Ontario, address sector-defined skills needs, and ultimately improve the quality of early learning and child care services.

• Organization: Regional Municipality of Durham
• Project Name: Rebuilding the village: A novel approach to inclusive early learning and child care environments
• Funding Amount: $277,625
• Project Description: This project will explore best practices for developing and maintaining inclusive early learning and child care environments for children with special needs and will collaborate with community partners to disseminate those best practices.