Publications

A collection of publications written by Atkinson Centre team members, in addition to important articles, documents and reports related to early learning and child care.

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Issues That Matter - Good new and bad in Bill 143

Excerpt: "There is much depth and change in Bill 143. It repeals the Day Nurseries Act and amends the Early Childhood Educators Act and the Education Act in ways good and bad."

Responses to Child Care Modernization Act

On December 3, 2013, the Ontario government introduced the Child Care Modernization Act, to "take steps to strenghthen oversight of the province's unlicensed child care sector while increasing access to licensed child care options for families."

Key Information:

Additional Resources:

Responses:

Update July 10, 2014

Improving the Safety and Accessibility of Child Care - Ontario Government Proposing Greater Oversight of Unlicensed Child Care Sector. Today, the Ontario government continues its support for families and children by re-introducing the Child Care Modernization Act, 2014.

The legislation, if passed, would strengthen oversight of the province's unlicensed child care sector, while increasing access to licensed child care options for families. In addition, it would allow the province to immediately shut down a child care provider when a child's safety is at risk.

Update November 17, 2014

The Atkinson Centre, presented to the Standing Committee on Social Policy of  the Ontario Legislature, to provide feedback on Bill 10, An Act to enact the Child Care and Early Years Act, 2014 (PDF Download). Presented by Bernice Cipparrone and Kerry McCuaig, November 17, 2014, Toronto, Ontario

Update December 2, 2014

Ontario Strengthening Child Care Oversight: Modernizing the Child Care Sector for Ontario Families. Today, Bill 10, the Child Care Modernization Act, 2014, passed third reading in the Ontario legislature.

Update February 1, 2016

Regulatory Registry Posting related to the Child Care and Early Years Act, 2014 and the Education Act: Phase 2 Regulations. All interested parties are encouraged to provide feedback on the proposed regulations by April 1, 2016. The ministry values the unique and diverse perspectives from parents/families and broader child care, education, service system management, and early years partners.

Ontario’s full-day kindergarten a success story

Excerpt: "Those of us who held the pend a few years back to capture the best global research and practice available regarding the positive impact full-day kindergarten would have on 4- and 5-year-olds, titles our report, "With Our Best Future in Mind." Based on the research released a few days ago, our best future is arriving ahead of schedule."

A remedy for this childcare tragedy

Excerpt: "The parents of Eva Ravikovich are trying to drag a small good out of a huge wrong. They are using the courts to hold the province of Ontario accountable for the death of their little daughter in an overcrowded, unsanitary daycare. Precedence indicates they may get some small respite. Eva is not the first toddler to die in an unlicensed facility. Each time an official inquiry has chastised the province for the dearth of safe child choices and urged it to do better. In turn, Queen’s Park responds by adding a few more daycare spaces, a few more government controls."

LMF1.2: Maternal employment rates

Excerpt: "Data on maternal employment rates are presented both by age of youngest child and by the number of dependent children under age 15. Employment rates refer to the annual average calculated from various national employment or household surveys and from the European Labour Force Survey. There is yet no comprehensive regular annual data collection of maternal (or parental) employment across OECD countries. Data are presented for 2009 or the most recent year available (see the comparability and data issues section for details on the definition of paid employment)."

One School Board's Response to "The Munchkin Invasion: Does Full-Day Kindergarten deliver?" Maclean’s Magazine, May 27, 2013

Article by MaryLou Mackie and Scott Podrebarac of the Waterloo Region District School Board: Does Full Day Kindergarten deliver? Early indicators point to an enthusiastic "Yes!" The experience of the Waterloo Region District School Board, a district that has embraced both Full Day Kindergarten (FDK), and the vision of extended Before and After school programs articulated in Charles Pascal’s, With our Best Future in Mind, suggests that there are immediate and sustained gains for children.

An Evidence-Based Response to Maclean’s Article on Early Child Education

Article by Charles Pascal and Janette Pelletier: Full day kindergarten for four and five year olds in Ontario has many champions – parents, educators, researchers and the children themselves. But it does have its detractors. In this response to The Munchkin Invasion appearing in the May 27/2013 issue of MacLean’s magazine, Charles Pascal, the author of Ontario’s blueprint for early learning, and researcher Janette Pelletier discuss the pitfalls of using disconnected research to draw broad policy conclusions.

Early Learning and Early Childhood Education - An Accord by the Association of Canadian Deans of Education

The Accord on Early Learning and Early Childhood Education by the Association of Canadian Deans of Education (ACDE) seeks to address the uneven provision of quality early learning experiences by highlighting practices that focus on the learning and care of all children; promoting improved, better connected education for preschool and elementary children; and recognizing educator knowledge as vital to effective education for early learners and their families. It was launched at the Canadian Society for Studies in Education Conference, Victoria, B.C. on June 2.

Recommendations for the future administration of the EDI in Ontario

Excerpt: "The Ontario Government has undertaken a review of the administration of the Early Development Instrument (EDI), including how data are collected, analyzed and reported. An external consulting firm, Malatest & Associates, conducted the review with a final report due in December 2012. The purpose of this paper is not to inform the consultant’s work but to use the occasion of a review to broaden the discussion about the EDI. Our interest lies in maximizing its benefits. Only by understanding the critical underlying principles of the EDI can we then address the issue of its administration."

Work Progresses on Ontario’s Early Years Puzzle

Excerpt: "The task of creating coherence out of the province’s early years services took a step forward on January 23, 2013 with the release of the Ontario Early Years Policy Framework. It’s not the kind of document that gets media attention or stirs attention deep in the sector. The framework is about governance and while that isn’t as exciting as money or legislative change it is an essential forerunner if the latter are to be accomplished effectively."

Waterloo’s Story: Implementing a Comprehensive Vision for Seamless Care

Excerpt: "Ontario’s implementation of the bold vision for school board operated seamless child care across Ontario that was described in, With Our Best Future In Mind , has hit a few road blocks. After a great deal of lobbying, some general election politicking, and resulting legislative changes, today, most school boards in Ontario have reverted to the status quo in terms of how before and after school programs are delivered. In the majority of school boards before and after care programs are delivered by a third-party agency resulting in access to service that ranges from comprehensive to skeletal. The exception to this pattern exists in Waterloo, Ontario."

Research Bulletin: Playing favorites is bad for child health

Excerpt: "In a study recently published in Social Sciences and Medicine, PhD student Dillon Browne and psychologist Jennifer Jenkins sought to determine if being a disfavoured sibling can have negative consequences in terms of general health. Browne and Jenkins followed 501 families over a period of 18 months as part of an investigation called the Kids, Families, Places Study, led by Dr. Jenkins at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education..."

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