News & Stories: Publications

Excerpt: "I still remember the first time someone said it out loud. It wasn’t a doctor. It wasn’t during a scheduled check-up or a formal assessment. It was one of Justin’s early childhood educators (ECEs). At the time, Justin was just a toddler—busy, curious, and full of personality. To me, he was perfect. But his educator saw something more. Not something “wrong,” but something worth paying attention to. She approached me gently, thoughtfully, and with care. She didn’t alarm, but instead she guided me. She shared what she was noticing. She explained what it might mean. And most importantly, she helped me understand what to do next. That moment changed everything. ECEs are often the first professionals, outside of baby wellness visits, to regularly see children in real social environments. As a result, they notice patterns. They see how children interact, communicate, regulate, and grow. They don’t just see a snapshot; they see the whole child, over time."

In Spring 2025 Better Together launched Bright Beginnings, an 8-part podcast series with thought-provoking episodes filled with insightful conversations and fresh perspectives on strengthening early childhood education and supporting those who make it possible.

Each episode features expert discussions on key topics, including the impact of early learning, the specialized knowledge of educators, inclusive practices, play-based learning, and more.

Excerpt: "A significant decrease in child care availability for subsidy-eligible families is a well-documented outcome of reduced parent fees and the resulting increase in demand for spaces. Toronto’s 2026 Children’s Services Operating Budget Note projected 2025 subsidy enrolment at 23,000 spaces, 25.1% below the budgeted level of 30,700 spaces. Uncovering the reasons for the underutilization of subsidies requires more information than is publicly available."

Excerpt: "Children’s experiences during early years form the foundation for their development. For many children in Canada and across the globe, these early experiences include substantial exposure to early learning and child care. And government investments in early learning and care in Canada and elsewhere have increased dramatically. Research has shown that exposure to high-quality early learning and care is associated with positive outcomes for children — and these associations are strongest for children from families with fewer resources, including lower incomes."

The College of Early Childhood Educators (CECE) is the regulatory body for the early childhood education profession in Ontario. Established under the Early Childhood Educators Act (2007), the College’s primary responsibility is to protect the public interest — ensuring that children, families, and communities receive high-quality care and education from qualified, ethical professionals.

Excerpt: "Five years into Canada’s $10-a-day child care plan, affordability has improved dramatically for families fortunate enough to have a space. However, the families who need care the most are being left behind. Both the auditor general of Canada and the auditor general of Ontario have warned that the Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care (CWELCC) program, while successful in lowering fees, is failing to meet its other commitments — inclusion, quality and equitable access. The $10-a-day plan was meant to be a nation-building project — one that gives every child, regardless of background, an equal start in life. But affordability without equity is a hollow victory. If governments fail to correct course, inequities will harden into the system’s design, and the intergenerational cycle of poverty will deepen."

Excerpt: "The Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care program’s focus on affordability has significantly lowered child care costs for families with children under six. In Ontario, at the time of writing this document, the maximum price paid for each child under six attending a licensed child care program (centre or home-based) is $22 per day. Eligible families can claim the federal Child Care Expense Deduction (CCED) and Ontario’s Child Care Tax Credit (also known as Ontario Childcare Access and Relief from Expenses (CARE) Tax Credit). The CCED is calculated as a deduction from gross income and applied against the lower employment income in two-parent families. The CCED maximum deduction for a child aged 0 to 7 is $8,000. The specific eligibility documentation can be found on the CRA website. The CARE is the Ontario refundable tax credit that is applied against a maximum of 75 percent of eligible child care costs, with an upper limit determined by the federal CCED deduction limits."

The first edition of Building Bridges was published nearly twenty years ago, with a second edition following in 2009. Since then, the social and political landscape for queer individuals has changed dramatically around the world. While much progress has been made concerning the protection of existing human rights, a noticeable shift in support for Canada’s queer communities in some parts of the country is evident, largely because of the war on gender and sexual diversity occurring in the United States. In fact, numerous examples of a similar battle abound. This includes the legislated policing of children’s usage of pronouns in schools in some provinces (Ibrahim, 2023; Talati, 2023), recent mass protests organized in response to Ontario’s sex education curriculum (Carter, 2023), opposition to Drag Queen Story Hours, which has drawn ire from many parents (Zoledziowski & Sheldon, 2023), the defamation of Pride flags on the properties of several elementary schools (Mandes, 2023; McGowan, 2023; Peesker, 2023; Sachdeva, 2023) and the current campaign to ban queer-positive children’s books (Beattie, 2023; Froese, 2023; Wong, 2024). Beyond Building Bridges was written, in part, as a response to these inequities and is a reminder that, where queer rights are concerned, the fight is not yet over.

Excerpt: "The Atkinson Centre recognizes the Ontario Auditor General’s report on the Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care (CWELCC) program as an urgent reminder of the need for stronger public accountability. The report highlights critical gaps in Ontario’s approach: the Ministry of Education has not defined what an affordable child care system should look like, has failed to set performance measures to track equity and access, and has no province-wide strategy to recruit and retain early childhood educators. This workforce shortage is particularly concerning, as the Auditor General estimates Ontario will need up to 10,000 additional Registered Early Childhood Educators to meet expansion targets by 2026. Despite billions in federal funding, enrolment among low-income families has dropped, significant numbers of licensed spaces remain vacant or unutilized, and families continue to face long and opaque waitlists. The report also points to an unclear expansion strategy - Ontario has not set out how many new spaces are needed or where they should be located to meet demand fairly. Compounding this, there are no system-wide performance measures to determine whether CWELCC is successfully expanding access, particularly for underserved or marginalized communities. Together, these findings make clear that federal monitoring of bilateral agreements is essential if provinces and territories are to meet the goals of Canada’s national child care plan."

Excerpt: "The 2024 report from Québec’s Auditor General warned that for-profit growth, fuelled by generous fee rebates to parents, had caused the child-care system to deteriorate. The report found many commercial operators failed quality assessments, committed serious safety violations such as poor sanitation and improper medication practices, employed unqualified staff and neglected to conduct mandatory background checks. In 2022, the former provincial minister for families called government support for private daycare the “biggest mistake the Québec government committed in the last 25 years.” The problem isn’t limited to Québec. In Alberta, a recent review by the provincial Auditor General found more than half the audited child-care operators that received public grants had discrepancies in their claims. Some billed for hours never worked. Others didn’t pass on wage top-ups to staff or fee reductions to families. One month, a provider was overpaid by $26,000 due to a bogus claim."

To understand the role of preschool in public education, we must examine its impact on children's academic, social, and emotional development. Preschool also supports working parents, improves access to quality early learning, ensures continuity in education, and helps reduce social inequities.

Delivering early childhood education (ECE) through public schools has garnered increasing attention due to its potential to address systemic challenges within the early education workforce. This paper explores the benefits of integrating early childhood programs into public school systems, focusing on how this approach improves workforce conditions, enhances professionalism, increases professional learning opportunities, and promotes equity across the sector.