News & Stories: Publications

Excerpt: "Policy discussions on educator recruitment and retention in child care often focus on wages and benefits. Those factors matter. But mental health is not a secondary concern; it is a workforce retention issue that helps determine whether educators stay or leave. In a recent mixed-methods study of more than 3,300 early childhood educators in Ontario, nearly half reported that mental health issues affected their decision to continue working with children. This is not a marginal issue—it is a defining feature of the workforce. Educators who reported mental health concerns were more than five times as likely to consider leaving the profession."

Excerpt: "As school-age child-care programs across Ontario close because of workforce shortages, the Waterloo Region District School Board (WRDSB) is meeting child-care demand with a model that is attracting significant interest from school boards, policymakers, and sector leaders across Canada. The success of the WRDSB’s seamless day model demonstrates what is possible when school boards, municipalities, and the early years sector work together with a shared vision for children and families."

This Implementation Guide serves as a practical guide for jurisdictions interested in exploring or implementing a school board-operated extended day model. The guide provides an overview of key implementation considerations, including partnership development, governance, staffing, financial considerations, fee structures, space-sharing, summer programming, and the resources and tools that support the model's infrastructure and delivery.

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."