Every day, early childhood educators (ECEs) provide Ontario’s children with safe, responsive, and caring interactions that build a strong foundation for their development and well-being.
Children who participate in high-quality learning environments experience increased verbal communication, reading, math, and science skills, as well as a host of other benefits. Uncover the facts about the many ways ECEs benefit children, their families, and the growth of our economy.
View our media release on this campaign here
High-quality licensed child care provides Ontario’s children with safe, responsive, and caring interactions that build a strong foundation for development and well-being. When children are nurtured in environments where their social, emotional, cognitive, and physical health is considered, they thrive in countless ways.
High-quality licensed child care helps children develop vital skills during their first five years, which marks a critical developmental period in a child’s life.
Early childhood educators (ECEs) provide children with the foundation they need to grow into future leaders. ECEs use their extensive knowledge of learning and child development to create high-quality learning opportunities through play and exploration. Educators are trained to:
- Understand brain development and how to support healthy growth
- Identify children’s developmental stages and capabilities in social, emotional, cognitive, linguistic, and physical domains
- Build partnerships with families to support children’s well-being
- Plan activities that promote learning and build on children’s current abilities and interests
Participation in high-quality learning environments can help support children and their communities and to improve social, health, and academic outcomes.
Benefits for Children
- Improved physical and mental well-being
- Decrease in chronic health problems
- Increased self-confidence
- Improved outcomes in literacy, math, and science
- Higher rates of completing high-school
- Increase in conflict resolutions skills
Benefits for communities
- Increases the number of women in the workforce
- Decreases the need for social assistance
- Increases household income
- Decreases participation in criminal activity
Links
Become an Early Childhood Educator — Region of Peel
CECE — College of Early Childhood Educators
Early Childhood Education — Ontario College Application Service
- Ontario Ministry of Education. (2014). How does learning happen? Ontario’s pedagogy for the early years. Toronto https://files.ontario.ca/edu-how-does-learning-happen-en-2021-03-23.pdf
- Kolb, B., Whishaw, I. Q., & Teskey G. C. (2019). An Introduction to Brain and Behavior (6 ed.): Worth Publishers
- College of Early Childhood Educators. (2017). Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice. https://www.college-ece.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Code_and_Standards_2017-4.pdf
- Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University (2016). From best practices to breakthrough impacts: A science-based approach to building a more promising future for young children and families. http://www.developingchild.harvard.edu
- Domond, P., Orri, M., Algan, y., Findlay, L., Kohen, D., Vitaro, F., Tremblay, R.E., & Côté, S.M. (2020). Child care attendance and educational and economic outcomes in adulthood. Pediatrics. 146(1)
- McClure, E. R., Guernsey, L., Clements, D. H., Bales, S. N., Nichols, J., Kendall-Taylor, N., & Levine, M. H. (2017). STEM starts early: Grounding science, technology, engineering, and math education in early childhood. New York: The Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop.
- Blewitt, C., Morris, H., O’Connor, A., Ifanti, A., Greenwood, D. and Skouteris, H. (2021), Social and emotional learning in early childhood education and care: A public health perspective. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, 45: 17-19. https://doi.org/10.1111/1753-6405.13058
- Yoshikawa, H., Weiland, C., & Brooks-Gunn, J. (2016). When Does Preschool Matter? The Future of Children, 26(2), 21–35.
- Oxfam Canada (2019). Who Cares? Why Canada needs a public child care system. https://www.oxfam.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/who-cares-report-WEB_EN.pdf