Introduction In September 2000, First Ministers 1 released a communiqué on Early Childhood Development (ECD) that recognized the critical importance of the early years of life in the development and future well-being of the child. Recognizing that families play the primary role in supporting and nurturing children, they committed to improve and expand early childhood development programs, building on existing investments. Progress has been made under the Early Childhood Development initiative in each of the four key areas for action identified by First Ministers:
Building on this commitment, Federal, Provincial and Territorial Ministers Responsible for Social Services agree to make additional investments in the specific area of early learning and child care. Ministers recognize that quality early learning and child care programs play an important role in promoting the social, emotional, physical and cognitive development of young children. This early learning
and child care framework represents another important step in the development
of early childhood development programs and services. This initiative is
consistent with, and builds upon, the commitments made by First Ministers
in September 2000.
Objective The objective
of this initiative is to further promote early childhood development and
support the participation of parents in employment or training by improving
access to affordable, quality early learning and child care programs and
services.
Areas for Investment To advance the objective set out above, Ministers agree to further invest in provincially/territorially regulated early learning and child care programs for children under six. In the context of this framework, regulated programs are defined as programs that meet quality standards that are established and monitored by provincial/territorial governments. Early learning
and child care programs and services funded through this initiative will
primarily provide direct care and early learning for children in settings
such as child care centres, family child care homes, preschools, and nursery
schools. Types of investments could include capital and operating funding,
fee subsidies, wage enhancements, training, professional development and
support, quality assurance, and parent information and referral. Programs
and services that are part of the formal school system will not be included
in this initiative.
Effective Approaches In the settings described above, effective approaches to early learning and child care are based on the following principles: Available
and accessible:
Affordable:
Quality:
Inclusive:
Parental
Choice:
Working Together Consistent with commitments made by First Ministers, governments will work together in full respect of each other's responsibilities, recognizing that provinces and territories have the primary responsibility for early learning and child care. Each government will determine its priorities within this initiative. Each government agrees to publicly recognize and explain the respective roles and contributions of governments to this initiative. Governments will continue to work with the Aboriginal peoples of Canada to find practical solutions to address the developmental needs of Aboriginal children. Governments
will ensure effective mechanisms for Canadians to participate in developing
early learning and child care priorities and reviewing outcomes.
Funding First Ministers agreed that investments for early childhood development should be incremental, predictable and sustained over the long-term. Federal, Provincial and Territorial Ministers Responsible for Social Services agree that support for early learning and child care is a critical investment in our children's future. Ministers agree that further investments in early learning and child care should also be incremental, predictable and sustained over the long-term. Ministers recognize
that this initiative builds on the significant provincial/territorial investments
already made in early learning and child care and agree on the need for
flexibility to address local needs and priorities. This initiative also
complements important existing federal investments for children and families.
Public Reporting Ministers believe in the importance of being accountable to Canadians for early learning and child care programs and services. Clear public reporting will enhance accountability and will allow the public to track progress in improving access to affordable, quality early learning and child care programs and services. In the First Ministers’ communiqué on Early Childhood Development, governments committed to report annually to Canadians on investments and progress in the area of early childhood development. Consistent with that commitment, and with early childhood development reporting by jurisdictions, Ministers commit to report annually to Canadians on their progress in improving access to affordable, quality early learning and child care programs and services. More specifically, Ministers will report annually to Canadians on all early learning and child care programs and services as defined in this framework, beginning with a baseline report for 2002-2003. Reports will include:
The purpose of performance measurement is for all governments to be accountable to their publics, not to each other. The amount of federal funding provided to any jurisdiction will not depend on achieving a given level of performance. Governments
will strive to continue to improve the quality of reporting over time.
Knowledge, Information and Effective Practices Research, knowledge
and information are the foundations of evidence-based decision-making and
are critical to informed policy development. Governments recognize the
importance of evaluation in determining the effectiveness and outcomes
of initiatives in early learning and child care and agree to work together
to develop an evaluation framework within one year of federal funding being
received. Where appropriate, governments agree to pursue evaluations based
on this framework, and agree to work together to share information on effective
practices in early learning and child care, which may include evaluation
findings.
Next Steps Federal, Provincial and Territorial Ministers Responsible for Social Services will begin implementation as soon as possible of the commitments and priorities outlined in this framework. 1.
While the Government of Québec supports the general principles of
the Early Childhood Development Initiative and the Early Learning and Child
Care Initiative, it did not participate in developing these initiatives
because it intends to preserve its sole responsibility on social matters.
However, Québec receives its share of federal funding and the Government
of Québec is making major investments toward programs and services
for families and children. All references to viewpoints shared by the federal,
provincial and territorial governments in this document do not include
the viewpoints of the Government of Québec.
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