New report released today #TimeForPreschool Early Childhood Education Report 2014 Public policy shapes early childhood programs In Canada, education and child care fall primarily within the jurisdiction of provinces and territories, although there is a long history of federal involvement both through transfers to individuals and to provincial and territorial governments. While the federal government has been an inconsistent player in early childhood policy, it has influenced provincial and territorial programs and priorities. The 2004 Speech from the Throne announced that the federal government would work with the provinces to create a national system of early learning and child care. As a condition of $5-billion in funding over 5 years announced in the 2005 federal budget, provinces signed bi-lateral agreements-in-principle committing to develop detailed action plans that identified their spending priorities for early learning and child care. Plans were to address the four QUAD principles: quality, universality, accessibility and developmental programming. A federal election and a new government terminated this funding. In March 2007, the $5-billion commitment disappeared. Instead, $250 million a year was earmarked for a Community Child Care Investment Program and transferred to provincial and territorial governments. A 25 percent tax credit was made available to businesses to create licensed child care spaces in the workplace.1 The latter, as predicted, received very little take up.
Posted on: Wed, 12 Nov 2014 17:14:13 +0000
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