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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.

This chart summarizes Kindergarten and Pre-Kindergarten programs across Canada’s provinces and territories. It compares program auspice, schedules, age groups, and enrollment criteria. It shows whether attendance is mandatory, participation rates, curriculum and pedagogy guidelines, staff qualifications, and parent fees. It also notes whether programs receive federal support through the Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care agreements. This resource helps policymakers, educators, and parents understand regional differences and identify areas for improvement in early learning.

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. These series of papers explore 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.

The graph presents Early Childhood Educator (ECE) earnings across Canada, comparing them to provincial and territorial poverty thresholds using the Market Basket Measure. The data reveals significant wage disparities, with ECE salaries falling below the living wage in most regions and, in some cases, barely exceeding poverty thresholds.

- Poverty Threshold Comparison: In many provinces and territories, ECE wages hover near or just above the poverty line, highlighting the financial instability of the profession.
- Living Wage Gap: Only a handful of jurisdictions—with stronger wage policies—offer ECE salaries that meet or exceed the local living wage. In most areas, ECEs struggle to afford basic necessities despite their essential role in early learning.
- Regional Variations: Provinces with higher government investment in child care and workforce compensation tend to have narrower wage gaps, while others lag behind, exacerbating challenges in recruitment and retention.

This data reinforces the urgent need for wage grids, increased public investment, and stronger workforce policies to ensure fair compensation for ECEs and enhance workforce stability.

Excerpt: "Low wages deter new graduates from entering the child-care field and drive away those already employed. Of the 4,200 early childhood educators that Ontario colleges graduate annually, fewer than 60 per cent enter licensed child care, and only 40 per cent remain after five years. Small wonder for the exodus. One in five child-care staff responding to our survey told us they hold a second job to make ends meet. Over 55 per cent of couple families, and 83 per cent of lone parent families, are concerned about their housing."

Excerpt: "La penurie d'educateurs de la petite enfance (EPE) qualifies a freine les efforts d'expansion des places dans le cadre du systeme pancanadien d'apprentissage de la petite enfance et de garde des jeunes enfants (système d'AGJE). Cette pénurie d'educateurs a incite certains decideurs politiques de l'Ontario a chercher des raccourcis, notamment a remettre en question la necessite d'un diplôme de deux ans pour être admissible comme educateur de la petite enfance. La reduction des qualifications des éducateurs ou d'autres stratégies de déqualification, comme l'augmentation des ratios, ne sont pas des solutions."

Description: A comprehensive collection of Canada-wide legislated qualifications of child care centre supervisors, ECE qualified, and non-ECE qualified staff.

Excerpt: "The shortage of qualified early childhood educators (ECEs) has stifled space expansion efforts under the Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care (CWELCC) plan. This scarcity of educators has caused some Ontario policymakers to look for shortcuts, including questioning the need for a two-year diploma to qualify as an ECE. Reducing educator qualifications or other de-qualification strategies, such as increasing ratios, are not solutions. ECEs are critical to positive child and family outcomes and are the foundation of a high-quality early learning and child care system."