Early Years Study 3: Making decisions,

Taking action

Margaret McCain, Fraser Mustard Kerry McCuaig

Mothers’ labour is essential

brain

learning health

behaviour

genes

epigenetics

experience

nurturingnutrition

physicalenvironm

ent

Factors affecting academic achievement – Age 11

SES

0.5

0.4

0.3

0.2

0.1

0.0

Mot

her e

d.Fa

ther

ed.

Fam

ily

inco

me

Hea

lthPr

esch

ool

Prim

ary

scho

ol

Eff

ect

siz

e

Develo

pm

enta

l advanta

ge (

month

s)

1-2 years 2-3 years

ECE program attendance

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

1

0

low-quality

average

high-quality

Quality and duration matter (months of developmental age)

Quality linked to better outcomesPreschool quality and self-regulation and

pro-social behaviour (age 11)Eff

ect

siz

e

Self-regulation

Pro-social behaviour

0.30

0.25

0.20

0.15

0.10

0.05

0.00

low

medium

high

Preschool quality

Universal access promotes equity - Vocabulary skills in children ages 4 and 5 years by family income

Number of children with ‘delayed’ vocabulary

Not poor

50

40

30

20

10

0

Affluent

Moderate

Poor

Low-Moderate

Universality is more equitable

Cost of early school leavers

Literacy and civic engagement

ECE is economic development

Jobs created per thousandincrease in early childhoodworkforce

What has low cost early education and care done for

Quebec?

• 70,000 more mothers are working

• And draw $340-million less in social transfers

• They pay $1.5-billion annually in taxes

• Boosting the GDP by $5-billion

Source: Fortin, P., Godbout, L., & St-Cerny. (2012).

Quebec mothers have:

• Moved Quebec from the bottom to the top in female labour force participation in Canada

• Halved child poverty rates• Halved social assistance rates for lone

parents• Boosted fertility • Meanwhile, Quebec student test scores

have moved from below to above the national average

Source: Fortin, P., Godbout, L., & St-Cerny. (2012).

Done right early education and care pays for itself

For every dollar Quebec spends on ECE, it collects $1.05 in increased taxes and reduced family payments, while the federal government gets $0.44

Source: Fortin, P., Godbout, L., & St-Cerny. (2012).

Across Canada, 50% of children between ages 2 and 4 years attend an early childhood education programs - up from 35% just 10 ago (McCain, Mustard & McCuaig, 2011)

NL 0.86%

PE 1.71%

NS 1.39%

NB 1.28%

QC 4.67%ON

2.01%

ECEC Across CanadaECE budget as a percentage of provincial/territorial budgets 2011-12

MB 1.59%

SK 1.36%

AB 1.13%

BC 1.30%

NU 0.59%NT 0.88%

YK 1.15%

Across Canada, 50% of children between ages 2 and 4 years attend an early childhood education programs - up from 35% just 10 ago (McCain, Mustard & McCuaig, 2011)

NL 31%

PE 41%

NS 38%

NB 36%

QC 69%ON 56%

ECEC Across CanadaPercentage of 2 – 4-year-olds regularly attending an ECE centre

by provinces and Canada

MB 43%

SK 34%

AB 31%

BC 41%

Canada: 52%

More attention to monitoring

Early Childhood Education Report

BC

AB

SK

MB

ON

QC

NB

NS

PE

NL

Governance

Funding

Accountability

Access

Learning Environment

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www.pointsurlapetiteenfance.org

www.earlyyearsstudy.ca