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. Download our fact sheets.

Early Childhood Education

Early childhood education provides Ontario’s children with safe environments to explore, learn, and play.

When children are nurtured in environments where their social, emotional, cognitive, and physical health is taken into consideration, they thrive in countless ways. They:

1. Have an 80% chance of graduating high school (vs. a 60% chance for those who don’t enroll)¹
2. Have a 12% higher chance of pursuing higher education
3. Are less likely to repeat a grade3
4. Become higher earners in the workforce (3)

Although early childhood educators (ECEs) provide children with the foundation they need to grow into future leaders, they are often undervalued and unsupported with the resources and programming needed to ensure successful outcomes. Currently, Ontario’s ECEs face many obstacles in achieving their goals for children within their programs.

• 43% of ECEs reported that they have considered leaving the sector since the onset of the pandemic (4,5)
• 20% of ECEs have seen work hours increase, but of those only 9.3% reported an increase in wages (5)
• 54% of ECEs reported decreased job satisfaction (5)
• 13% of ECEs are actively looking for opportunities outside the sector (5)
• 36% of ECEs reported a decrease in planning time (5)
• 26% average turnover rate for ECEs in licensed child care settings (6)

ECEs indicated that the 3 most challenging aspects of their careers are: (5)

1. 60% Compensation
2. 53%Physical nature of work
3. 40% Job responsibilities not related to care for children

High-Quality Licensed Child Care

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 (1).

When children are nurtured in environments where their social, emotional, cognitive, and physical health is considered, they thrive in countless ways.

90% of adult brain development occurs between birth and age five (2).

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 (1)
• Identify children’s developmental stages and capabilities in social, emotional, cognitive, linguistic, and physical domains (3)
• Build partnerships with families to support children’s well-being (3)
• Plan activities that promote learning and build on children’s current abilities and interests (3)

Participation in high-quality learning environments, can help support children and their communities and to improve social, health, and academic outcomes.

Benefits for Children

1. Physical and mental well-being (4)
2. Decrease in chronic health problems (7)
3. Increased self confidence (4)
4. Improved outcomes in literacy(5), math, and science (6)
5. Higher rates of completing high-school (8)
6. Increase in conflict resolutions skills (4)

Benefits for communities

1. Increases the number of women in the workforce (9)
2. Decreases the need for social assistance (9)
3. Increases household income (9)
4. Decreases participation in criminal activity (8)