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Presented by Zeenat Janmohamed & Kerry McCuaig.

Excerpt: "The Ontario Government has undertaken a review of the administration of the Early Development Instrument (EDI), including how data are collected, analyzed and reported. An external consulting firm, Malatest & Associates, conducted the review with a final report due in December 2012. The purpose of this paper is not to inform the consultant’s work but to use the occasion of a review to broaden the discussion about the EDI. Our interest lies in maximizing its benefits. Only by understanding the critical underlying principles of the EDI can we then address the issue of its administration."

Excerpt: "The Parti Québécois government unveiled how it will distribute 15,000 new $7-a-day daycare spaces across the province."

Presented by Kerry McCuaig, Atkinson Centre, ²ÝÝ®ÎÛÊÓƵµ¼º½/UT.
Presented at Early Childhood Instrument (EDI): From Data to Action event on February 1, 2013.

This one-day event provided an opportunity to share experiences and plans on how to optimize the dissemination and use of early childhood development data to promote change and action.

The objectives were: To increase our knowledge of the related scope, limits and opportunities in order to enhance use of early childhood development data by a range of stakeholders: the general public, local groups and coalitions, advocates, regional, provincial and national decision-makers and the media. To share examples of effective use of early childhood indicators that led to action and change. To explore how early childhood indicators can be used in conjunction with other sources of data to mobilize stakeholders around planning (situational and needs analysis, priority-setting), implementation and action, as well as monitoring and evaluation.

Excerpt: "The task of creating coherence out of the province’s early years services took a step forward on January 23, 2013 with the release of the Ontario Early Years Policy Framework. It’s not the kind of document that gets media attention or stirs attention deep in the sector. The framework is about governance and while that isn’t as exciting as money or legislative change it is an essential forerunner if the latter are to be accomplished effectively."

Excerpt: "The Ontario Early Years Policy Framework builds on our collective progress and provides a vision for the early years to ensure children, from birth to age six, have the best possible start in life."

Excerpt: "The Manitoba Early Learning and Child Care Program oversees child care (often called daycare) services provided by licensed child care centres and family home providers. It is administered by the Department of Family Services and Labour. We examined the Department’s management of the Program, including its systems and practices for planning and performance measurement, ensuring compliance with child care standards, and providing financial support to eligible child care facilities and families."

The Auditor General of Ontario's 2012 Annual Report included a chapter on the Education of Aboriginal Students.

Excerpt: "The purpose of this memorandum is to provide Consolidated Municipal Service Managers (CMSMs) and District Social Services Administration Boards (DSSABs) with information about Ontario’s new funding formula and funding framework for child care, which will take effect in 2013."

Excerpt: "The government responds to the release of Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated’s Report on the State of Inuit Culture and Society – The Status of Children and Youth, stating that "the future of Nunavut depends on ensuring the health and well-being of our children today."

Presented by Kerry McCuaig, November 29, 2012.

Excerpt: "Ontario’s implementation of the bold vision for school board operated seamless child care across Ontario that was described in, With Our Best Future In Mind , has hit a few road blocks. After a great deal of lobbying, some general election politicking, and resulting legislative changes, today, most school boards in Ontario have reverted to the status quo in terms of how before and after school programs are delivered. In the majority of school boards before and after care programs are delivered by a third-party agency resulting in access to service that ranges from comprehensive to skeletal. The exception to this pattern exists in Waterloo, Ontario."