Backgrounder: Early Learning and Child Care (ELCC) Innovation

• The Government of Canada has committed $100 million over 11 years for innovation in early learning and child care, starting with $10 million over two years in 2018-19 and 2019-20.
• The Government of Canada issued a call for concept applications for early learning and child care innovation projects on June 28, 2018.
• A short-list of applicants was asked to submit full proposals for review, and projects are being approved for funding based on a range of factors.
• Seven projects from the Greater Toronto Area have been approved, representing a total investment of nearly $1.8 million.

The seven projects are:

1. Organization: Kerry McCuaig at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education’s Atkinson Centre
   • Project Name: Scaling ELCC Innovation
   • Funding Amount: $150,235
   • Project Description: This project will identify and increase knowledge about innovative approaches to ELCC currently happening in Canada that are promising and could be scaled to spread their impact.
     
2. Organization: Kathryn Underwood at Ryerson University’s School of Early Childhood Studies
   • Project Name: Inclusive Early Childhood Service System Action Research Project
   • Funding Amount: $123,979
   • Project Description: This project will identify inclusion strategies that recognize the systemic and cultural factors that shape the actual context within which services are delivered to children with disabilities.
     
3. Organization: MaRS Discovery Centre (MaRS Centre for Impact Investing)
   
   • Project Name: Social finance models for Canadian ELCC
   • Funding Amount: $139,881
   • Project Description: This project will build knowledge of social finance models for the ELCC sector, improve the capacity of ELCC providers to engage in social finance models, enhance capacity for partnerships within the sector and mobilize social finance funding.
     
4. Organization: Ontario Coalition for Better Child Care
   • Project Name: A National Network on Early Learning and Child Care Human Resources Innovation and Decent Work
   • Funding Amount: $216,500
   • Project Description: This project will address ELCC staff recruitment and retention issues by bringing together a national network of employers, sector experts, human resources (HR) specialists, labour unions and Indigenous representatives to develop and incubate innovative solutions to common ELCC workplace challenges.
     
5. Organization: Childcare Resource and Research Unit
   • Project Name: Knowledge production and transfer to support innovative approaches to ELCC service delivery
   • Funding Amount: $131,263
   • Project Description: This project will synthesize and consolidate research and resources into accessible tools to improve accessibility, affordability, quality and inclusion in ELCC services.
     
6. Organization: Learning Enrichment Foundation
   • Project Name: Improved Staff Qualifications and Service Quality through Enhanced and Accelerated ECE Training
   • Funding Amount: $734,805
   • Project Description: This project will develop and test an enhanced and accelerated early childhood education training program to respond to the growing demand for registered early childhood educators in Ontario, address sector-defined skills needs, and ultimately improve the quality of early learning and child care services.
     
7. Organization: Regional Municipality of Durham
   • Project Name: Rebuilding the village: A novel approach to inclusive early learning and child care environments
   • Funding Amount: $277,625
   • Project Description: This project will explore best practices for developing and maintaining inclusive early learning and child care environments for children with special needs and will collaborate with community partners to disseminate those best practices.