Consider...Early childhood education options

Carlana lives in downtown Halifax and is five-years-old. She goes to Primary (Kindergarten) in the local public school every morning. Her teacher is also a qualified early childhood educator. At 2:30 she goes home with a neighbour, a regulated family child caregiver, who cares for five children in the afternoon. Her mother or father picks her up around 5:30 p.m.

Ashraf lives in Toronto. He is three-years-old and goes to a nursery school three mornings a week. His father works a night shift as a hospital orderly and his mother works at the shopping mall Friday nights and all day Saturdays. One parent is at home with Ashraf all the time except for Friday night when he stays with his grandmother. On most mornings his mother, father or grandfather takes him to the parenting and family literacy centre located in the neighbourhood school.

Carmen is twelve months old and goes to a child care centre at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg where her dad works. She is often there by 8:00 a.m. and is picked up around 5:00 p.m.

Sasha is a four-year-old with a severe disability. He can sit only with support, cannot speak, and needs to be fed. For a year, he has been in an Ottawa municipally operated child care centre where a specially trained early childhood educator provides the extra support that allows him to be part of his group. His mother and father are in the labour force.

Monica’s parents are both lawyers. Almost every day, Monica goes to a community-based child care centre that is run by a parent board. Her group of friends includes Adam, whose mom is struggling to move from welfare to work, Saima whose parents are both autoworkers, and Liam, a psychiatrist’s son.

Carlana, Ashraf, Carmen, Sasha and Monica regularly attend early childhood education programs. Although the funding, management, and administration of the programs differ, their daily environments are similar. The children have regular opportunities to play and interact with other children in an environment that is designed and guided by early childhood educators.