Early childhood

• Some important lessons pertain to effective ways provinces and territories can expand children’s and families’ access to early learning programs.
• Canada-wide early learning and child-care agreements established between the federal government and provinces or territories allow governments to be creative with increasing access.
• Ample evidence points towards benefits and practical ways of offering high-quality early learning programs in schools quickly and efficiently.

Relying on school infrastructure

Schools can launch early learning and care fast and well by including four-year-olds in the neighbourhood school in programs offered by the school, free of charge. These programs recognize that any fee, even $10 a day, is a challenge for many, especially those who most need the program. This approach is efficient and effective, child-friendly and family focused, and informed by a wealth of international research.

Creating more early years spaces

Ample examples exist of governments who have effectively launched school based early learning programs:
Canadian success with school-based pre-kindergarten reflects international experiences, including in the United States:

High-quality programs

• Similar lessons were learned in many schools’ move to full-day kindergarten for five-year-olds, once unheard of but now enjoyed by all but three provinces in Canada.
• As regions across Canada work to meet the expansion requirements outlined in the federal agreements, enrolment numbers for existing school-based programs for four-year-olds offer an attractive route toward creating more early years spaces.
• Read more:
  What to look for in a high-quality 'pre-primary' or junior kindergarten program

  It is not just the rate of expansion that is impressive; so too is the quality of programs.

Short- and long-term benefits

• High-quality early childhood education lowers special education rates and lessens the intensity of supports required for children with identified exceptionalities.
• Families enjoy having all their children at one site, and can sometimes also rely on busing.

Return on investment, continuity of learning

• A report from the Roosevelt Institute, a not-for-profit think tank in the United States, notes “studies of early care and education programs beginning at birth targeted to disadvantaged groups — such as children in low-income communities of color — have demonstrated significant improvements in their long-term education, health, and employment outcomes, leading economist James Heckman to estimate a 13 percent per year return on investment for similar programs.” New York’s pre-kindergarten program created 70,000 spaces in two years.
• In Australia, efforts to align programs serving three- and four-year-olds with primary grades stress the significance of learning and teaching that smooths the transition for children and families and optimizes academic and developmental outcomes.

Early learning is early education

• They need to know that their children are immersed in high-quality early learning and they do not want to be exhausted in their search for it.
• Early learning is early education.
• The federal government invested in children’s early learning and child-care because it finally accepted the wisdom of doing so — for children’s learning and development, for families’ well-being, for the economy and for communities optimal social outcomes.

• The council includes top early-childhood education leaders who have had impact in public schools, Head Start, childcare and universities.
• "Frog Street is firmly committed to delivering curriculum and supports that meet the highest educational standards and are continually improved based on input from early childhood educators and experts," said Lee Ramsayer, Chief Executive Officer of Frog Street.
• Frog Street's Advisory Council consists of 10 early childhood leaders with decades of experience in the industry, including:
  Bob Bialas, Executive VP of Children and Head Start Services, Lutheran Services, Tampa FL
  Bialas joined Lutheran Services Florida in 2019 after retiring as a United States Public Health Service (USPHS) Captain.
• The Advisory Council will attend Frog Street's upcoming Splash 2023 Conference at the Gaylord Texan Resort from July 20-22, 2023.

• Therapy and Beyond, a premier provider of ABA, Speech, and OT treatment for children with autism throughout Texas, Oklahoma, and Colorado, announces a new CEO.
• ‒Twenty-four years ago, as an ABA Technician, while attending college, I found my passion for working with children with autism,– Dr. Crone said.
• Mr. Crone shared: ‒Having been introduced into this field through my wife's passion, I have seen first-hand the difference excellent ABA therapy can make for children with autism.
• I am excited to continue to lead together as we both focus on elevating excellence both therapeutically and operationally at Therapy and Beyond."

• SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 09, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ahura AI, a leading AI learning platform startup, announced the company has been selected to The Elite 200, the distinguished list of semifinalists set to compete in the 2023 GSV Cup.
• The cup, powered by GSV Ventures, Google Cloud, HolonIQ, HubSpot for Startups, and ASU RealmSpark, will award $1MM in cash & prizes.
• Ahura AI was selected from a global applicant pool of 900+ startups across 69 countries, representing the largest and most competitive applicant pool for the GSV Cup.
• "2023 has started off so incredibly well for our team, and Ahura AI is so excited to be selected as a semi-finalist in the GSV Cup alongside so many prestigious innovators," said Bryan Talebi, CEO & Co-Founder of Ahura AI.