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Support for today’s early learning announcement

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Author: 
Various
Format: 
Press release
Publication Date: 
27 Oct 2009
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See quotes below.

"I am relieved and appreciative of the Premier's strong commitment to the early learning and care agenda for Ontario's children, even in the most difficult economic times we have ever faced. Staying the course with the investment in the early years is mission critical to our economic future, and to the health, well being and success of all our children." - Dr. Robin Williams, paediatrician and public health physician.

"The Government's announcement today to implement full-day learning is a great investment. It is a great start to moving ahead with the excellent report prepared by Charles Pascal." -- The Honourable William G. Davis, P.C., C.C., Q.C.

"Today's announcement from the Ontario government opens the way for what so many of us have been anticipating for decades, beginning to build a coherent early childhood education and care system, rather than merely applying band-aids. The Pascal report has changed the dialogue across Canada about how to go beyond just shoring up child care to creating an ECEC system to support families in the 21st century. From this perspective, today's announcement signals the beginning -- not the end -- of the process." -- Martha Friendly, Child Care Resource Unit.

"WoodGreen Community Services fully supports the recommendations in Dr. Charles Pascal's report. WoodGreen and Bruce Jr. Public School are proud to say we have already implemented this innovative model. It has been successfully running, to the delight of students, parents, teachers and early childhood educators, for more than five years. Now is the time for all Ontario families to have this choice." -- Brian F.C. Smith, President & C.E.O., WoodGreen Community Services.

"More than a decade of solid research at home and abroad shows the benefits of this direction for children's learning and development, and social savings on prevention. Healthier, better educated children are the best social and economic investment we can make, now more than ever." -- Carl Corter Atkinson Charitable Foundation Chair in Early Child Development and Education, Atkinson Centre for Society and Child Development, Institute of Child Study, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education/University of Toronto.