Blending child care and kindergarten services

In 2001, a major study by the OECD identified eight key policy elements that the analyses showed are likely to promote equitable access to high quality early childhood education and care. The second of these policy elements identified in their 20 nation study was:

A strong and equal partnership with the education system.

While early childhood education and child care have become blended – in some instances are a single program – in some other OECD countries, Canada has been slow to follow suit. However, there is now considerable interest across Canada in considering blending child care services with kindergarten programs; most recently, Ontario has made a commitment to developing a full-day program for four and five year olds. ECEC policy experts have been urging governments to use evidence about best practices in policy and programs to ensure that blended early childhood education and care programs in Canada become the best they can be.

This Issue File collects resources on the topic of blending care and education services. Information is organized by type, and then chronologically from most recent to least recent.

New materials and new topics pertinent to blending care and education will be added to this Issue File over time. Check the CRRU website for updates or sign up (on the homepage) for CRRU’s weekly e-list to be notified about new additions.

Please note: To access read-only PDFs of Starting Strong and Starting Strong II follow the links provided to the OECD Bookshop and then click on the icon of a page with an eye on it that will appear in the upper right corner of the screen.

Starting Strong II (2006)
Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, 19 Sep 06

See pp.45-72 for two chapters on ECEC program integration
- Chapter 2: A systemic and integrated approach to early childhood education and care (ECEC) policy
- Chapter 3: A strong and equal partnership with the education system

Canada Country Note
Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, 25 Oct 04

See pp.71-71 for discussion of Upstream Policy Recommendation 3: “Build bridges between child care and kindergarten education, with the aim of integrating ECEC both at ground level and at policy and management levels.”

Starting Strong (2001)
Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, 13 Jun 01

See pp126-129 for recommendations on the integration of services as a key element of successful ECEC policy:
- A systemic and integrated approach to policy development and implementation
- A strong and equal partnership with the education system

REPORTS FROM THE INTEGRATION NETWORK PROJECT

The Integration Kit: Policy papers – How can integration of services for kindergarten-aged children be achieved?
Sue Colley, Institute for Child Study, OISE/University of Toronto, 1 Sep 06

Download individual section PDFs

More information on the IN Project

REPORTS FROM OTHER ORGANIZATIONS AND EXPERTS

Toward a new pedagogical meeting place? Bringing early childhood into the education system
Briefing paper for a Nuffield Educational Seminar
Peter Moss & John Bennett, Nuffield Foundation, 26 Sep 06

Evidence-based understanding of integrated foundations for early childhood
Toronto First Duty Phase 1 Summary Report
Carl Corter, Jane Bertrand, Janette Pelletier, Theresa Griffin, Donald McKay, Sejal Patel & Palmina Ioannone, City of Toronto, 7 Jun 06

Full-day kindergarten: Expanding learning opportunities
Early Education Policy Brief
WestEd, 1 Apr 05

Early learning and care in the city: A blueprint for Ontario
Michael Cooke, Daniel Keating & Marjorie McColm, Atkinson Centre, OISE/UT & George Brown College, 2 Sep 04
SEE ALSO: Early learning and care in the city: 2005 update

STAFFING ISSUES

Starting Strong II (2006)
Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, 19 Sep 06

See pp. 157-176 for Chapter 7: Appropriate training and working conditions for early childhood education and care staff

Early education quality: Higher teacher qualifications for better learning environments - A review of the literature
Marcy Whitebook, Center for the Study of Child Care Employment, 1 Jan 03

Several previous research reviews address the relationship of teacher background and quality (Barnett, 2003a; Bowman, Donovan & Burns, 2001; Howes & Brown, 2000), and have all come to the conclusion that the presence of BA-level teachers with specialized training in early childhood education leads to better outcomes for young children. (pg. 1)

MODELS INTGEGRATING CARE AND EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION

Sweden

In 1998 responsibility for the Swedish preschool was moved from the Ministry of Health and Social Affairs to the Ministry of Education and Science. Preschool received its own curriculum and became the first step for children into the overall education system.

Pre-school in transition: A national evaluation of the Swedish pre-school
Swedish National Agency for Education (Skolverket), 1 Jan 04

Integrating early childhood into education: The case of Sweden
UNESCO Policy Brief on Early Childhood, number 3
United Nations, 1 May 02

OCED Thematic Review of ECEC: Sweden country note
Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, 1 Dec 99

See pp. 26-29 for discussion of Structure, Organization and Cohesion or ECEC Services.
“As teachers of pre–school children, teachers of the pre–school class children, and teachers of the compulsory school children increasingly work together around curricular issues, a new culture of understanding of children’s development across the age span is being advanced." (pg. 26)

MATERIALS AVAILABLE IN PRINT ONLY

A new deal for children? Re-forming education and care in England, Scotland, and Sweden
Bronwen Cohen, Peter Moss, Pat Petrie & Jennifer Wallace, The Policy Press, 1 Jun 04
- Ordering information

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This list in not intended to be an exhaustive examination of this topic; for a more comprehensive list, search the Childcare Resource and Research Unit resource library catalogue Childcare Information Resource Collection (CIRC).