Facts about high-quality licensed child care

High-quality licensed child care provides Ontario’s children with safe, responsive, and caring interactions that build a strong foundation for development and well-being.¹

When children are nurtured in environments where their social, emotional, cognitive, and physical health is considered, they thrive in countless ways.

High-quality licensed child care helps children develop vital skills during their first five years, which marks a critical developmental period in a child's life.

Early childhood educators (ECEs) provide children with the foundation they need to grow into future leaders. ECEs use their extensive knowledge of learning and child development to create high-quality learning opportunities through play and exploration.

Educators are trained to:

• Understand brain development and how to support healthy growth¹.
• Identify children’s developmental stages and capabilities in social, emotional, cognitive, linguistic, and physical domains³.
• Build partnerships with families to support children’s well-being³.
• Plan activities that promote learning and build on children’s current abilities and interests³.

Participation in high-quality learning environments, can help support children and their communities and to improve social, health, and academic outcomes.

Benefits for children

• Improved physical and mental well-being⁴.
• Decrease in chronic health problems⁷.
• Increased self confidence.
• Improved outcomes in literacy,⁵ math, and science⁶.
• Higher rates of completing high-school.
• Increase in conflict resolutions skills.

Benefits for communities

• Increases the number of women in the workforce.
• Decreases the need for social assistance⁹.
• Increases household income⁹.
• Decreases participation in criminal activity⁸.