BIZARRE: 4 - What They Never Told You

The European Commission on Wednesday proposed raising non-binding targets for early childhood education and guaranteeing affordable long-term care services in a bid to support the sector and improve women's participation in the labour market.

Childcare workers across Australia are planning to walk off the job today, saying increasing demands and wages barely above the minimum have them at breaking point.

High-quality early childhood education and care services provide children with warm and nurturing interactions and ample opportunities for children to play, foster their intellectual and emotional growth and develop important social skills.

Celebrations greeted Thursday’s co-ordinated announcement by the NSW and Victorian governments that they will invest $6 billion and $9 billion, respectively, to provide 30 hours a week of play-based learning for all children in the 12 months prior to primary school. It’s a promising indication of growing public and political…

Early childhood education and care is facing serious staff shortages in Australia. Thursday’s announcements by the New South Wales and Victorian governments that they will provide an extra year of education for three-and-four-year-olds (by 2030 and 2025 respectively) will only add to these pressures.

Experts urge other states and territories to follow NSW and Victoria in early childhood education reforms.

To the untrained eye, the small community garden on Coast and Straits Salish territory — on what passersby commonly know as the University of Victoria campus — might look unruly. Bursting with dandelions, lamb’s ear and grasses, it’s difficult to tell where the garden starts and where it ends.

A report released April 13 by University of Toronto researchers highlights what many in the early learning and child-care sector have long known: Canada’s early childhood educators (ECEs) are undervalued, underpaid and under-resourced. Unless governments get serious about addressing their working conditions, a Canada-wide child-care plan will be derailed.