Early childhood education and care

Our early life experiences shape who we are and set the stage for who we become.

A woman helps a young girl with Down Syndrome to fingerpaint.
A young boy in a yellow sweatshirt and rubber boots walks across a fallen log while holding onto an adult’s hand.

Vulnerability in early childhood

The Early Development Instrument (EDI) is a questionnaire completed by senior kindergarten teachers in the second half of the school year. The EDI measures children’s ability to meet age-appropriate developmental expectations at school-entry in five domains: [1][2] 

  • physical health and well-being 
  • social competence 
  • emotional maturity 
  • language and cognitive development 
  • communication skills and knowledge about life and the world around 

Children are considered “vulnerable” if they score below the tenth percentile of the overall Ontario population on any of the five domains.

1 in 3 senior kindergarten students in our community are vulnerable in at least one developmental domain
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1 in 3 senior kindergarten students in our community are vulnerable in at least one developmental domain

Without adequate support, children who are struggling in early childhood are at risk for difficulties later in life. [2] Targeted and universal efforts to support healthy development in early childhood are necessary to help all children reach their developmental potential.

An icon array shows the proportion of senior kindergarten students in Guelph and Wellington County who were vulnerable on at least one Early Development Instrument domain in 2018. For a full description of the graph, refer to the “Read graph as text” section.
In 2018, 1 in 3 senior kindergarten students in Guelph and Wellington County were vulnerable in at least one developmental domain. An icon array shows the proportion of senior kindergarten students in Guelph and Wellington County who were vulnerable on at least one Early Development Instrument domain in 2018. Three young children are pictured: one is coloured dark blue (representing the senior kindergarten students who were vulnerable) and two are pale grey. Source: County of Wellington Social Services
Two young girls at a child care centre play with wooden toys together.

Adequate child care provision

In Ontario, licensed child care settings (home and centre-based) must meet specific requirements. These requirements are designed to ensure the health and safety of children in care—as well as promote early learning and development. [1] 

Adequate child care provision means having enough licensed child care spaces for all children that need a space.

Licensed child care spaces are available for less than half of all children in our community
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Licensed child care spaces are available for less than half of all children in our community

Not all families want to enrol their child in licensed child care. For example, some families choose to provide care themselves. However, for families who do want licenced child care, limited spaces make it challenging to access care that meets their needs.

An overlapping bar graph shows the number of licensed centre-based child care spaces compared to the population of children age 0 to 3 years in Guelph and Wellington County. For a full description of the graph, refer to the “Read graph as text” section.
In 2022, licensed child care spaces were available for less than half of children age 0 to 3 years in Guelph and Wellington County. An overlapping bar graph shows the number of licensed centre-based child care spaces compared to the population of children age 0 to 3 years in Guelph and Wellington County. The y-axis shows the geography, and the x-axis shows the number of child care spaces and children age 0 to 3 years. The bars representing child care spaces are coloured dark blue and overlap the population bar, coloured pale grey. For both Guelph and Wellington County, the child care spaces bar less than half the length of the population bar. Source: County of Wellington Social Services; Statistics Canada
Library books on a shelf.

References

  1. Equity from the Start. (n.d.). What is the EDI? Offord Centre for Child Studies. 
  2. Equity from the Start. (n.d.). Outcomes. Offord Centre for Child Studies.
  1. Ministry of Education. (2025, January 13). Operating a licensed child care program. Government of Ontario. 
An open drawer in a card catalog.

Data sources

County of Wellington Social Services. (2021). Early Development Instrument, 2018. Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Report Card Coalition [Distributor]. Retrieved December 4, 2024

County of Wellington Social Services. (2022). Licensed child care spaces, 2022. Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Report Card Coalition [Distributor]. Retrieved December 4, 2024. 

Statistics Canada. (2022). Census profile, 2021 census of population. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 98-316-X2021001. Retrieved February 26, 2024. 

 

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