Long abstract

About Statistics Publications & Documents Information by Country

This background report was commissioned by the Government of Canada as part of Canada’s participation in the OECD’s Thematic Review of Early Childhood Education and Care. Its purpose is to present a picture of the state of early childhood education and care (ECEC) in Canada at a pan-Canadian or national level.

The Canadian context:
Most of Canada is sparsely populated with the majority of its 30 million people living close to the United States border. Canada’s Indigenous people, and the waves of immigrants who settled in Canada, are reflected in today’s pluralistic society. Key current demographic and social trends with implications for ECEC include: (1) a declining birth rate in the population as a whole; (2) a large number of immigrants with a high proportion coming from non-European counties; (3) high labour force participation of mothers of young children; (4) an increase in the proportion of lone-parent families with young children; (5) significant rates of child poverty; (6) increased incidence of non-traditional work hours; and (7) a high birth rate in the Aboriginal community and Aboriginal urban migration.

A description of Canadian ECEC services and programs touches on 14 jurisdictions, a number of service types, many auspices and an array of goals. The state of ECEC is, to some extent, a product of Canada’s political organization, a federation. In the Canadian federal system, the arrangements between the federal government and the provinces/territories are fundamental to defining roles and responsibilities for ECEC.