Explore:
Inequities in early childhood education and care (ECEC), formal education and youth training.
Test:
Novel solutions to known problems, collaborating with stakeholders.
Create:
Knowledge mobilization tools, including evidence-informed policy.
We draw on multidisciplinary insights from many fields, including economics, applied psychology and human development, and political science. We work with researchers across Canada and abroad to answer questions, develop interventions and mobilize information.
Featured Insight…
“It’s important to have windows so you can get sunlight”: Understanding children’s perceptions of quality in early childhood education and care settings
Across the globe young children are increasingly spending time in early childhood education and care (ECEC) settings. Exposure to ECEC settings is associated with positive developmental outcomes when they are of high quality. Quality rating and improvement systems...
Quantitative Analysis and Methods
Promoting equity in hiring: An evaluation of the HireNext Job Posting Assessment
The language used in job postings can deter applicants and contribute to the employment gap, which refers to high rates of youth unemployment occurring simultaneously with high levels of job vacancies. We tested youth preferences for job postings modified using a free...
Redefining Learning After COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic has reshaped our lives and how organizations serve their communities, especially newcomers to Canada. In response to these challenges, organizations in the Greater Toronto Area, including Catholic Cross-cultural Services (CCS), have moved their...
Parental Employment Effects of Switching from Half-Day to Full-Day Kindergarten: Evidence from Ontario’s French Schools
Full-day kindergarten programs are expanding across North America, driven by a policy focus on early childhood development. These programs also affect parents’ budget sets and may lead to changes in labour market outcomes. We examine parents’ labour supply response to...
Intervention Creation and Testing
Navigating Parenthood in the Pandemic: Revealing the Trade-offs of Childcare Choices Through Conjoint Analysis
Inequalities that emerged during COVID-19 pandemic highlight the need to examine parent constraints in their decision-making around work and early childhood education and care (ECEC). This paper draws on conjoint survey data from a representative sample of 976 parents...
One size does not fit all: Associations between child characteristics, differential treatment of children by educators and quality in child care centers
High-quality interactions in early childhood education settings support children's cognitive and socioemotional development. However, little is known about what explains variability in how educators interact with different children in these settings and how this...
Cultivating young minds: Exploring the relationship between child socio-emotional competence, early childhood education and care quality, creativity and self-directed learning
Creativity and self-directed learning (SDL) have been identified as two key skills that children need to develop for success in the 21st century. As such, developing such skills has become a priority. High quality early childhood and care (ECEC) can play a pivotal...
Designing Effective Policy Responses
Transformative Change in Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) or More of the Same? Child Care in the Canadian Federation
This chapter provides an examination and assessment of the changes to early childhood education and care (ECEC) policies and programs since the 2006-15 federal Harper era (Friendly and White 2012). This chapter begins by reviewing the set of policies in place during...
Selective Adoption or Comprehensive Learning? Domestic Policy Makers’ Use of International Organization and Global Management Consulting Firm Advice in Future Skills Policy Making in Canada
The fourth industrial revolution, brought about by technological innovations including artificial intelligence, automation, and advanced robotics, is already shaping many economies around the world. International Organizations (IOs) and Global Management Consulting...
Variation All the Way Down: Charting the Subnational Trajectories of School Choice Policy across and within Multicultural Democracies
The expansion of choice within and outside the public education system has become a defining characteristic of countries across the Western world. Yet comparative analyses of these policy developments at the subnational level, where the most extensive and significant...
Mailing Address
Department of Management
University of Toronto Scarborough
UTSC Instructional Centre
1095 Military Trail
Toronto, ON M1C 1A4
