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…
Teaching Interpersonal Problem-Solving Skills to Young Children in Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) Settings: An Integration of Evidence
Problem-solving has been identified as a critical 21st-century skill. This review integrated evidence on the effectiveness of existing approaches to teaching and assessing problem-solving in an interpersonal context (IPS) for children from birth to age six, in early...
Quantitative Analysis and Methods
The Income Gradient in College Enrolment and Graduation
Parental income is still the strongest predictor of a students’ likelihood of pursuing higher education. Can policy solutions even the playing field? This report analyzes the most promising interventions.
The Apprenticeship Pathway
Hiring more immigrants may solve Canada’s labour shortage in the skilled trades—while also providing more equitable wages for newcomers.
The gender pay gap in Quebec
Our research with IDQ uncovers pervasive socio-economic trends that hinder women in Québec from obtaining pay equity.
Intervention Creation and Testing
Improving young children’s peer collaboration in early educational settings
Peer collaboration is a foundational skill that emerges in early childhood. Children spend significant time in early educational settings, making it an important setting where young children can learn how to collaborate with peers. However, research on how to support children’s collaboration effectively is limited and findings in this area have been inconsistent.
Teaching home-visitors to support responsive caregiving
Home-visiting programs are a common and effective public health approach to promoting parent and child well-being, including in low- and middle-income
countries. The World Health Organization and UNICEF have identified responsive caregiving as one key component of the nurturing care children need to survive and thrive.
Nonetheless, the importance of responsive caregiving and how to coach it is often overlooked in trainings for staff in home-visiting programs.
Can a Brief Professional Development Improve Early Childhood Educators’ Responsivity and Interaction Quality in Childcare Centers?
High-quality early childhood education and care (ECEC) – particularly care defined by highly responsive interactions between educators and children – has the potential to have lasting positive impacts on children’s development. While there is variability in the level of quality among early education and care settings, professional development for early childhood educators has been shown to be an effective means to improve both ECEC quality and child outcomes.
Designing Effective Policy Responses
Material Circumstances and Pandemic-Related Education Choices
Parents have faced difficult decisions regarding their children’s educational plans throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Drawing on the findings of an original survey of parents from four Canadian provinces (British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario, and Quebec), this paper examines the influence of parents’ material circumstances on decision-making around schooling in September 2020 and June 2021.
Ontario As A Case Study For Modernizing Home Child Care Licensing And Support
Focusing on Ontario as a key case given its population and particular licensing model, we propose a model of licensing which would bring HCC in line with requirements in child care centres and ensure all HCC providers are licensed and monitored. Recognizing that licensing alone does not guarantee quality child care, we propose a system of program supports to accompany licensing.
What Do Parents Want In Terms Of Early Childhood Education And Care?
In the development of early childhood education and care (ECEC) policy, it is important to understand parents’ decision-making in terms of both preferences and pragmatic constraints.
Mailing Address
Department of Management
University of Toronto Scarborough
UTSC Instructional Centre
1095 Military Trail
Toronto, ON M1C 1A4
