Training for the Delivery of Quality Early Childhood Development Learning and Care Services In Canada: Accessibility, Portability and Career Advancement

A project of the Canadian Child Care Federation and the Association of Canadian Community Colleges funded by Social Development Partnerships, Human Resources Development Canada

Canada is becoming increasingly "connected". It is important to recognize that families and Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) personnel are moving across jurisdictions ever more frequently and that therefore, we must strengthen our capacity for portability and accessibility so that all regions and all families are served by personnel who are able to provide quality early childhood development learning and care services.

At the beginning of this 21st century, we have to ensure that the capacity is there for:

• parents to obtain comparable quality services wherever they work or study in this vast country;
• for ECCE personnel to find employment wherever they move;
• for ECCE personnel to have access to pre-service and in-service training opportunities in order to strengthen their individual capacity to contribute to quality services no matter where they live;
• for educated personnel to advance in their chosen field rather than to leave it in search of greater opportunity;
• for the organizations that support training and professional development to strengthen their ability to provide quality programs that strengthen the quality of early childhood care and education services in Canada; and
• for the whole infrastructure to be better able to provide the support and services essential to the success of the Early Childhood Development Agreement.