The Canadian Child Care Federation (CCCF) is a national, non-profit, membership-based organization led from a volunteer board of directors. The mission of CCCF is to improve the quality of child care for all Canadian families. Its members include 200 child care organizations, 350 direct service programs and 1,000 individuals.

This brief was developed under the direction of the board of directors. Four documents that informed the brief throughout - The National Statement on Quality Child Care, Issues in Post-Secondary Education for Quality Early Childhood Care and Education, National Child Care Policy Statement and Proceedings from the National Forum on Guiding Principles for Quality Child Care in Canada - were the result of extensive consultation. A working committee, chaired by executive member Joanne Morris, drafted the document. Members of the working committee were: Dianne Bascombe, Karen Chandler, Gillian Doherty, Sylvia Fanjoy, Sandra Griffin, Clarence Lochhead, Christine McLean, Sina Romsa, Diana Smith and Maria de Wit.

Phase 1

The working committee met in October to identify key issues and messages to be reflected in the brief. Members of the committee subsequently wrote background papers as the basis of the document:

• Karen Chandler: Voluntary Accreditation and Program Evaluation; Parental Involvement
• Gillian Doherty: Standards of Practice
• Sandra Griffin: Professional Development and Certification
• Clarence Lochhead: Social Policy, Social Development and Child Care
• Christine McLean: Regulations, Standards and Monitoring
• Sina Romsa: Training.

Phase 2

Twenty-five "key informants" representing all provinces and territories were selected for one-hour telephone interviews to inform the brief's themes and issues. In addition, 14 other key informants completed detailed questionnaires. Responses were analyzed for consensus and concerns. Representatives of the following affiliate child care organizations then met with the CCCF Executive to confer on the policy directions and recommendations: Early Childhood Educators of British Columbia, Early Childhood Professional Association of Alberta, The Saskatchewan Child Care Association, The Manitoba Child Care Association, Association of Early Childhood Educators (Ontario), Home Child Care Association of Ontario, Association of Early Childhood Educators of Newfoundland and Labrador, Early Childhood Development Association of P.E.I., Early Childhood Coalition Petite Enfance (New Brunswick), Yukon Child Care Association, Certification Council of Early Childhood Educators of Nova Scotia.

Phase 3

This brief is a "work-in-progress" and consultations will continue.

Accreditation:

voluntary process by which a representative body, recognized by the field, establishes standards of practice and evaluates services against these standards

Certification:

mandatory process ensuring that individuals have completed minimum training requirements as established by government regulation

Child care: 

non-parental care of children aged 0-12 that may be offered:

• in a child's home, usually referred to as "nanny care"
• in a caregiver's home, usually referred to as "family day care" and may be licensed or unlicensed
• in a child care centre, on a half-day or full-day basis in the following categories: infant care (usually under 12-18 months); toddler care (usually 12-18 months to 2.5-3 years); preschool care (usually 3-5 years); and school-age care (usually 5-12 years)

Child development

"process of change in which the child learns to handle more complex levels of moving, thinking, feeling and interacting with people and objects in the environment. For a child to develop in a healthy and normal way, it is necessary that the basic needs of protection, food and health care be met along with basic needs for affection, interaction and stimulation and learning through exploration and discovery. "(UNICEF)

Formal child care:

see regulated child care

Informal child care:

see unregulated child care

Licensure:

mandatory process ensuring that child care services meet minimum standards established by government regulations

Regulated child care:

services that are monitored for compliance with government regulations

Standards of practice:

guidelines for caregiver behaviours and programs characteristics associated with optimal child development

Unregulated child care:

services that are not monitored by government

¹ Sparrow Lake Alliance (1993). The Primary Needs of Children: Effective Health Promotion at the Community Level, Working Paper for the PromotionIPrevention Task Force: Author.

² National Forum on Family Security (1993). Family Security in lnsecure Times, Ottawa: Canadian Council on Social Development.

⁵Steinhauer, P.D. (1993). Youth in the 80s and 90s -A Fifteen Year Trend: Where Do Be Go Next?, Unpublished, Toronto.

⁸Howes, C. (1988). Relations Between Early Child Care and Schooling, Developmental; and Psychology, Vol 24 No. I.; Vandell, D.L., Corasaniti, M.A. (1990). Variations in Early Child Care: Do They Predict; Subsequent Social, Emotional and Cognitive Differences?, Early Childhood Research Quarterly, Vol. 5.; and Vandell, D.L., Henderson, W.K., & Wilson, K.S. (1988). A Longitudinal Study Of Children With Day Care Experiences of Varying Quality, Child Development, Vol.59.

⁹ Relations Between Early Child Care and Schooling, Developmental; and Psychology, Vol 24 No. I.; Vandell, D.L., Corasaniti, M.A. (1990). Variations in Early Child Care: Do They Predict; Subsequent Social, Emotional and Cognitive Differences?, Early Childhood Research Quarterly, Vol. 5.; and Vandell, D.L., Henderson, W.K., & Wilson, K.S. (1988). A Longitudinal Study Of Children With Day Care Experiences of Varying Quality, Child Development, Vol.59.

¹⁰ Vandell, D.L., Corasaniti, M.A. (1990). Variations in Early Child Care: Do They Predict Subsequent Social, Emotional and Cognitive Differences?, Early Childhood Research Quarterly, Vol. 5.; Howes, C. (1988). Relations Between Early Child Care and Schooling, Developmental Psychology, Vol 24 No. 1.

¹¹ Balageur, J., Mestres, J., & Penn, H. (n. d.). Quality in Services for Young Children: A Discussion Paper, European Commission on Childcare Network.

¹² Child Care Employee Project (n.d.). Who Cares? Child Care Teachers and the Quality of Child Care in America. Berkley, CA: Child Care Employee Project.

¹³ Katz, L. & Goffin, S. G. (1990). "Issues in the Preparation of Teachers of Young Children", Early Childhood Teacher Preparation. B. Spodek & 0. Saracho (eds.), New York: Teachers College Press.

¹⁴ Canadian Child Day Care Federation & Child Care Advocacy Association of Canada (1993). National Child Care Information Network: Feasibility, Study, Ottawa: Canadian Child Care Federation.

¹⁵ Finkelstein, B. (1988). "The Revolt Against Selfishness: Women and the Dilemmas of Professionalism in Early Childhood Education", Professionalism and the Early Childhood Practitioner. B. Spodek, O.N. Saracho, & D. Peters (eds.), New York: Teachers College Press.

¹⁶ Honig, A. (n.d.). Parental Involvement in Early Childhood Education (Revised), Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children.

¹⁷ Honig, A. (n.d.). Parental Involvement in Early Childhood Educa[ion (Revised), Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children.

¹⁸ UNICEF (1993). The Progress of Nations, New York: Unicef House.