A group dedicated to early childhood education and development has released a report that shows Canada ranks close to the bottom among a group of 35 countries when it comes to early childhood education enrollment.
The report was released this week by the Margaret and Wallace Family Foundation.
Early Years Study 4: Thriving Kids, Thriving Society asks the federal government to address the issue by providing $8-billion in annualized funding.
Maraget McCain says federal investment in early childhood education is essential.
She says right now the provinces are doing all the heavy lifting and Ottawa needs to be a bigger player to meet the deficit.
Gillian Pearson of Parents for Affordable Child Care says the economic and social benefits of early childhood education are well known.
In the McCain report it’s referred to as a “double dividend” by improving high school graduation rates and better opportunities for post-secondary and the potential for higher wages.