Influential Canadian Leaders Unite in Support of Quality Early Childhood Education

MONTREAL--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- 22 influential Canadians have signed an open letter calling on leaders from all sectors to join them in supporting early childhood education as a nation-building investment in Canada’s future.

The letter highlights the broad and lasting benefits that quality early learning and childcare services contribute to Canada. These benefits begin with children developing stronger cognitive, social, and physical skills that improve school readiness; extend to families by enabling more parents to participate in the workforce and contributes to a stronger, more productive economy.

“A very small percentage of Canada’s population is aged five and younger, yet this group represents 100 percent of our future,” said Catherine Haeck, Scientific Director, Groupe de Recherche sur le Capital Humain. “Giving children a strong start in life is both a sound economic investment and socially responsible. Quality early childhood education helps children develop the foundational skills and competencies to succeed in our digital age.”

The letter grounds its case in established science and Canadian data rather than general advocacy, arguing that quality early learning pays off on three fronts: child development, family stability and economic productivity.

The science behind a strong start

“The first five years are a critical period for brain development, with nearly 90% of brain growth occurring before a child starts school,” said Dr. Viviane Poupon, President and CEO of Brain Canada. “Experiences in that developmental period help lay the groundwork for how children think, adapt, and build connections with others throughout life.”

As a result, quality early childhood education provides children with safe and stimulating environments in which they can explore, move, play and form relationships. Play-based learning helps develop attention, working memory, language, problem-solving, cooperation, and emotional self-regulation, supporting confidence, adaptability, persistence and resilience. These competencies form the building blocks of school readiness.

Research consistently identifies school readiness as a strong predictor of later educational outcomes. For example, a Canadian study that tracked over 25,000 students from kindergarten through secondary school confirmed that cognitive aspects of readiness in kindergarten predicted math achievement in Grades 3, 6, and 9 (Ameli et al., 2026, Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science). The research utilized Canada’s Early Development Instrument (EDI) to demonstrate that holistic school readiness is the single most critical foundation for long-term student success.

Children can develop and thrive with appropriate support at any stage. However, strengthening the foundations early can improve educational and health trajectories while reducing the need for more costly interventions later.

"Quality early childhood education is not a silver bullet, but the evidence is clear that the early years offer an extraordinary opportunity,” said Emis Akbari, Executive Director of the Atkinson Centre, University of Toronto and Professor and Program Coordinator at the School of Early Childhood at George Brown. “Through responsive relationships with well- trained educators and active, play-based learning, children develop the ability to focus, manage emotions, adapt to new situations, solve problems and connect with others. These are the building blocks of resilience and success in school and life.”

A Workforce and Productivity issue

Reliable childcare lets parents enter, return to or expand their hours in the workforce, raising family incomes and tax revenues. The effect is most pronounced for women, who carry a disproportionate share of caregiving responsibilities. Economic research shows that the economic and social benefits for each dollar invested to be significant.

The signatories emphasize that outcomes depend on quality, built on three pillars:

Well-trained and well-supported early childhood educators
Safe, stimulating and inclusive environments
Learning through play

By removing a significant barrier to employment, accessible and dependable childcare can increase women’s workforce participation, improve families’ economic security and help employers recruit and retain skilled workers.

Quality early childhood education supports the economy in both the present and the future. It increases workforce participation today while helping children build skills that support future learning, employment, health and economic contribution.

“Quality childcare gives parents confidence that their children are learning and developing in a safe, stimulating environment,” said Anne-Marie Hubert, former Eastern Canada lead EY. “It also makes it possible for more parents—particularly women—to participate fully in the workforce. For Canadian employers, families and the broader economy, these benefits are closely connected.”

Putting evidence into practice

The letter's release coincides with progress on a fundamental element for delivering that quality standard. Funded by the private sector, B2ten's Active for Life initiative runs the Learn Through Active Play program, which trains childcare educators to integrate active play into daily programming. A controlled study by a research team associated with Mount Royal University (2018–2020) followed 600 children across 39 childcare centres in Alberta and British Columbia and found improvements in focus, language, problem-solving, movement and emotional self-regulation. A subsequent pilot across 210 centres and post-secondary institutions in Quebec, Ontario and Nova Scotia found 93 per cent of educators rated the training valuable, 89 per cent applied it directly, and 99 per cent said it respected the early childhood education profession. The program now being deployed across Canada and recently reached over 1,000 childcare centres, with a goal of 5,000.

“The science is only valuable when it's translated into everyday practice,” said Richard Monette, the executive director of B2ten's childcare initiatives. “Early childhood educators do extraordinarily important work. For us, it is important to support them by sharing practical tools and professional support at no cost, to help more children experience movement, play and human connection that contribute to a strong start in school and life.”

A call to leaders across Canada

The letter concludes with a direct appeal: “We invite leaders from all sectors to join us in supporting quality early childhood education; a nation-building investment in Canada's future.” The complete open letter and list of signatories are available at http://givekidsastrongstart.com

About B2ten

B2ten is a privately funded, not-for-profit organization that has invested tens of millions of dollars to help Canadian amateur athletes, national sport organizations and their sport professionals achieve success at home and on the international playing field, while also advancing sport governance and safe sport.

Active for Life, B2ten’s social initiative, was launched in 2012. It provides free resources to help educators and parents raise active children. Its free professional development program for early childhood educators called Learn Through Active Play contributes to children’s early development and well-being.