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Excerpt: "A new Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) is currently in development to replace the existing DSMV-IV. One of the changes proposed is in the diagnostic criteria for autism and related conditions.... The risk with the change in the definition of ASD is that some families will no longer be recognized as having rights associated with disability categories. All Ontarians have the right to accommodation on the basis of disability and a diagnosis allows parents to more readily claim these rights. As an example, one of the most common reasons for children to be asked to leave an ECE setting is because of their behaviours. If a child has a diagnosis of autism, the parents can use this diagnosis as leverage to get supports rather than being excluded from the service."

Excerpt: "Ontario Budget 2012 makes no overt changes to early learning. Full day kindergarten moves forward as planned to embrace all children by 2014. Its unique educator team remains intact. The Government should be commended for rejecting the narrow mindedness of Drummond’s recommendations. The back-story however has some twists. A $75-million reduction in education capital grants will crash into the need to build or refurbish classrooms in schools where there is no space for the remaining influx of 100,000 children during the final phase of the rollout. Most early childhood educators in kindergarten classrooms do not yet work under a collective agreement. Public sector wage controls leaves them, and new all ECE entrants, immobilized at the starting gate...."

The Early Years Study 3 documents the social, economic and scientific rationale for increased investments in early childhood education.

The Abecedarian model of early learning and child care has been introduced in the Lord Selkirk Park housing development. The model "will include a curriculum that promotes literacy and language development, in addition to a family resource centre."

Focused on changes for early learning professionals and the importance of relationships between families, practitioners, and organizations.

Measuring and monitoring quality in early childhood and care programs can help to inform research, policy development, and program practice.

Excerpt: "To include s. 2.1 under Elementary School Classes – Requirements Respecting Size. This section provides class size provisions for full-day junior kindergarten and kindergarten, clearly identifying an average class size unit of 26 pupils."

Excerpt: "While the company’s website suggests that Edleun centres are focused on improving the quality of the early childhood system, research consistently shows that for-profit programs provide lower quality child care. The rationale for using for-profit operators is typically to reduce the onus on government, legitimized as being more innovative and cost effective. Research suggests however that non-profit or publicly owned programs are consistently found to provide higher quality services (Cleveland, 2008, Penn, 2010). The Australian experience demonstrates how a corporate child care monopoly can hold government ransom with regard to oversight, reduced regulations, and increasing parental fees."

The Ministry of Education, Early Learning Division announced an interim policy regarding capital funding to replace child care spaces in replacement schools. The funding would affect "child care spaces for children aged 0 to 3.8 years old located in schools that are scheduled to close or to be rebuilt."

On February 8, 2012, Kerry McCuaig, Atkinson Fellow Early Childhood Policy presented on the Early Years Study 3: Making Decisions, Taking Action at a Human Development and Applied Psychology Colloquium. The Early Years Study 3 documents the social, economic and scientific rationale for increased investments in early childhood education. It also introduces the Early Childhood Education Index to monitor the funding, policy, access and quality of early education programming.

Excerpt: "The Full-Day Early Learning-Kindergarten Program (Draft 2010) has been in draft form for the first two years of implementation of the Full Day Kindergarten program, during which time the Ministry of Education has been accepting informal feedback. This response is written as part of the formal two-part review process being conducted by the Ministry.... This critical phase of reviewing and revising the Full-Day Early Learning-Kindergarten Program provides a valuable opportunity to reflect on the document’s strengths and areas for improvement."

On January 11, 2012, the Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development announced a plan "to reorganize school districts; increase parents’ involvement on district education councils; and to pay chairs and members of these councils."