Investing in Quality: New Strategic Plan to Benefit Children Who Fill Nearly 3,000 Local Child Care Spaces
Written by admin, June 15, 2015
June15, 2015 – Investing in Quality (IIQ) Early Learning and Child Care Peterborough is a collaborative partnership between the early learning and child care sector, the City of Peterborough Children’s Services and Peterborough Public Health. This committee is working together to advance quality in early learning and child care in the city and county.
Our local childcare sector is comprised of 54 licensed child care programs, including centre-based programs, school age programs, and two licensed-home child care programs, a Family Support Program, a Special Needs Resourcing Program and two First Nations Child Care Programs. These programs support a total of 2,905 licensed child care spaces, with approximately 300 Educators and six Child & Family Centre Hubs.
Quality is an integral piece of the Ontario Early Years Policy Framework. To support Ontario’s vision for the early years, the IIQ initiative is supporting the need for high quality, inclusive care and intentional environments that are safe and engaging for all children. IIQ has provided quality improvement opportunities for licensed child care and early learning programs in the City and County to participate in, including knowledge transfer, promotion of best practices and professionalism.
Recently the committee engaged our local child care community in strategic planning that will help guide the committee’s course for the next three years. The focus will be on professional learning and mentorship.
Alex Cranfield IIQ Interim Chair explained that “by working together to promote quality, we can ensure the well-being of all children. It is essential to demonstrate that we embrace practices and procedures that are free of barriers, so that no one is disadvantaged.”
For more information on Investing in Quality (IIQ) Early Learning and Child Care Peterborough, please visit: http://www.investinginquality.ca/
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For further information, please contact:
Alex Cranfield
IIQ Interim Chair
705-748-2237 ext. 204
acranfield@fivecounites.on.ca