On July 6th 2023 , the Jimmy Pratt Foundation released its fourth discussion paper on the early years in Newfoundland and Labrador. “Making Space: 2023 Roadmap on Early Learning and Childcare” which proposes 5 pathways supported by researchers and advocates that would help the government create more regulated spaces rapidly.
While there are many possible strategies for building a publicly-funded Early Learning and Child Care (ELCC) system, this document focuses on 5 priority areas especially relevant to Newfoundland and Labrador – retaining the ELCC workforce, building the public system, introducing Junior Kindergarten, leveraging the school system, and developing targeted strategies to increase rural and Indigenous childcare spots.
The Roadmap was developed for parents, advocates, educators, policymakers and others who are working towards a universal system of Early Learning and Child Care in Newfoundland and Labrador. It summarizes decades of research and lessons learned from all over the world as they are relevant to our province’s context.
These priority areas have emerged from the Jimmy Pratt Foundation’s engagement with the ELCC sector and the broader community sector. They have also been informed by the Foundation’s Steering Committee – a committee of 10 parents and educators from across Newfoundland and Labrador. The priority area on Indigenous Early Learning and Childcare is guided by the discussions of the NL Indigenous Early Learning and Child Care Working Group, an informal meeting that the Foundation convenes in partnership with the Assembly of First Nations Office of the Regional Chief (Newfoundland & Nova Scotia).
About the Jimmy Pratt Foundation
The Jimmy Pratt Foundation’s vision is that Newfoundland and Labrador is a place where all children and youth will thrive, even in the face of adverse circumstances.
The Jimmy Pratt Foundation has published three discussion papers on the early years in NL: “The Early Years Last a Lifetime” (2013), “Growing Education Down to Include the Early Years” (2014), and “Let’s Get it Right! Early Childhood Education for the Next Generation” (2022). With input from the Jimmy Pratt Foundation, the provincial government established integrated governance within the Department of Education in 2014 and implemented full-day kindergarten in 2015.