A group of 22 prominent Canadians from business, health care, academia, philanthropy, and public life has signed an open letter calling for greater support for quality early childhood education and care across Canada.

The initiative, Give Kids a Strong Start, describes quality child care as a nation-building investment that benefits children and families while strengthening Canada’s workforce and economy.

The letter’s signatories include business and community leaders, health and education experts, former athletes, and other prominent Canadians. Together, they are calling on leaders across sectors to recognize the importance of investing in high-quality early learning and child care.

Child Care Is Economic Infrastructure

The initiative highlights a growing body of research demonstrating that investments in child care generate benefits that extend well beyond individual families.

Accessible, high-quality child care can increase workforce participation, particularly among women, by making it possible for more parents to enter or remain in the labour market. For employers, access to reliable child care can also support employee retention and satisfaction while reducing absenteeism.

These benefits contribute to greater economic activity and government revenues, helping offset the public cost of providing early learning and child care.

This message is particularly important as Canada continues implementing and expanding the Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care system. Making child care more affordable has significantly increased demand, but affordability must be accompanied by sufficient spaces and a strong early childhood education workforce if families are to benefit fully.

An Investment in Children

The letter also emphasizes that child care is about much more than enabling parents to work.

High-quality early childhood education supports children’s physical, emotional, social, and intellectual development during a critical period of their lives. Quality programs include well-trained educators, safe and stimulating environments, and opportunities for play-based learning.

The benefits can extend well beyond the early years. Investments in early childhood education have been associated with improved outcomes for children and can contribute to greater stability for families and reductions in social inequality.

A Message for Canada’s Leaders

Perhaps the most notable aspect of the initiative is the breadth of people making the case for child care.

The 22 signatories include leaders such as Stephen Bronfman, Dr. Ronald Cohn, André Desmarais, Jennifer Heil, Candace Laing, Scott McCain, Peter MacKay, Mark Mulroney, Kim St. Pierre, and Kim Thomassin, among others.

Their message is straightforward: quality early childhood education and care should be viewed as an investment in Canada’s future.

As governments consider the next phase of child care policy in Canada, the conversation cannot focus on affordability alone. Canada also needs sufficient spaces, qualified and well-supported educators, and sustainable investment to ensure that families can actually access high-quality care.

Building that system will require participation from governments, employers, community organizations, educators, and other sectors.

Quality child care is good for children. It is good for families. It is good for employers and the economy.

And that makes it an investment in Canada.

Read the open letter and learn more about the initiative:
https://givekidsastrongstart.com/