On August 10th, the federal government announced a new workforce initiative. Click in read more for details.

In January of 2024, the Ontario Ministry of Education first announced their “back to basics” kindergarten curriculum, set to be implemented in September 2025. These changes were delayed by one year, and will now be implemented in September 2026. In April 2026, the AECEO released a survey to gain insight into how ECEs are feeling about these changes, and how they anticipate the implementation may impact their role, work, and relationships. This is a report of our findings.

Available now: 2026 Ontario Budget - Response from the Ontario Coalition for Better Child Care and the Association of Early Childhood Educators Ontario

Download Budget Response in PDF

2026 Ontario Pre-budget submission from the Ontario Coalition for Better Child Care and the Association of Early Childhood Educators Ontario.

Letters to Ministers in advance of the Federal Provincial Territorial Forum on Early Learning and Child Care

In 2026, we sought to learn more about the experiences of educators by speaking directly with them. ELCC workers from both home and centre based child care programs, EarlyON Family Support Programs, the Full Day Kindergarten Program, and members of the South Asian Women’s Rights Organization (SAWRO) participated in focus groups. We asked these individuals to share experiences about their specializations. This was defined as self-motivated interests, skills, and passions that ELCC workers bring to their work that fall outside of their job description. Please click here to read the Focus Group Findings Report.

In 2025, the Association of Early Childhood Educators Ontario (AECEO) surveyed 652 individuals working in Early Learning and Child Care (ELCC). We asked qualitative and quantitative questions to better understand the experiences of early years professionals currently working in the ELCC sector in Ontario. Please click here to read the executive summary of our Listening & Storytelling Community Research. 

The following statement has been written by the AECEO in collaboration with our CARE Collectives: the Community of Black Early Childhood Educators (CoBECEs), the Student Early Childhood Educators of Ontario (SECEO), and the ECE Faculty Connect. 

This statement was written in response to Bill 33, Supporting Children and Students Act, 2025. This proposed legislation, if successfully enacted, would significantly change the Education Act, the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities Act, and the Legislation Act, among others. This legislation would apply to all of Ontario and impact the public education system, colleges, universities, and children’s aid societies, including pre-service ECEs and educators in the school board. Bill 33 is being presented as a mechanism to improve transparency, accountability, and protecting public interest.

Together with the Community of Black ECEs, the Student Early Childhood Educators of Ontario, and the ECE Faculty Connect (AECEO CARE Collectives), we have analyzed the impacts of Bill 33 on ECEs and child care workers, and children and families. The statement presents why we think Bill 33 is a matter of interest to our community, and suggests some actions you can take to share your perspective.  

Read in statement in full here. 

Following extensive consultation with Early Childhood Educators, child care workers and sector experts, the Association of Early Childhood Educators Ontario and the Ontario Coalition for Better Child Care are releasing a new publication on one of the most pressing issues holding back the successful building of the Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care System (CWELCC) in Ontario: the child care workforce crisis.

In this position paper and accompanying policy brief we describe the root causes of the current crisis and recommend a publicly funded salary scale of at least $30-$40 per hour for RECEs and at least $25 per hour for non-RECE staff as part of a comprehensive workforce strategy and compensation framework.

Read the position paper and policy brief

The AECEO’s Building Leadership and Learning Communities project aims to strengthen the ECE workforce by connecting, supporting, and empowering Early Childhood Educators and Child Care Workers. The project recently completed its second year in June 2023. An external evaluation team used surveys, focus groups, and individual interviews to determine the impact of the project and whether the project was meeting its outlined goals successfully. Their results are shared in this Evaluation Report which outlines the work of the project; creating and supporting AECEO Communities of Practice, and developing and implementing a new Professional Learning model that centers the educator and their experience. If you have any questions about this project, please contact Amber Straker, Project Coordinator, at [email protected].

The AECEO has shared a statement on Child Protection and the role of ECEs. The statement discusses a previous publication, A
Child In Need of Protection and relevant current information regarding BIPOC children in care. The statement also includes resources related to the idea of ‘cultural safety’, suggestions for further reading with books that embrace a critical lens in child protection work, and links to organizations working in this area in Ontario. Finally, the statement includes three points of refection, with questions to guide educators and allied professionals in their thinking.

Find the full statement here.