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Completed Projects
Completed projects include:
Occupational Standards for Early Childhood Educators
Project Summary
This project focused on updating the previous set of “Occupational Standards
for Childcare Practitioners”, developed by the Canadian Childcare Federation in
2003, and was undertaken with the participation and input of over 1000 early
childhood educators (ECEs) and key stakeholders across Canada. Since these
standards were first established, the sector has evolved and developed. As a
result, the Occupational Standards were updated to ensure that they accurately
reflect the full scope of the role of ECEs and fully document all knowledge,
skills, and abilities required. The revised Occupational Standards for Early
Childhood Educators were released in Spring 2010.
* Information sessions describing “Training/Education Gaps” and “How To”
(use the standards) are now available to groups across Canada. If you have a
group that is interested in holding an information session, please contact us to
discuss possible dates and availability.
Project Outcomes
- Defined core occupation in ECEC and identified any additional or emerging
issues such as: school age care, infant care and family care.
- Increased understanding of the standard’s applications among key
stakeholders and end users.
- Increased access to, and availability of, tools designed to support skills
development in the sector’s core occupation.
- Identified perceived gaps between current training (of ECEs) and the core
occupation in ECE.
Project Activities - Complete
- Occupational
Standards for Early Childhood Educators. To download your free copy or to
order the print version, click
here.
- Task
Profile Chart for Early Childhood Educators: A resource tool
accompanying the Occupational Standards for ECEs which summarizes the
knowledge, skills and abilities in an organized chart to hang on the wall.
- “How
To” Guide: a document that describes different uses of the standards such
as job descriptions and evaluations. Information sessions describing how to
use the standards are available.
- Training Gaps Analysis: a study conducted in order to determine if the
perceptions of trainers and provincial/territorial officials on training gaps
are consistent with front-line ECEs. Information sessions on the results of
this analysis are available.
Timeframe: September 2008-June 2011
Curriculum Development for Child Care Administrators
Project Summary
The first Occupational Standards for Child Care Administrators were developed
by the CCHRSC in 2006. While many studies have identified the need for enhanced
administrator training in the early childhood education and care (ECEC) sector,
there is currently little formal training that exists.
This project is divided into two key phases; Phase I is complete, and Phase
II will begin in late 2010.
- Phase I focused on exploring the feasibility of developing a post-diploma
certificate program designed for ECEC administrators, managers and directors.
- Phase II will focus on developing an 8-course program in partnership with
colleges and universities from across Canada.
Project Outputs – Phase I
Outputs from Phase I include an action plan on how to best move forward into
Phase II - Curriculum Development - including:
- Situation Analysis: identifying existing administrator training,
curriculum gaps and priorities for potential curriculum areas
- Recommended curricula priorities as well as options to increase
portability of credentials
- Partnership agreements with educational partners
Project Activities – Complete
Key activities throughout this project included project planning such as
hiring consultants and forming a steering committee, and comprehensive research
including key informant interviews, literature review and survey of Post
Secondary Institutions (PSI). Phase II was confirmed with PSI partners.
Project Activities – Underway
CCHRSC is currently finalizing a plan of action and approach for Phase II.
Note: Activities and consultation from Phase I confirmed that developing
a program for child care administrators is feasible. As such, we will be moving
into Phase II later this year.
Timeframe
Phase I: September 2009 – July 2010 Phase II: 2010
Examining the Human Resource Implications of Emerging Issues in ECEC /
Communications Strategy Development
Project Summary
Several key issues in the early childhood education and care (ECEC) sector
have emerged or have been present for some time and now require attention. New
developments in the sector and increased importance of these issues have created
a need to focus on their impact on human resources in the sector. This project
looks at the HR impacts of the following emerging issues:
- shift to further integrate early learning (child care) and education
(school) systems;
- school-age care (for children aged kindergarten-12);
- family child care; and
- inclusion (cultural diversity, special needs).
Sector stakeholders were consulted in order to rank/prioritize the four
issues in terms of their impact on HR in the sector, and research papers were
developed on each of these areas to inform the CCHRSC’s next steps. This
information is the basis for Phase II of the project.
In addition to analyzing the HR impact of these issues, this project focused
on re-developing the CCHRSC’s Communications Strategy for the 2010-2015 period.
This project developed the Communications Strategy (2010-2015) including key
communications objectives and priorities, key target audiences and approaches
for measuring the success of the strategy, updating the previous Communications
Strategy from 2005. Because of the changing dynamics in the sector, the CCHRSC’s
Communications Strategy plays a critical role in ensuring that the organization
is connected and results-based by identifying key target audiences and the most
effective way to reach them.
Project Outcomes
This project resulted in:
- Increased understanding of the human resource implications of emerging
issues in ECEC;
- Identification of the emerging issues with the greatest impact of human
resources in the sector;
- Topics for three sector-wide forums identified as well as approaches to
delivering and measuring the success of each forum; and
- CCHRSC Communications Strategy re-developed to ensure effective
communication with the ECEC sector.
Project Activities – Complete
Key activities throughout this project included a review of CCHRSC
communication tools, and project planning such as hiring consultants, survey of
sector stakeholders and key informant interviews.
Note: The release of final project reports will occur in Phase II of the
project.
Timeframe: June 2009 – June 2010
Pathways to Early Childhood Education Credentialing in Canada
Project Summary
Requirements to work in early childhood education and care (ECEC) vary
between provinces and territories, while others have no formal system or process
in place. Often, credentials achieved in one province or territory are not
recognized in another, resulting in barriers to entry into ECEC the workforce.
Given current workforce shortages across Canada, this creates challenges. This
project analyzed how certification practices in individual provinces and
territories compare. An Online Guide to Credentialing (link) in ECEC was
developed in order to provide users with information about certification
processes across Canada, comparisons between provinces and territories and
related information.
Project Outcomes
This project resulted in ECE credentialing practices within Canada being
clearly documented and defined, and foreign credentialing and prior learning
assessment and recognition (PLAR) identified.
Credentialing Tool Kit: The final result of this project was
the creation of a “toolkit”, which includes the following:
- Pathways
to Early Childhood Education Credentialing in Canada report. This
report documents the requirements and processes used in each province and
territory to recognize an individual’s ECE credentials in order to be
considered eligible to work in that jurisdiction as a qualified ECE.
- A searchable Online
Guide to Credentialing. Users can review requirements and
certification processes to work as an ECE in their own province or territory,
as well as compare requirements between other provinces and territories.
- An Occupational Language
Analysis for the both ECE and ECE administrator role. Describes
necessary language skills - reading, writing, listening, and speaking - for
ECEs and ECE administrators.
- An Essential Skills Profile for the ECE role. Learn more about Essential
Skills.
The toolkit is useful for ECE workers, childcare licensing officials, ECE
faculty in post-secondary institutions, ECE decision-makers, government
officials, and others who are looking for ECE credentialing information.
Note: All project documents and reports were based on consultations with
key stakeholders involved in credentialing as it relates to the ECE sector.
Timeframe: March 2008-April 2010
Labour Market Information Research Agenda
The Labour Market Information Research Agenda project responds to the need
for consistent, regularly collected, pan-Canadian data on the early childhood
education and care (ECEC) workforce (as identified in the Working for Change
study). Project work focuses on developing a long-term research agenda for the
ECEC sector, designed to improve the quality and availability of labour market
information on the ECEC workforce. To develop the agenda a panel of experts
composed of ECEC researchers, labour market economists, ECEC data experts and
government representatives from federal, provincial and municipal jurisdictions
was formed. The Expert Panel and research consultant Robert Fairholm, of the
Centre for Spatial Economics (C4SE), have been working together since September
2008 to examine how data on the workforce is currently collected and recommend
ways to improve the quality and availability of future data and data collection
methods.
Anticipated Outputs Situational Analysis Report – Gathering
and Analyzing Labour Market Information and Data
This report will focus on documenting existing data sources, data
definitions, and data collection methods as well as gaps in order to inform the
expert panel and action plan.
Action Plan - Labour Market
Information Research Agenda
Based on recommendations from the panel of experts, this action plan will
recommend ways to identify and gather key labour market information and data on
Canada’s ECEC workforce.
Anticipated Outcomes The findings of this project will help to:
Improve the quality and availability of data on Canada’s ECEC workforce
Make recommendations for consistent definitions and data collection methods
Enable decision makers and the sector to accurately define, understand and
address labour market issues.
Project Activities:
Selection of the project consulting team
Selection of project advisory team
Project kick-off meeting
Formation of the expert panel
Comprehensive primary and secondary research, including:
- Situational Analysis
- Key informant interviews
- Three expert panel meetings (January, March and May 2009)
Reports and Recommendations:
- Draft Situational Analysis
- Draft Labour Market Information Research Agenda
- Portrait of
Canada's ECEC Workforce (2009)
- Gathering
Labour Market Information on Canada's Early Childhood Education and Care
(ECEC) Workforce: Data Collection Methods and Classification Systems
Timeframe: September 2008 - September 2009
Understanding and Addressing Workforce Shortages in the ECEC Sector
An accurate understanding of the workforce shortages facing the ECEC
sector is critical in order to address recruitment and retention issues. By
examining factors such as the available workforce, creation of new child
care spaces, projected birth rates, and parental employment patterns, this
project will determine the current shortages facing the sector. This
information will be used to identify innovative approaches to address these
shortages. In addition to defining, understanding and addressing workforce
shortages, this project will look at the possibility of developing a tool to
predict future shortages.
Project Outcomes:
- Current workforce shortages defined;
- Impact of current shortages on the sector, labour market engagement,
and on the economy documented;
- Innovative strategies in dealing with staff shortages identified; and
- Feasibility of developing a tool to predict future shortages explored.
Project Outputs:
Project Completion: September 2009
Supporting Employers in the Early Childhood Education and Care Sector
Project Summary
Employers are a key target audience for addressing the human resource
challenges facing the early childhood workforce. Yet Canada's early
childhood sector is diverse and contains a mix of governance models and
employment settings, with no consistent national approach. Due to the
diversity fof the sector, there is a lack of clear definition and
information at the pan-Canadian level about who ECEC employers are;, the
range of employers' human resource needs;, and how those needs can best be
met. As a result, this project focuses on:
Improving the understanding of employer governance models in regulated
early childhood education and care sector settings;
- Documenting the human resources (HR) needs of employers in different
regulated settings and contexts;
- Determining employers’ perspectives on how best to address priority HR
issues in the sector, documenting innovative tools or practices that
already exist;
- Identifying and prioritize solutions that could help employers address
human resources issues;
- Determining what tools could be subsequently developed to address
prioritized HR issues.
Project outcomes
- Range and type of governance/employer models in the
ECEC clearly identified and defined by province and territory;
- Employers' human resource needs defined;
- Innovative strategies and best practices that already exist
are identified; and
- Recommendations for moving forward on the human resource issues facing
employers developed.
Project outputs
Main
Report: This document provides an in-depth analysis of all
findings of the Supporting Employers in ECEC Project,including the results
of the literature review,employer survey, key informant interviews, focus
groups and related recommendation.
Executive
Summary: This report summarizes key findings and
recommendations from the Main Report: Supporting Employers in ECEC Project.
Provincial/Territorial
Mapping of Human Resource Issues: This report identifies the
range of governance/employer models,the size/scope of operations,and the
associated human resources issues of employers in each
province/territory.
Literature
Review: This report provides a full discussion of the key
trends and issues affecting human resources in the early childhood education
and care sector.
Employers
Models in Canada’s ECEC Sector: This document contains a
series of 14 descriptive articles designed to bring ECEC governance models
to life by exploring different programs and models from the employer
perspective.
Preliminary
Findings: This document provides a summary of the preliminary
project research findings, including the results of the Employer Survey, the
literature review, focus groups, and key informant interviews.
Project completion: February
2009
A Training Strategy for the ECEC Sector in
Canada
Project Summary
This project focuses on creating a training strategy that will recommend
ways to improve the quality of, and standardize approaches to, child
care training in Canada. The project responds to the need for a
consistent approach to child care training, as identified in
the Working for Change Study, and is a critical step to help
provinces and territories meet increasing demands for well-trained staff.
Project Outcomes
- Current training approaches and needs in each province and territory
clearly defined and documented;
- Innovative/best practices and gaps in training identified and
documented; and
- Increased awareness of training approaches, innovative/best practices,
and gaps in training among sector stakeholders.
Project Outputs
- A pan-Canadian training strategy that recommends ways to
improve the quality and consistency of ECE training and increase access
to, and use of, ECE programs.
Project Activities - Complete
Project Activities - Complete
Current activities are focussed on outreach and communication, in an
effort to share project results. They include:
- A series of face-to-face information sessions on the project findings,
being held in each province and the Yukon, and conference calls with the
NWT and Nunavut. The sessions are designed to bring together and inform
key stakeholders in each region. (October - December 2007).
- Targeted mail out of the full length Training Strategy report.
(November 2007).
- Presentation of key project findings at sector conferences and events.
(Jan - July 2008).
Project completion: December 2007
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Career Promotions & Recruitment Strategy
Project Summary
This project focused on creating a Career Promotions and Recruitment
Strategy for the early learning and early learning and child care sector.
Designed to address the recruitment and retention challenge, the final
strategy details ways to attract more people to early childhood
education and encourage skills development among the existing
workforce
Project Outcomes
- Recruitment and retention needs of employers, trainers, national and
provincial child care organizations identified and documented;
- Key challenges in attracting and retaining a skilled early learning
and child care workforce identified and documented.
- Perceptions of how careers in child care are perceived by key
influencers and potential target audiences identified and documented;
- Options for addressing recruitment and retention and skills challenge
identified.
Project Outputs
A full-length Career Promotions Strategy that:
- identifies the most appropriate target
audiences for promotional activities;
- includes viable messages about the rewards and
benefits of jobs in the sector; and
- includes an action plan that identifies
specific activities designed to promote careers in early childhood
education.
Project Activities - Complete
- A review of existing ECE career promotions material produced by
provincial/territorial governments and sector organizations across the
country.
- Key informant interviews and focus groups with:
- Employers;
- Trainers;
- National and provincial child care organizations;
- Current and former child care workers;
- ECE students;
- Guidance/career/immigrant counselors;
- Immigrants;
- Those looking to change careers/re-enter the
workforce.
Project Activities - On-going
CCHRSC is currently exploring options for moving ahead with the
implementation phase of the project. As a result the full-length strategy is
not yet available for public release. However, the full-length strategy is
being shared with key stakeholders in each province/territory via series of
face-to-face meetings and conference calls, with the goal of encouraging
dialogue and exploring next steps.
An Executive
Summary of key research findings is available.
Occupational Standards For Child Care Administrators (Phase 1 of the
Supporting Administration and Management in Child Care)
Project Summary
Canada's first set of Occupational Standards for Child Care
Administrators were developed over a two-year period and released in August
2006.
Project Outcomes
The Occupational Standards are a tool that reflect best practices in the
administration of early childhood settings and can be used in a variety of
ways:
- Employers can use the standards to identify key skill sets and job
tasks when recruiting, hiring, and creating job descriptions.
- Educators can use the standards as the foundation for developing
curricula and training programs.
- Child care administrators, directors, and managers can use the
standards to identify skills gaps and areas for their own professional
development.
- Sector organizations can use them for developing and evaluating
certification and accreditation programs.
- Governments can use them as a nationally recognized set of best
practices to inform the development and delivery of regulations and child
care programs and training.
Project Outputs
To download your free copy of the Standards, visit our HR Tools and Information page. To
order the print version, download the order form.
Summary Task Chart: Now available!
Project Activities
Focus groups with more than 160 administrators and sector stakeholders
from every province and territory contributed to the standards? development
through regional development and validation workshops.
Next Steps
Currently there are few post-secondary programs aimed at early learning
and child care administrators in Canada. With the standards now complete, a
second phase of the project is slated to begin in summer 2007. That
phase will focus on the development of curricula that can be used in
training courses and programs for child care administrators.
Labour Market Update (2004) Working for Change: Canada's Child Care
Workforce
Released in November 2004, this study profiles the child care workforce,
the environment they work in and the challenges they face. Its main sections
include:
Working for Change (2004) follows up on the findings of
the 1998 report 'Our Child Care Workforce'. Conducted over a
15-month period, the objectives of the study were to:
- Identify the changes that had taken place since the 1998 sector study;
- Assess the impact and implications of these changes on child care
recruitment, retention, and recognition; and
- Provide a forward-looking analysis for the sector to develop a
strategy to address human resources needs in the child care sector in
Canada
Drawing on key recommendations from Working for Change (2004),
the CCHRSC has developed a labour market strategy designed to guide the
long-term work of the organization.
Labour Market Strategy (2004)
Drawing on key recommendations from Working for Change (2004), the
strategy was designed to guide the work of the CCHRSC over the next five
years. The strategy provides a clear roadmap for building a high-quality
child care workforce in Canada, focusing on the following key areas:
- Sector development, to improve recruitment, retention, wages, benefits
and working conditions
- Research, to increase knowledge of labour market trends, human
resource issues and the role of the workforce
- Communications strategies, to increase awareness of the child care
workforce
- Outreach and partnership development, to create dialogue and consensus
among government and policy makers, researchers, and the education and
child care sectors
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