EARLY LEARNING AND CHILDCARE ACT OVERVIEW

Alberta’s Early Learning and Childcare Act outlines the licensing one must obtain to care for children, the province’s childcare standards and the duties of parents, teachers and social service workers. The province’s Early Childhood Education Report (2023) outlines yearly expenditures on public education, quality and standard of education and curriculum changes. To advance their public education system Alberta primarily focuses on funding and accessibility.

Some important ECE framework goals include:

• Provide a wage top-up for all certified early childhood educators (ECEs) in regulated child care.
• Increase the number of educators with Levels 2 and 3 ECE certification by 15 per cent (4,000 educators by 2026).
• Expand implementation of curriculum frameworks, standards, and tools.
• Develop an engagement plan for Indigenous families in partnership with Indigenous organisations.

ECE certifications:

3 main levels of qualification:

• Level 1 ECE.
• Level 2 ECE.
• Level 3 ECE.

Alberta’s Conservative Party’s position:

Alberta’s party in power focuses on increasing the budget spent on early education to ensure that children are protected while attending schools and are free from bullying, discrimination or any unconstitutional threats. The party believe in the power of the parents in the child’s education and supports the right for the parent to chose the direction of education for their child.

The party claims they will:

• “Benchmark the Alberta education system against leading global jurisdictions, on a continuous basis, on a wide set of educational outcomes, skills, and competencies demanded in the modern workplace.