Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Our children are our future. The way we care for them in their earliest years will have impacts that will last for the rest of their lives.

Education, Culture and Employment is proposing implementation of junior kindergarten, taught by elementary school teachers who will be encouraged to take course work in early childhood education. But the literature on early childhood education emphatically demonstrates that the success of junior kindergarten depends upon high quality

programs delivered by fully trained early childhood education workers.

Kerry McCuaig, Fellow at the Atkinson Institute, and the junior kindergarten implementation consultant for the Minister of ECE, has written that the requirement for high quality programs is “non-negotiable.” She summarizes evidence that show the higher the quality of the program, the better the outcomes for children, and the quality of the program depends on the quality of the workforce. Research also shows that low quality programming could have a detrimental effect and actually delay the healthy development of our children.

Early childhood programs need to be provided by early childhood educators who have a solid understanding of the developmental considerations and needs of children under five and who are trained to work with these young children and their families. Education, Culture and Employment must ensure that there is at least one fully trained early childhood education worker for every community junior kindergarten group or class.

Early childhood education is a profession. If we are putting our precious young children – our future – into their care, we must give these educators the full recognition, wages and professional development that we give to teachers in our schools.

Aurora College should immediately implement a training program that graduates fully qualified early childhood education workers that meets federal standards. Our children, families and communities need them.

If quality of junior kindergarten programs is an essential condition for success and fully trained early childhood education workers are a requirement to meet that condition, then no junior kindergarten group or class should go ahead without at least one qualified early childhood education worker. Mahsi.