Media advisory - Early education for all - making it happen

TORONTO, Oct. 16, 2012 /CNW/ - October 22-23, 2012 - Researchers and policy makers are meeting here in a two-day symposium to examine the best ways of delivering preschool education to all Canada's children. International and Canadian experts will present the latest evidence on effective program policy and practice to government officials from across Canada and the three northern territories.

Featured are the results from the final report of Toronto First Duty.  Led by Dr. Carl Corter, TFD is a 10-year demonstration that became the model for full day kindergarten in Ontario and consolidated child and family programs in New Brunswick. Dr. Janette Pelletier of the Institute for Child Studies, University of Toronto shares the promising findings for the first graduates of full day kindergarten in Peel Region.

Renowned international expert Edward Melhuish, University of London, highlights the extensive lessons generated from the UK's Effective Provision of Pre-School Education study, which tracked outcomes for 4,000 preschoolers who attended various types of early childhood programs.

Tove Mogstad Slinde, Chair of the OECD's Network on Early Childhood Education and Care presents on a decade of monitoring early childhood policy in its 28-member states, including Canada.

Craig Alexander, Senior Vice President & Chief Economist with the TD Bank Financial Group, evaluates the cost-benefits of public funding for early childhood education.

All sessions take place in the first floor Library at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, 252 Bloor Street West, Toronto.

The conference is hosted by the Atkinson Centre, University of Toronto and the George Brown College School of Early Childhood.

The full program is available at http://www.oise.utoronto.ca/atkinson.

SOURCE: Atkinson Centre, University of Toronto

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