Co-Designed Recommendations for Sustainable Quality in Early Learning and Child Care
Over the past several years, Alberta’s early learning and child care (ELCC) sector has made significant progress in defining what “quality” means, most notably through the Quality in Early Learning and Child Care: Recommendations for Action paper.
To explore the question What does high-quality inclusive, early learning and child care look like in practice, and what is required to deliver and sustain it? the Council for Early Learning and Care (CELC) convened a Co-Design Lab. On June 24, 2025, a diverse group of sector stakeholders, including senior government policy makers, parents, educators, child care operators (both non- and for-profit), researchers, and other nonprofit leaders came together for a full-day session to co-create ideas and frameworks that bring “quality” to life in Alberta’s ELCC system.
Through explorations of workforce, learning, and policy and system environments, the Lab resulted in the development of key recommendations for action. A full summary and 1-page brief are available:
The CELC wishes to thank the Stollery Foundation for grant support of the Co-Design Lab, as well as the in-kind contributions of Council members, KidsIncluded, and many others.
