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. 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.

Federal and provincial governments have embarked on a major undertaking to build systems of early learning and child care across Canada that meet high standards for quality, affordability, accessibility, inclusion, and flexibility. The success of this plan—the Canada-Wide Early Learning and Care (CWELCC) initiative—will depend partly on whether changes to early learning and care meet the needs and expectations of parents. To learn about parents’ views, the Alberta Parent Survey on Early Learning and Child Care was conducted in 2022 with over 1400 parents in Alberta with young children. The present report, the third in a series based on this survey, is focused on accessibility. Parents’ Views About the Accessibility of Early Learning and Child Care in Alberta includes detailed findings and recommendations for optimizing the way in which the CWELCC is implemented in Alberta.