Lisa Murdock, Denise Webb, Regine Halseth, & Margo Greenwood
Quality care and young First Nations children: An exploration of optimal learning and development in early childhood settings on reserve
December 2025
Quality care and young First Nations children: An exploration of optimal learning and development in early childhood settings on reserve presents the results of a three-part project that the National Collaborating Centre for Indigenous Health (NCCIH) started in 2021. The project, which was part of a larger collaborative endeavour to inform and strengthen programs and policies designed to serve families with young children in First Nations communities, encompassed three qualitative studies that separately examined different elements of early learning and child care (ELCC) programming for First Nations children on reserve. All of the studies were national in scope and specific to Canada.
The first of the three interrelated studies explored concepts of quality ELCC programming for First Nations children on reserve, through the stories and perspectives shared by First Nations partners with first-hand knowledge, experience, and insight pertaining to ELCC programming in First Nations communities. The second study involved an environmental scan of existing post-secondary ELCC education and training programs and review of respective course content to determine the extent to which First Nations/Indigenous perspectives are included in ELCC practitioner training curricula. The third study covered a detailed review of ELCC legislation to identify the legislative complexities underpinning ELCC programs on reserve and resulting effects on ELCC programming in First Nations communities.
The results stemming from each of these interrelated studies offer insight into important factors that contribute to the optimal learning, development, and care of First Nations children in early childhood program settings on reserve. They reveal noteworthy practice, education, and policy gaps. They also show significant parallels between ELCC program delivery models, post-secondary ELCC education and training, and ELCC legislation and policy, mainly with respect to required practitioner qualifications and practice standards of on-reserve ELCC programs. The report concludes with six key recommendations for enhancing ELCC program practice, practitioner education and training, and legislation and regulations in First Nations communities.
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