NCCIH
December 2025
In 2022, the National Collaborating Centre for Indigenous Health (NCCIH) initiated the Quality ELCC programming for First Nations children on reserve study, which aimed to explore and accentuate the qualities that First Nations people value and believe are important for their children in early learning and child care (ELCC) settings on reserve. The research was one of three interrelated qualitative studies that, together, formed part of a larger project partnership focused on informing and strengthening programs and policies designed to serve families with young children (birth to six years) in First Nations communities.
This report summary provides a broad overview of the main findings from the Quality ELCC programming study. The reported results offer a general description of important factors that contribute to the optimal learning, development, and care of First Nations children in early childhood program settings on reserve. These findings are based on the stories and perspectives shared in interviews and group discussions with multiple First Nations partners with first-hand knowledge, experience, and insight related to ELCC programming in First Nations communities. More detailed results from this study — and the other two interrelated studies — can be found in the larger project report, Quality care and young First Nations children: An exploration of optimal learning and development in early childhood settings on reserve.
Read the web story | View or download the report summary (PDF)
Indigenous knowledges Parenting Child health Culture and health