NCCIH

Infographic - ELCC legislative complexities for on-reserve early childhood programs and First Nations children

December 2025

This infographic summarizes legislative complexities that influence the regulation, licensing, funding, quality, and cultural appropriateness of reserve-based early learning and child care (ELCC) programs for First Nations children. It offers recommendations based on these complexities to support promising ELCC practice, practitioner training, and policy-making. The information in this infographic comes from a study of provincial and territorial ELCC legislation and regulations across Canada. This study is one of three interrelated studies completed by the National Collaborating Centre for Indigenous Health (NCCIH) that, together, focus on informing and strengthening programs and policies designed to serve families with young children (aged birth to six years) in First Nations communities. For more information about this study, see the companion 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 infographic (PDF)