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The Centre for Excellence in Child Care, founded in 1995, has a new name - Family Day Innovation Centre. The goal remains the same - "to improve the quality of child care through funding and support for research projects and professional consultation with other organizations".
Operating under the direction of the Board of Directors, the Family Day Innovation Centre is a 'virtual entity', supporting projects that can be described as discovery-based, knowledge-building, collaborative, rigorous and credible - activities that enhance creative program design, both theoretical and practical.
Our Focus
In everything we do, our priority continues to be to enhance the nurturance, health, education and development of young children and their families. We are actively seeking out partners, including post-secondary educational institutions that share our vision; funding will be available to assist with selected projects.
Current Projects
- Ryerson University, Master of Arts in Early Childhood Studies
In September 2006, the Centre called for research proposals from the inaugural class. A grant to support thesis research has been awarded.
- Research Support
The Centre is supporting a student's Master's thesis work at OISE/UT - "Informal Learning and Quality Child Care Practices among Regulated Home Child Care Providers in Toronto".
Past Initiatives
The Centre for Excellence in Child Care has supported three major initiatives:
- Quality in Home Child Care Settings: A Critical Review of Current Theory and Research
By Irene J. Kyle, Ph.D.
This paper critically reviewed current Canadian, European and US research with a view to summarizing what was known about quality in home child care and considered a number of the characteristics that make home child care unique. More specifically, it examined how quality is defined and measured and identified the key factors essential for its implementation. The paper concluded with a summary of lessons learned from the research and proposed an ecological framework for evaluating quality in Ontario. more
- International Conference on Child Care, 2002
This academic meeting was a joint venture of the Centre for Excellence in Child Care and the University of Guelph.
- The Elora Partnership
The Elora Partnership is a consortium of children’s services providers from across Ontario focused on the development of an effective model for the accreditation of home child care providers. The Partnership includes Family Day Care Services, Toronto, Macaulay Child Development Centre, Toronto, Network Child Care Services, Toronto, Andrew Fleck Child Care Services, Ottawa, Today’s Family, Caring for Your Child, Hamilton, and The Region of Waterloo Home Child Care Program. more
Contact
For further information, please contact Lorraine McLeod, Director, Development and Programs at innovationcentre@familydaycare.com |
