Canada should spend more on early childhood education, new report says

Canada risks its competitiveness if it fails to invest in the learning and development of the country’s youngest children, according to a new report that is calling on the federal government to spend more on universal early childhood education.

The report, being released on Thursday by the Margaret and Wallace McCain Family Foundation, found that Canada ranks almost at the bottom of Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries – 33rd out of 35 – for the number of children aged 5 and younger who regularly attend an early childhood education program. That means only one in two children attend a program.