This paper presents an ecological approach to the study of day care, addressing the interaction of such factors as the developmental needs of children, the role of family structure, and the impact of governmental funding and regulatory policies. (Author/LMO)

Reflects upon experiences with the First Nations' Partnerships and the European Commission Child Care Network to argue that efforts to understand quality care have been insufficiently sensitive to socioecological and cultural factors related to defining and assessing quality. Argues for a reconceptualization of early childhood care, and presents…

In order to describe early childhood care and education in Canada and to discuss some related political realities and issues, this overview paper is divided into four sections. The first section concerns the use and administration of early childhood programs, including some discussion of the cultural and linguistic realities confronted by Canadian…