Paving the road to the future

For those of you rolling your eyes about the Throne Speech's commitment to early learning and childcare, I see you. But I also see how the pandemic has opened up the possibility of a breakthrough in progress towards a goal that has been out of reach for half a century.

The thing we need to keep all our eyes on now is not just how much and how fast the feds spend, but how they spend it. Quantity is lacking, to be sure; but we can't get to where we need to go without quality baked into the results we are looking for.

We have an opportunity to build an early learning and child care system, or simply expand a market. One buys change, the other props up a dysfunctional status quo. Like everything else we've learned during the pandemic, it's our choice.

Here’s a step-by-step guide to paving the road to the future, starting right this minute.

P.S. Check out the Globe and Mail for a great, quick read on celebration or cynicism, and why there may be reason for both, by Kerry McCuaig and me.

Find me on Twitter @ArmineYalnizyan, and on Instagram @futureofworkers.

The Atkinson Fellow on the Future of Workers is supported by the Atkinson Foundation. Find more information here.