Daycare Facilities
Ages 0 – 5 Years
A neighbourhood program to reduce exposure to stress
Reduces stress for parents and protects children from ACES
A high-quality daycare facility provides a safe space and protects children against adverse childhood experiences (ACES) during a critical development window. A daycare facility offers a safe environment where children can play, learn, and socialize under the supervision of trained caregivers.
Evidence Base
A child’s healthy brain development depends on the family and care they receive. Without such high-quality care, the development of physical, emotional, social, behavioural, and intellectual capacities is hindered. Responsive and nurturing caregiving strengthens neural connections and reduces the risk of mental health issues (National Research Council (US) and Institute of Medicine (US) Committee on Integrating the Science of Early Childhood Development, 2000). The Perry Preschool Project was a landmark study in early childhood education that emphasized that high-quality preschool had long-term benefits with higher educational outcomes, earnings, and health (Kautz et al., 2014). Affordable and high-quality care for infants and toddlers offers an environment that acts as a strong protective factor against adverse childhood experiences like child abuse and neglect. It improves the likelihood of children feeling safe and nurtured (Michalopoulos et al., 2010), reduces maternal depression (Wickham et al., 2015), and overall parental stress (Morrissey & Warner, 2007)
Implementation
Existing or new daycare facility
Materials
Manuals, protocols and checklists for the facility
Scope of Work
Daycare facilities across the country