early learning and child care – News, Research and Analysis – The Conversation

Articles on early learning and child care

March 2, 2026

Good‑quality child care? What parents should consider, and how it can be assessed

Michal Perlman, University of Toronto

The quality of educator-child interactions is among the strongest predictors of children’s developmental and learning outcomes.

January 5, 2025

Kylie Ridder, Murdoch University

They’re crying, but you have to leave and get to work. You spend the rest of the day feeling absolutely wretched. Sound familiar?

June 30, 2022

Samantha Burns, University of Toronto; Calpanaa Jegatheeswaran, University of Toronto; Michal Perlman, University of Toronto; Petr Varmuza, University of Toronto, and Sumayya Saleem, University of Toronto

Stable child care can protect kids in the face of major life stressors — so should subsidy policies.

Michal Perlman
Professor of Applied Psychology and Human Development, University of Toronto
Calpanaa Jegatheeswaran
Doctoral Student, Developmental Psychology and Education, University of Toronto
Sumayya Saleem
PhD Student, Developmental Psychology and Education, University of Toronto
Samantha Burns
Ph.D. Student, Developmental Psychology and Education, University of Toronto
Petr Varmuza
Assistant Researcher, Perlman Lab, Ontario Institute for the Studies of Education, University of Toronto
Kylie Ridder
Lecturer in Early Childhood Education, Murdoch University