Policy Researcher, Atkinson Centre, Ontario
Daniel Foster is a policy researcher with expertise in early childhood education, labor market dynamics, and education policy. Holding a Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology and Education from the University of Toronto, he has led evaluations of national childcare policies and contributed to influential reports, including the Early Childhood Education Report 2020. In his previous role at the Ontario Ministry of Education, he analyzed large-scale education data to inform policy development and system management. His research has shaped government strategies on childcare accessibility and early learning programs. Daniel has also co-authored evaluations of flexible childcare initiatives and led several research studies on the impacts of early education policies on families and children.
Retired Professor of Special Education, Memorial University of Newfoundland, Newfoundland
David Philpott is a retired Professor of inclusive education and a respected researcher, knowledgeable consultant and articulate advocate for healthy child development. During his 40-year career in education he has been at the forefront of informing societal approaches to supporting vulnerable children and empowering their families. David is passionate about a range of topics relating to child development, with noted experience in areas such as inclusion, early child education, and childhood disabilities. His contributions to education and policy development have been significant and he continues to create and mobilize knowledge to inform public policy.
Executive Director, Abilio – Childhood Knowledge Dissemination Centre. Universities of Montréal and Laval Montreal, Quebec
Dominique is the Executive Director of Abilio – Childhood Knowledge Dissemination Centre, a non-profit organization that brings together the Centre de Psycho-Éducation du Québec (CPEQ) and the Centre d’excellence pour le développement des jeunes enfants. She holds a master’s degree in psychoeducation from the University of Montreal and has more than 15 years of experience working with vulnerable families as a psychoeducator at the Laval Health and Social Services Centre. Since 2014, she has also taught at the University of Quebec in Montreal. Before assuming her current role, Dominique served as assistant director at CPEQ, where she contributed to advancing evidence-based practices in child development and parenting support.
Dominique est la directrice générale d’Abilio – Centre de diffusion des savoirs sur l’enfance, une organisation à but non-lucratif qui regroupe le Centre de Psycho-Éducation du Québec et le Centre d’excellence pour le développement des jeunes enfants. Elle détient une maîtrise en psychoéducation de l’Université de Montréal et a travaillé pendant plus de 15 ans avec les familles vulnérables comme psychoéducatrice au Centre Intégré de Santé et Services Sociaux de Laval. Depuis 2014, elle est chargée de cours à l’Université du Québec à Montréal. Avant d’accepter le poste de directrice générale, Dominique était directrice adjointe du CPEQ, où elle a contribué à faire progresser les pratiques fondées sur des données probantes dans le domaine du développement de l'enfant et du soutien parental.
Professor of Economics, Department of Management, University of Toronto, Ontario
Elizabeth Dhuey is a Professor of Economics at the University of Toronto whose research focuses on the economics of education, with a particular emphasis on early childhood education and childcare policy. Her work evaluates the design and impact of childcare systems, highlighting their role in equitable access to early learning, maternal labour force participation, and social mobility. She has collaborated with municipal and provincial governments to assess and strengthen childcare programs as tools for equity and poverty reduction. Elizabeth also contributes to public scholarship, including articles in The Conversation that underscore the role of childcare policy in economic recovery and long-term societal well-being. Her broader research examines the financing of special education, school-entry age policies, and the relationship between education system design and child development outcomes.
Executive Director, Atkinson Centre. Professor and Program Coordinator, School of Early Childhood George Brown Polytechnic, Ontario
Emis Akbari is the Executive Director of the Atkinson Centre and a Professor at George Brown Polytechnic’s School of Early Childhood, where she also coordinates the Early Childhood program. Her research focuses on early childhood policy and systems, with a strong emphasis on the ECE workforce as a pillar of quality. She is the co-author of the Early Childhood Education Report, which tracks early learning and child care policy across Canada and internationally. Emis also co-leads the Knowing Our Numbers project, examining the status of the ECE workforce in Ontario. She holds a Ph.D. in developmental behavioural neuroendocrinology from the University of Toronto and serves on the scientific advisory committee for the Encyclopedia on Early Childhood Development.
Associate Professor and Tier II Canada Research Chair in Early Childhood: Diversity and Transitions, Faculty of Education, Department of Child and Youth Study, Mount Saint Vincent University, Nova Scotia
Jessie-Lee McIsaac (she/her) is an Associate Professor within the Faculty of Education and Department of Child and Youth Study at Mount Saint Vincent University. McIsaac holds a Tier II Canada Research Chair in Early Childhood: Diversity and Transitions and directs the Early Childhood Collaborative Research Centre (ECCRC) which engages families, as well as partners in policy and practice, in research to enhance early childhood well-being. McIsaac’s research aims to amplify child, family, and community voice by evaluating early childhood policy innovations and co-designing solutions that support child well-being. Specific community-based projects include highlighting the unique experiences with Black/African Nova Scotian and newcomer communities using qualitative and arts-based methodologies.
Senior Policy Fellow in Early Education, Atkinson Centre, Ontario
Kerry McCuaig co-developed and produces the Early Childhood Education Report, which tracks provincial/territorial progress in early years program development. She co-authored Early Years Study 3, Making Decisions, Taking Action with Margaret McCain and the late Fraser Mustard. Kerry has had a long involvement in early childhood policy including as a founder of Toronto First Duty, a pioneer in the integrated delivery of early childhood programming. She supported similar integrated ECE service models in Atlantic Canada. She has authored several publications, including those commissioned by the Senate of Canada, the Toronto Board of Trade, and the governments of Manitoba, New Brunswick, the Northwest Territories, British Columbia, Ontario and the City of Toronto as well as reports for labour, women’s and community organizations. Kerry is a frequent speaker at national and international conferences.
Executive Director, Jimmy Pratt Foundation, Newfoundland
Kim Dreaddy, BSc, MEd, PhD(c), is the Executive Director of the Jimmy Pratt Foundation. She has dedicated her 35-year career to helping improve the lives of marginalized people in her home province of Newfoundland and Labrador, and across Canada. Kim applies the principles of social justice to her professional and academic work, striving to create change at the systemic and community level. Her work has spanned various sectors, including gender-based violence, housing and homelessness, education, mental health, and addiction. In her current position, she is working to broaden the evidence base and inform public policy on early education, inclusion and early childhood educator workforce rights.
Chair, Research Department, School of Health Sciences and Community Services, Red River College, Manitoba
Coming soon.
Professor, Coordinator George Brown Polytechnic; Vice President Canadian Association for Social Justice Education
Shelly Mehta is a Professor and Coordinator in the School of Early Childhood Education at George Brown Polytechnic and Vice President/Co-Chair of the Canadian Association for Social Justice Education (CASJE). Her work focuses on amplifying historically silenced narratives of students, children, families, and communities through anti-racist and liberatory frameworks grounded in counter-storytelling and strength-based pedagogy/andragogy. She is co-author of the ECE Report 2023, and co-lead of the ECE Faculty CARE Collective at the AECEO. Her recent projects look at social justice and AI integration in education.
Associate Professor, Department of Geography, Memorial University, Newfoundland
Yolande Pottie-Sherman is an associate professor in the Department of Geography at Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador. Her research focuses on immigration, diversity, and demographic change, with a particular emphasis on how these dynamics shape Canadian cities. She is currently examining the intersections of housing, immigration, and care infrastructure, including the role of immigration in Canada’s early learning and child care workforce. Her work has been supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada and international research institutes, and she has collaborated with scholars across disciplines to inform both academic debates and public policy. A committed public scholar, Yolande has advised Global Affairs Canada on the International Education Strategy, delivered invited talks to the Canadian Bureau of International Education, and contributed to national media discussions on migration and policy. She holds a Ph.D. in Geography from the University of British Columbia.
