FACTS ABOUT MEN IN EARLY CHILDCARE
- In Canada 83 989, children between the ages of 0-14 years old live in a single parent home with either a single mother or single father ("Early childhood education," 2004).
- In Ontario there are "486,470 single female mothers with children and 118, 175 single male caregivers" ("Early childhood education," 2004).
- According to the National Center for Education Statistics in 2003, 20% of the Elementary Schools listed had no men as part of their teaching staff. Even more dramatic were the findings that 65% of the elementary schools have no men teaching at the youngest grade levels are over 90% (Sargent, 2005).
- Of the 559 permanent, temporary and casual ECEs working at the Toronto District School Board, 541 are female and 18 are male (Irish, 2013).
- The Toronto Catholic District School Board has 196 permanent ECEs, with only four being guys (Irish, 2013).
- Susan Hartwell, an ECE instructor at Oshawa’s Durham College, said the school’s graduating class for June 2013 will include 75 women and only three men (Irish, 2013). Showing that the importance of advocating towards men is important to increase the amount of male graduates.
International Developments
Australia
New Zealand
European Union
Denmark
(Piburn, 2010)
- Males in Early Childhood Network Group was established in 2002 in Newcastle New South Wales, which organized a 'men only national conference' with their slogan "Blokes can do it as well"
New Zealand
- 30% of Men work within the Early Childhood Education sector. This is the highest percentage of men working within the field
European Union
- Only 9% of Early Childhood Professionals are men in Norway. This accounts for the highest percentage of men working in the Early Childhood Education field in a European Union country
Denmark
- Denmark was able to increase the percentage of male staff within the Early Childhood field by, 5% with infants, 9% with children from 3 to 6 years old and 25% with young children in out-of-school centers
(Piburn, 2010)