Community-driven. Culturally Responsive. Equitable Participation. Action oriented.

The Evaluation Capacity Network (ECN) is a partnership of diverse researchers, funders, practitioners and community organizations across Canada. Through dialogues with stakeholders in the early childhood field, we learned that individuals and organizations want to develop more meaningful evaluations, connect to expertise and resources, and use evaluation results more effectively. In response, our network formed with a collective desire to build capacity to do and use evaluation in the early childhood field to improve day-to-day practices, programs, and policies for the wellbeing of children, families, and communities.

Decades of research show that the early years are a time of both promise and risk. Early childhood experiences impact all aspects of development (i.e., cognitive, physical, social, behavioral, emotional, and academic), and early supports can promote long-term positive development. Advancing evaluation practices in the early childhood field, as well as the sectors that support and intersect the early years (i.e., health, social serving, education, early learning and childcare), is critical to understanding how we can best support children during their developmental years.