Series 12 - Early Years Studies

Series consists of records relating to Dr. Mustard’s involvement with the Ontario’s Early Years Studies. The first study, commissioned by the Ontario Government, was co-chaired by Dr. Mustard and the Honorable Margaret Norrie McCain, former New Brunswick Lieutenant Governor. The results were published as The Early Years Study - Reversing the Real Brain Drain in April 1999. The study looked at the social determinants of human development and health, and argued that interventions in early childhood (before the age of 5) could lead to great impacts later in life.

A second report, Early Years Study 2: Putting Science into Action, was published by the Council for Early Childhood Development (see series 13) in 2007, with Dr. Stuart Shanker joining Dr. Mustard and McCain as author. A third report, Early Years Study 3: Making decisions, taking action, was co-authored with McCain and Kerry McCuaig and published only a few days after Dr. Mustard’s death, in November 2011.

The series is organized into 5 categories. First, administrative records include agendas, minutes and meeting notes, planning files and other records documenting the work of the study. Second, the series includes correspondence and memos issued by the group. This correspondence especially documents the group’s interactions with various government departments at the federal and provincial levels. The next grouping of records, which were labeled “communities consulted,” consists of files on various community groups across Ontario who the group visited and consulted with over the course of the study. Files are organized alphabetically by location and consist primarily of general information (brochures, information packages) on community groups promoting early childhood development. The next category consists of file on various organizations who were a part of the study, including the Peel Child Care Committee, Royal Conservatory of Music, George Hull Centre for Children and Families, and the Ontario College of Family Physicians. Lastly, the series contains various reports, drafts and feedback from the first two studies.