This study explored Ontario early childhood educators' (ECEs) experiences and perceptions about the development of sexuality during early childhood. Sixty-four educators completed an online survey with a mix of closed- and open-ended questions; quantitative data were used to provide descriptive statistics and qualitative data were interpreted using thematic analysis. The findings underscore that ECEs observe children expressing typical sexual behaviours in early learning settings. These behaviours include self-touching, those occurring during bathroom routines and play-time, and behaviours influenced from family experiences. Varying perspectives about the purpose of sexuality education in early childhood emerged; ECEs suggested that knowledge of self, families, and being able to answer children's questions should be key areas on which to focus. Participants also discussed concerns regarding childhood sexual development. Primary concerns included parental involvement, questioning the appropriateness of sexuality education in early childhood, and the need for more professional development. Many factors affected ECEs willingness to address the development of sexuality in their practice. When asked about workplace policies that could provide guidance, one-third of ECEs did not know if a policy existed, and a further 54% stated their workplace had no policy. These findings contribute new data on ECE perceptions about preschool sexuality education in a Canadian context. The development of curriculum and policy are suggested as ways to provide systematic guidance and protocols regarding sexual and gender development. Additional training in the area of childhood sexual development is suggested to increase ECEs' knowledge and skills in guiding the development of sexuality in childhood.

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Pre-and post-service sexuality training for Early Childhood Educators (ECEs) is lacking in Canadian and international contexts. The objective of this study was to assess pre-and postservice sexuality education instruction and training needs among an ECE population in Ontario, Canada. Sixty-four participants completed an online survey, which included both closed-and open-ended questions. The survey assessed ECEs': a) perceptions of the quality of addressing sexuality and gender in early learning centres; b) current level of preparation in addressing the development of sexuality; and, c) sexuality training needs. Collectively, participants identified a variety of approaches to sexuality, spoke to themes of inadequate climates to address sexuality education, and the relational characteristics ECEs felt were beneficial for addressing sexuality and gender. Participants (65.6%) recognized the everyday opportunities in which they could engage in discourses of sexuality. Nevertheless, a lack of training to address these domains was notable, with 53.2% reporting inadequate preparation in their current role as an ECE. Findings are discussed in response to a paucity of curriculum documents, which hinders professionals' ability to adopt an emergent approach to address sexuality and gender.

Learning about sexuality is an important part of development in early childhood but is not formally considered in early learning settings. This makes sexuality education for young children both rare and inconsistent across early learning settings. The purpose of this paper is to provide a unique contribution and inform the state of sexuality education in early learning settings in Canada, which is currently an understudied area. We describe the Canadian context of sexuality education in early learning settings and examine its presence in provincial and territorial early learning frameworks. We advocate for the inclusion of sexuality education in early learning settings because it can support children’s development and construction of sexuality, is a critical factor in providing children with personal safety skills and a part of child sexual abuse prevention work, and also sets the foundation for equity and social justice in teaching children about diversity as a norm. We discuss the barriers which act to exclude sexuality education in early learning settings including a lack of curriculum and policy to guide early learning professionals in addressing and supporting this domain, fear of parent reactions, and theoretical constructions of childhood innocence. We conclude with practice and policy recommendations to move the field forward.

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