EYS2 Q&A
What’s new in this report?
- The largest number of at-risk children are those from middle class families, the largest percentage are children from poorer families
- We know that all children start out with similar potential but their access to programs and early support varies significantly
- We have been able to identify communities that are making a difference compared to other similar communities
- The report documents the chaotic patchwork of services that has no standards, entry point or coherence for early child development
What have we learned from this new report?
- We continue to learn in greater detail the importance of the first three years
- This study highlights how the brain is formed in the very early years and what strategies can be used to mitigate certain problems at a point in time when the brain is more able to be shaped
- This early shaping of the brain then sets the trajectories for later brain development
- The nurturing relationship between parent and caregivers and child is critical
- The importance of play to learning
- How problems can be identified earlier and corrective action taken at a fraction of the cost (time and resources) of waiting until they are at school
- Stress and emotional relations are a critical part of the shaping of a child’s life trajectory affecting not only learning but physical and emotional health
- The developmental stages in the early years are the building blocks for later development
How do we compare to other jurisdictions?
- The OECD puts Canada last on a per capita expenditure of OECD countries
Was the federal budget helpful?
- We have no problem with more money but we really need something more fundamental
- We need a change in thinking – government leaders who support and are willing to commit to Early Child Development strategies.
- We need a partnership between the family and the community. More funding to allow these partnerships is needed.
What should the government do with this report?
- All levels of government must work together with communities and families to build a network of support for families that take into account stay at home parents and parents that are in the work place
- Canada needs a quality, universal, accessible and developmental early child development system
- The Council for Early Child Development believes that these programs should be linked to the school system because it is the one institution that is devoted to children and already based in communities across the country
- Early child development must be seen as a key underpinning of a successful, prosperous and democratic society
- Business and all members of society must be committed to early child development
Isn’t raising a child the responsibility of the family?
- Yes, but as a society, we have a vested interest in supporting the family and recognizing that families are different and unique and that we need to offer a range of services — not a one size fits all approach
- A proper Early Child Development program must meet the needs of stay at home parents and parents who are at work
- The Early Child Development programs are not designed just to meet the needs of the parents but also the very important needs of the child
What works in Early Child Development?
- There are a number of excellent programs that have emerged since the last report
- Bruce Public School in conjunction with Woodgreen Community Centre is a very exciting example of how a school, community and neighbourhood work together
- There are other inspiring examples of this across the country happening in communities from BC and Alberta, to Quebec and Nova Scotia
- These are community initiatives where people are coming together to see how they can improve. These have been inspired by the first Early Years Study.
Has there been any progress since the first report?
- The report documents examples across the country of communities looking at their programs and trying to incorporate the principles outlined in this report
- Manitoba has established Healthy Child Committee of Cabinet
- Toronto First Duty has brought a range of service providers—from the city, education, and various other service providers—together to develop a service plan
- British Columbia, Manitoba and Ontario have all established community tables that bring together service providers to improve service delivery and co-ordination – this is a good first step
- “Getting it Right at 18 Months” in Niagara Falls is a program that links children at 18 months and their families with public health to assess the child’s health and their stage in development. It then links the family to community resources
- In Hamilton, schools are developing child development and parenting hubs for children with language needs. These changes are paying off with improved school performance
- These are the small but meaningful first steps in breaking down silos and moving to a new model
What have other people said?
“…we as a society have progressively increased public funding for secondary schooling, and similarly for PSE …while largely leaving it to families to bear the cost of ECD. From an economist’s perspective, this trend is inefficient.”
- David Dodge, Bank of Canada
“During the Early Years Study we were confronted by the array of services – child care; drop-in play groups; nursery schools; kindergarten; head start; family resource and parenting centres among others. It may sound as if the field is covered but in fact it was scattered with disconnected poorly resourced programs. Few parents knew what services existed or what they did.”
- Hon. Margaret Norrie McCain
“It is to our collective advantage to promote the understanding of early brain development research…and to ensure the values of early child development become embraced as an integral component of the education of every child, just as traditional schools are currently”
- Ted Whiteland, President, Canadian Association of Principals
“If Canada is to succeed in forging a creative economy; we cannot afford to waste the talents of a single Canadian. In this context, Canada needs to reduce the financial burden of raising children and preparing them for productive lives as global citizens. The federal government should start by reducing the steep clawback provisions of the Canada Child Tax Benefit that penalize families with modest incomes and by providing new support for child care.”
- Thomas d’Aquino, President, Canadian Council of Chief Executives, 2006
‘The new century is increasingly favouring a workforce consisting of individuals who are intellectually flexible, skilled at problem solving, emotionally resilient and well able to interact with others in constantly changing social environments and highly competitive economies. Maximizing human potential is more important and necessary than ever before.”
- Mary Eming Young, World Bank, 2007
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