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Backgrounder - Investing in Early Childhood
Toward a Healthy Future: Second Report on the Health of Canadians summarizes
the most current information we have on the health of Canadians and the
factors that influence or "determine" health. It suggests several priority
areas for action in the new millennium. One of these is the need to increase
our investment in young children, from conception to age 6.
Highlights
- Experiences from conception to age 6 have the most important influence
of any time in the life cycle on the connecting and sculpting of the
brain's neurons. Positive stimulation early in life improves learning,
behaviour and health right into adulthood.
- A loving, secure attachment between parents, caregivers and babies
in the first 18 months of life helps children develop trust, self-esteem,
emotional control and the ability to have positive relationships with
others in later life.
- Infants and children who are neglected or abused are denied the stimulation
and nurturing they need in the early years. This puts them at higher
risk for behavioural, social and learning problems throughout the life
cycle.
- Readiness for school is an important indicator of developmental maturity
and future success in school. In 1996-97, approximately 15% of preschoolers
arrived at school with low cognitive scores; 14% had high scores in
behavioural problems. Children from safe, more economically secure neighbourhoods
and whose mothers had higher levels of education were most likely to
have better scores.
- A healthy childhood begins before conception. Positive prenatal nutrition
and other personal health practices, as well as social support to pregnant
mothers, can help reduce low birthweight and other problems associated
with birth. In 1996, 5.8% of all live births in Canada resulted in low
birthweight babies (a total of 21,025 babies).
- Despite a parliamentary resolution in 1989 to eliminate child poverty
by the year 2000, the number of young children who lived in low-income
families increased from one in five in 1990 to one in four in 1995.
These proportions are higher in Aboriginal and recently arrived immigrant
communities, and in families headed by very young parents and women
who are single parents.
- Children in low-income families and neighbourhoods are at higher risk
than children who grow up in families with higher incomes for infant
death and low birthweight. They are more likely to experience developmental
delays and injuries, and to be exposed to environmental contaminants
that have a negative effect on health.
- Research shows that even families with higher income sometimes have
children who experience difficulties. The greatest proportion
of children who experience difficulties are found in the bottom 20%
of the socioeconomic scale. However, due to the large size of the middle-class
in Canada, the number of children not doing as well
as they might is greatest in the middle socioeconomic group.
- Many parents, especially mothers, are highly stressed by time pressures
as they try to balance work and family responsibilities. Low wages,
part-time work without benefits and shift work make it particularly
difficult for young parents to spend time with their children and to
obtain high-quality childcare when they are at work -- without compromising
their ability to provide the financial means required to support and
raise healthy children.
Taking Action
With nurturing and consistent support in later years, many children can
overcome early disadvantages. However, the preferred strategy is to prevent
problems by providing all children with the social and physical environments
they need to thrive. The majority of children and families, including
those in the middle- and upper-income groups, could benefit from an integrated
early child development strategy that includes increased economic security
and parenting support. This strategy should build on existing policies
and programs that involve parents, respect diversity and community autonomy,
and have shown themselves to be successful.
Traditionally, communities, governments and the private sector have invested
more time and money in the later years of childhood than they have in
the first six years of life. Given the importance of this stage of development
on future health and well-being, and the current time and economic pressures
on young parents, we need to make at least the same investment in the
early years.
Supporting optimal child development in the early years will require
direct action by the health sector, as well as collaboration with other
public sectors (e.g. education, social services and finance) and the many
people and institutions that affect child development (e.g. families,
schools, communities, workplaces, other governments and the media). Ensuring
a continuum of early stimulation and learning opportunities will need
to be coordinated with entry to school at the junior or senior kindergarten
level.
Young children deserve to be loved, protected and valued for who they
are. Over time, investing in our youngest citizens will also bring major
benefits to Canadian society. We will be raising a healthy population
that is optimally prepared to deal with the challenges of a global economy
and a changing society in the new millennium.
For More Information
Toward a Healthy Future: Second Report on the Health of Canadians was
developed by the Federal, Provincial and Territorial Advisory Committee
on Population Health in collaboration with Health Canada, Statistics Canada,
the Canadian Institute for Health Information and the Centre for Health
Promotion, University of Toronto. The full text can be found on the Health
Canada Web site: http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca
Printed copies of the Report are available from Provincial and Territorial
Ministries of Health or from:
Publications
Health Canada
Tunney's Pasture (AL 0900C2)
Ottawa, ON K1A 0K9
Telephone: (613) 954-5995
Fax: (613) 941-5366
E-mail: Info@www.hc-sc.gc.ca
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