Investing in Children: Ideas for Action

Summary — Future Directions

Conference participants were in agreement that the findings provided by the NLSCY will assist all sectors in advocating for change in support of the well-being of Canada's children. In evaluating the conference, most rated it highly, considered it well thought out with a good cross section of participants. To quote one attendee, “ The topics and variety of professionals gathered made an interesting blend of front line practitioners and policy makers, as well as researchers; greater collaboration between professions is desperately needed”. For another, “While the quality of research and discussion was very good, more work should be done to ensure presenters make the findings understandable to a non-academic audience”.

Information provided in this summary of future directions for policy and program development is drawn directly from the discussions held during the conference workshop sessions and reflects the opinions of the participants. The summary is divided into six broad discussion themes:

Both Universal and Targeted Interventions
Early Intervention
Parenting
Partnerships and Service Integration
Home, School and Community
Work and Income.

The discussion themes are meant to be a general summation of the workshop interactions. Necessarily there is some overlap, which is consistent with the approach of the NLSCY of measuring outcomes and supporting the understanding of factors affecting child development and well-being holistically. For a more detailed presentation of issues specific to each workshop topic, the reader is referred to the individual workshop chapters.

While the first cycle of data from the NLSCY are exceptionally useful, researchers and workshop participants caution that the early stage of this longitudinal research makes any attempt to form specific policies based on these findings premature. Ideas put forth during the workshop sessions should be viewed only as potential areas for intervention or policy support. Over the next few years patterns will emerge through the NLSCY longitudinal investigation that will reveal further insights into many of the factors associated with child well-being, and will assist researchers in addressing several critical research issues. Empirical evidence supports the measurement of progress as well as identifying gaps in knowledge leading to subsequent policy and programs/services development. It assists with planning and through the general acceptance of indicators expressed in a common way, enables initiative, both individual and collective, on behalf of children.

Theme 1: Both Universal and Targeted Interventions

Generally, there are two service delivery approaches that can be taken when providing support to children and families. Universal programs provide a broad population-wide level of support, while targeted primary prevention strategies focus on those identified to be most at risk. Discussions during the workshops contributed to the ongoing debate about which approach would be most beneficial to Canada's children as a whole.

The discussions supported the need for universal population programs that build and strengthen the capacity of all communities and families to improve outcomes for children. It was also clear that to be most effective targeted programs for at-risk families should be situated within a strong universal system. The location of effective targeted interventions, whatever the nature of the intervention, is best within a well-grounded universal system of education, recreation, social service and public health. The success of targeted interventions is dependent on having well-trained support personnel in all service areas that reach all children, with a goal of first identifying those at risk, then working with these families to reduce vulnerability. The two systems work interdependently, therefore a combination of universal and targeted programs is essential.

NLSCY research findings revealed that there exists a small but very important group of children with multiple risks for whom the likelihood of problematic development is quite high. A wide range of factors has been connected with these at-risk children and their families. Most children, including the majority of those in lone-parent families, are doing fine; however, when problems occur, they are frequently related to a cluster of characteristics that are over-represented among lone-parents, which in the majority of cases are lone-mothers. Factors such as low income, parenting problems, depression, and lack of social supports, when combined with lone-parenthood or single-mother status, were consistently associated with child difficulties. These findings have important implications for policy and program development.

In the absence of further research revealing which factors associated with single-mother status explain childhood well-being, a focus on child poverty would be an important first step. However, income support alone may not be enough. During workshop discussion, participants emphasized the importance of non-economic strategies that may enhance protective factors and act as promising alternatives or additions to economic assistance aimed at improving the life circumstances of single mothers and their children.

While certain family characteristics may provide guidance to where policy assistance can be focused, a blanketing of any one sub-group with intervention initiatives would be misguided. Healthy child development policies should be aimed at the whole population with the objective of assisting all types of families. Special initiatives for at-risk children and their families must be considered an essential component of this comprehensive system of support.

Theme 2: Early Intervention

Participants in workshops consistently confirmed that the provision of prenatal education and postpartum support services to new parents, then continuing that support for months or even years following the birth of a child, is a high priority. The early care and support provided to families will have a decisive and lasting impact on later development - including the child's physical, intellectual, and emotional growth - and for parents, will significantly enhance positive, healthy, child-rearing skills.

It was suggested that during periods of substantial economic change, young families, especially mothers often experience increased challenges that affect the children within those families. Workshop discussions clearly supported the need for early intervention strategies to encourage healthy child development. Programs and policies supporting early child development should have a universal component where first and foremost all families are supported.

Within these programs a process for the identification of those at-risk should exist so that higher need families can receive more targeted interventions. Support initiatives would include prenatal nutrition and education; home visiting programs; preschool education; mobile and satellite community programs; and community “house” and community development initiatives. In particular, home visiting to new mothers was seen as a welcome universal intervention as it would create a context in which a health professional could observe and arrange for follow-up services for those perceived to be at increased risk.

Universal screening at birth with ongoing monitoring and developmental assessments should also be made available throughout childhood at regular intervals for all children. NLSCY findings indicate that for some infants and young children, the number of risk factors to which they are exposed can be an important predictor of future problems. Early intervention to limit or modify the negative conditions in a child's life before risk factors accumulate is essential. The early years are crucial to setting the stage for social, emotional and cognitive development. Universal screening will enhance early intervention by providing practitioners with the opportunity to catch those infants most at risk.

Unfortunately, early intervention programs are not uniformly available across the country. They are not offered in all communities and where they do exist, they are not always integrated into the mainstream of community service. This is an area policy-makers must turn their attention to. The well-being of our children has its roots in this early developmental stage, particularly in the first three years of life. Investments made during this period have been proven to set the base for competence and skills development affecting life-long learning, health and behaviours, and to be more cost effective than dealing with the long-term consequences of not investing.

Theme 3: Parenting

As evidence about the influence of the family on early child development grows, a deeper understanding of the costs associated with not providing effective early prevention programs becomes more evident. Growing concerns with abuse and neglect, child hunger, and dropping out or school failure point out the need to support parents and reinforce the importance of their child-rearing roles. Workshop participants expressed concern that as a society we are woefully inadequate in preparing parents for the responsibilities of parenting. Competent parenting was viewed as critical to the healthy development and safety of our children.

Recent neuroscience research has clearly documented the importance of early brain development, and its impact on infant capacities and childhood competencies, yet the message is not always getting out to parents. Venues where parents learn about the capacities children need for development, and the importance of their role in facilitating the learning process are needed. Parents require a solid understanding of child development to enable them to provide age-appropriate supervision and establish rules that are consistent with children's maturity levels.

To provide parents with these skills, conference participants recommended support for universal parenting education programs. Parents need support to develop their skills in order to foster positive social and emotional development in their children. Classes should include ongoing skills-building components for parents to take as their children reach each new stage of development. With the demanding schedules of working parents and hectic pace of today's family life, parents must be encouraged to remain engaged with their children at all developmental stages. Though the type and intensity of parental interaction changes as children grow, the child's need for parental contact is paramount for healthy development.

All parents should have access to parenting programs. More targeted programs for those parents facing greater difficulties should also be available. Programs are best presented in a format that minimizes barriers to access (e. g. , location, transportation costs, child care, literacy levels) and encourages full participation.

What was also clear to workshop participants was that parents develop, maintain and improve their parenting abilities in the context of their lives. This context may include separation and divorce, relocation to another community or a significant change in income. It is not sufficient to focus on parent education alone, without providing support and assistance, taking into account the social and economic stresses in the lives of today's parents. Successful early prevention programs have not just concentrated on helping families with parenting, they have helped parents deal with problems in the context of their lives. Policy must be directed towards putting solidly in place those structural supports that make family life easier.

Public policies are needed to lessen the effect of poverty on child development. Families living in poverty need support through financial supplements, subsidized child care, and educational opportunities. Assistance to parents who are chronically unemployed or never employed or attempting a return to the work force are key to lifting these families out of difficult circumstances. Such comprehensive interventions would reduce the likelihood that children would be exposed to high levels of risk resulting in poor outcomes and in turn would lead to an environment in which children are nurtured. Meeting the basic needs of Canadian children, such as adequate nutrition and the security of living in a safe and happy home, is imperative.

Theme 4: Partnerships and Service Integration

Workshop participants noted that there are a multitude of excellent programs and resources available for families and children, however, they often work in isolation of each other. The issue is not always a matter of developing additional supports for families, rather, it is the challenge of turning existing supports into an effective system. Inter-sectoral and cross-disciplinary collaboration must be enhanced and innovative methods to connect prevention and intervention services need to be established. A more effective manner of delivering health and support services at the community level will reduce fragmentation of service delivery and facilitate future community linkages between service providers.

To strengthen families and improve the health and well-being of children, a community-based “system” which is comprehensive, coordinated and family-focused is required. The daily issues faced by disadvantaged families require comprehensive interdependent solutions.

The system envisioned by workshop participants was one that would provide both economic and social supports to families with young children. It will include a range of community-based supports coming from such sources as education, health, social services, recreation and the justice system. This must be a priority for the best interests of children and their families at higher risk of slipping through the safety net where the inter-sectoral links are not solidly in place. Current thinking increasingly reflects the movement from programs to systems of community-based support services for families. There is a need to develop long-term public policy leading to a better community support system.

This new approach will not be achieved until there is increased sharing of information and therefore public understanding of the importance of early childhood development. A coherent and comprehensive approach will have to build on existing community strengths and capacity and encourage leadership from the private sector, as well as the non-governmental sector and all levels of government. As child development takes place across a range of areas (cognitive, social, physical, and emotional) and through multiple, interacting environments, a broad approach is needed. For example, income support ideally is coupled with social supports, such as supportive workplaces, quality child care and safe communities. Partnerships among individuals (including parents), agencies and institutions who understand the value of working together are essential to the improvement of outcomes, and provide the greatest opportunity for success.

Theme 5: Home, School and Community

Research has often focused on the impact children's individual, family and peer characteristics may have on their healthy development. Considerably less is known about the role the child's community plays in the development process. However, workshop participants voiced concerns with regard to the instability of many low-income neighbourhoods and their inability to build a foundation for a healthy community environment. The lack of affordable permanent housing for lower income families and the impact this has on the quality of the community is an important issue. Residents who are transient are less likely to establish relationships with neighbours or have an interest in the well-being of neighbourhood children, thus decreasing the cohesiveness and safety of the community. Schools, particularly in high-risk neighbourhoods, must remain in place to support the community by acting as catalysts for community development, providing a hub for activities, and drawing residents together in support of a local cause.

Children and youth spend a great deal of time in the company of teachers. For this reason it is essential that teachers have the tools and skills necessary to support healthy child development. However, schools cannot act alone. Teachers need to be able to work in partnership with parents, mental health services, social services, recreation services and other children's services to effectively support all children in reaching their full potential. Policy must focus on building bridges between parents, teachers, and the community support services in place for children.

Workshop discussion on educational issues also centered on factors that promote school success. Given that a child's readiness to learn is heavily dependent upon his or her surroundings, consideration must be given to providing environments at home and at school that are conducive to good teaching and learning. In ideal circumstances, students will have a high willingness to learn, their parents will be very involved in their academic pursuits, and teachers will have time to provide quality instruction. Clearly these factors are interdependent and again involve the participation not only of well-qualified teachers, but also of parents and students themselves. Those who receive a quality education will be better prepared to lead productive, healthy lives.

Past research has shown that the risk experienced by many young children can be countered by what have been identified as protective factors. These factors have potential to foster resiliency in youngsters and assist them in enduring despite chronic stresses. The protective factors include: families and schools that provide a caring and nurturing environment; opportunities for children to participate and contribute to their community, and strong external support systems with a focus on the school and surrounding community. Provided with these types of support the effects of stressful circumstances are ameliorated for many children and they may even be strengthened as a result of their experience.

Discussions also focused on the availability of neighbourhood resources for children and families, and accessibility to amenities such as recreational and cultural activities. Participants agreed that efforts must be directed at reducing barriers to access such as income, transportation, equipment costs, gender or immigrant status so that every child can be given the opportunity to participate. Neighbourhood initiatives to ensure the availability of recreational spaces such as parks and community centres, the accessibility of sports programs as well as mother-toddler programs, quality child care arrangements and after school programs are essential.

With appropriate supports, many communities have the capacity to run community development projects that improve children's outcomes. Policy-makers must focus attention on the total community and the many protective factors that influence a safe and healthy community setting. As a society we must support children in the context of their families while at the same time strengthening families in the context of their communities.

Parents, teachers, community organizations and others all play a role in our children's education and development of life skills. To achieve an integrated approach that acknowledges the role of each of these actors, policy must focus on interventions that are broad, multi-layered and involve the family, community and school working together.

Theme 6: Work and Income

Of all themes that ran through the workshops, the strongest and most consistent was the link between poverty and poor child incomes, in every aspect of life — school achievement, health, problem behaviour, community cohesion, participation in sports and arts activities, family functioning. Poor children are at risk simply because they are poor. Their lives are disrupted, stressed and limited in ways that are difficult for middle-class people to imagine. Something as simple as a school outing can become an occasion for pain, stress, and difficulty.

Their parents, too, are under stress — trying to make ends meet, to find affordable shelter, to hold down shift-work or low-value jobs, or to struggle with welfare. While some parents, unusually strong and adept, raise their children capably in poverty, in many cases, stressed parents are less effective parents. Depression and family dysfunction are can be endemic among these families.

For modern-day families maintaining their standard of life often (perhaps usually) requires two incomes. Parents who work or study outside the home need child care, which itself has important implications for children's well-being. Taken in the context of child development, child care programs that involve parents of young children can influence how they relate to and care for their children, and improve outcomes.

Parents who chose to stay home with their children make real and profound sacrifices, not just of income, but also of professional advancement. The working poor face particular challenges — of unstable, low paying jobs, often involving shift work and high stress, and of trying to juggle children and work, often without private transportation. Perhaps the families under the most stress are those headed by working single parents, who must juggle all the responsibilities of homemaking, child-rearing, and work, without any respite. Again, some parents do manage well, but at what cost to themselves?

At the same time, Canada's workplace adds to the difficulty. Our current emphasis on a high-pressure high-mobility job market is apt to disrupt families by forcing parents to work longer hours and move frequently — and frequent moves are very hard on children. For example, the research shows that young people who move frequently are more likely to have problems in school, exhibit difficult behaviour and abuse substances. At a number of workshops, participants called for more family-friendly workplaces, ones that allowed employees to be more involved in their children's school activities.

As was often repeated, parents often find it difficult to balance work and family. We need to find ways of supporting parents so that they have the freedom and ability to focus more on this most essential task of raising happy, healthy children and work.

If we are truly concerned about the well-being of all of Canada's children, we must look at income security as a fundamental necessity. However, all families with children need support, whether it is high-quality child care for working parents or financial support to allow a parent to stay home or creative measures designed to provide flexibility as situations and aspirations change.

We also need to address the shortage of affordable housing, a problem that pushes the families into poverty and as they are constantly on the move in search of cheaper accommodation, disrupts their lives significantly. Cuts to subsidized and co-op housing have made the situation very difficult for low-income families; moreover, the cuts to recreation programs associated with these projects have excluding children from low-income families from these activities.

Income supplements for families with children should be considered an investment over the long term. Collaboration among governments can ensure delivery systems that respond both to the needs and choices of families with children.

Critical Research Issues

During the conference the critical research issue of monitoring and measuring the vulnerability of children was identified as key to our future understanding of child development. J. Douglas Willms, during his luncheon speech to the conference delegation, explained the significance of current work that focuses on the development of a vulnerability index. Willms cited flaws in past risk factor research that typically based results on a single outcome and provided limited insight into our understanding of the impact of multiple risk factors.

Dr. Willms has developed an index of vulnerability that is constructed of the most valid and reliable behavioural, affective and cognitive NLSCY measures across each age group. Children with low scores on the index are considered vulnerable in the sense that without some type of intervention, the outcomes or life chances for these children would not be good. Using the index, research findings have revealed that than an estimated 1.2 million children in Canada are considered vulnerable. This represents 26.3% of the child population under 12. The vulnerability index is a potential method for tracking the progress of our children over time. If we are to reduce the number of vulnerable children, who live in all income groups, family types and locations, the development and refinement of the vulnerability index is one way to continue the discussion on this critical research issue. It can provide a marker of our investment in children.

Participants commented that the effects of income appear somewhat weaker than had been expected. The explanation for this finding is believed to be largely the result of using cross-sectional data. Of the families who were reported as poor at the time of data collection in 1994, some would have been poor for long periods of time while others may have been poor for only that year. Given that membership in this income category may have been short-lived for some, the effects of income are expected to carry less impact for these individuals than for those who have been poor for some time. Therefore the use of cross-sectional data has potential to dilute the effect of persistent poverty, making it difficult to measure the true impact of poverty on child well-being.

As NLSCY data collection continues and longitudinal patterns of income are captured, it is expected that the effect of income should increase significantly. With future cycles of data researchers will be able to examine relevant questions with regard to economic security, expanding our understanding of the effects of income on families.

Longitudinal investigation will reveal further insights into many of the factors associated with child well-being. The NLSCY is a valuable resource for understanding child development issues and can be used to promote public education, dispel myths and reduce stigmatization of poor or non-traditional families. For example, NLSCY research indicates that the majority of children in non-traditional family arrangements, especially those living with single mothers, are healthy and doing well. Further investigation will examine which factors connected to single-parenthood status are most influencing child well-being and what type of policy interventions would be most effective for single mothers and their children. This would also include the measurement of factors contributing to enhancing parental capacity to raise healthy children.

Another area of future investigation is the influence of community/neighbourhood on child development. Overall, the researchers found that less desirable neighbourhoods had a higher incidence of children with lower cognitive scores and more behaviour problems. Family characteristics were found to reduce the effect of neighbourhoods on very young children, however, some neighbourhood factors remained for pre-schoolers. These findings suggest that even prior to the start of schooling, toddlers can be negatively influenced by their neighbourhood and this influence appears to increase as children grow older.

Despite strong theoretical arguments that community/neighbourhood variables are important determinants of child development, these factors have not been studied sufficiently and many questions remain. Community research is relatively new and existing indicators of community influence, especially for young children are limited.

Future cycles of the NLSCY will address such questions as what are the most important variables to measure and how do these factors influence children of all ages.

Recent research has increased our knowledge of the importance of this critical period of human development; however, in order to assess our progress in providing our children with the best possible start, there is still a further need to improve national knowledge and understanding of children's first six years of development. Another critical research area which requires attention is the examination of factors contributing to child development during the infant and pre-school years, the important indicators of readiness to learn and how they are best measured.

Work has begun at the Applied Research Branch, HRDC to frame the components of school readiness in a broader context, understanding the importance of the very early years in laying the foundation for achievement and adult success in all aspects of life. The impact of the availability of various family and community resources on later outcomes will be a feature of the research.

Final Words

There is no doubt that child development is a complex process. As researchers, policy-makers, teachers, parents and community service providers, our aim is to understand the many factors that play a role in the biological, social and emotional growing process. Being able to monitor and predict what normal development is, then determine which policies and programs need to be in place to assist those experiencing difficulties is for many of us the main objective of our work.

While findings such as those generated by the NLSCY shed light on issues, we will never have complete answers. In reality, no perfect research design exists, and in research there are always trade-offs. Limited resources, limited time, and limits on our capacity as human beings to truly understand our environment dictate these trade-offs.

The data collected through the NLSCY research initiative provides researchers with information from a sample of children that is representative of the population of children in Canada. The advantage of this large data set is in its power to facilitate comparison and statistical aggregation. For the time being, the NLSCY cannot be used to study selected issues in depth and detail, instead its strength is in its capacity to address the broader issues. At the same time, the NLSCY has several strengths allowing researchers to adopt a much different approach to analysis and improve on these previous investigations. The NLSCY contains data across a wide range of variables that in turn can be linked to other data describing the children's schools, neighbourhoods and communities. Relationships among all these variables will be examined over time.

The NLSCY will provide stakeholders with the information required for evidence-based decisions during policy formulation and will make a significant contribution to our future understanding of children's issues. It will also continue to raise many new and critical issues.

At the broadest level, Canadian society has a vested interest in making certain NLSCY findings are used to encourage dialogue, public debate and research on children's issues. We must ensure that children's best interests are a primary consideration in policies and actions that ultimately affect them. As a signatory to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, Canada has already made this commitment.

Governments are responding to these challenges through the development of the National Children's Agenda. It will initiate a process to develop a common vision for Canada's children and common concepts of goals and priorities and underscore our collective responsibility to ensure that every child has the opportunity to grow up in a healthy, caring and safe environment. Measuring child well-being and monitoring progress will be important elements of any new strategies.

The impact of the NLSCY is reflected in the many references to the Survey in research and policy documents. The Canadian Policy Research Network's Family Network supports multidisciplinary research focussed on the achievement of positive child outcomes throughout the life cycle and cites the NLSCY as providing researchers with data that will create leadership capacity in policy relevant child outcome measurement and evaluation. From a workshop to develop its two-year research project, What is the Best Policy Mix for Canada's Children? the CPRN draws on the NLSCY among other studies to propose five key developmental outcomes.

In CPRN's words, the outcomes are broad and generic enough to be relevant across a range of disciplines, yet specific enough to lend themselves to effective research and policy making. This represents a substantial shift of emphasis in how child outcomes are reported, and is largely attributable to this major new research tool.

Similarly, the NLSCY has informed the work of the Early Years Study, commissioned by the Province of Ontario in the spring of 1998 to provide options and recommendations for preparing all of Ontario's young children for scholastic, career and social success. The report emphasizes the development of the whole child and presents strategies to build comprehensive models of support, directed toward improving outcomes.

It will continue to be important not to lose sight of the goal of the Investing in Children conference to promote action based on the research findings and to develop new knowledge for the benefit of all children. is intended to stimulate further discussion on what steps can be taken by professionals, communities, and organizations across all sectors. Most importantly, the ideas generated by participants can serve to motivate and involve all of us in improving the lives of Canadian children.

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