The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
A new report shows how dramatically the family environment in which young children are growing up in Canada has changed over the last two decades. The report was released along with the announcement of a new agreement between The Honourable Jane Stewart, Minister of Human Resources Development, and the Honourable Tim Sale, Chair of the Government of Manitoba's Healthy Child Committee of Cabinet and Minister of Energy, Science and Technology. The report, called A New Generation of Canadian Families Raising Young Children, takes a look at data from national surveys. "It is absolutely essential that our children get a solid start in life. When children have what they need in the early years, it means better lives for them and a more prosperous future for the country. That's why the Government of Canada, in collaboration with provincial and territorial governments, is investing heavily in early childhood development," said Minister Stewart. A New Generation of Canadian Families Raising Young Children summarizes and analyses government, academic and other research findings on child development since 1980. The report shows that today's young children are born into many different types of families. Many children Ð as early as in the first five years of their lives Ð experience a significant change in their family circumstances as their parents separate, divorce or remarry. Research showed that sustained, quality child care provides important benefits to all children, especially those in low-income families. Overall results demonstrate that improved vocabulary development is among those benefits. Results also showed that parents continue to have the largest impact on the outcomes of their children, through parenting and child-rearing decisions. In September 2000, the Government of Canada and provincial and territorial governments reached an agreement to improve and expand the services and programs they provide for children under six and their families.
