Federal-Provincial-Territorial Meeting of Ministers responsible for Social Services

Introduction  

First Ministers, with the exception of the Premier of Quebec¹,  agree on the importance of supporting families and communities in their  efforts to ensure the best possible future for their children. Every child  should be valued and have the opportunities to develop his or her unique  physical, emotional, intellectual, spiritual, and creative potential.  

First Ministers affirm their commitment to the well-being of children  by setting out their vision of early childhood development as an investment in  the future of Canada. Canada's future social vitality and economic prosperity  depend on the opportunities that are provided to children today.  

First Ministers recognize that parents and families play the primary  role in supporting and nurturing children. Communities, businesses, non-profit  organizations, professional networks, associations, volunteers and governments  also make key contributions to the well-being of children. Governments have  shown leadership by taking steps to address key children's issues in their  jurisdictions, individually and in partnership.  

The early years of life are critical in the development and future well-being  of the child, establishing the foundation for competence and coping skills that  will affect learning, behaviour and health. Children thrive within families and  communities that can meet their physical and developmental needs and can provide  security, nurturing, respect and love. New evidence has shown that development  from the prenatal period to age six is rapid and dramatic and shapes long-term  outcomes.  

Intervening early to promote child development during this critical period  can have long-term benefits that can extend throughout children's lives.  Governments and other partners currently provide a range of programs and  services to effectively support early childhood development. The challenge is to  build on existing services and supports, to make them more coordinated and  widely available.  

First Ministers therefore agree to work together so that young  children can fulfill their potential to be healthy, safe and secure, ready to  learn, and socially engaged and responsible.  

In support of this common goal, governments will improve and expand early  childhood development programs and services over time. Governments will work  with families and communities to help meet the needs of young children and their  families. Governments will report regularly on their progress and will continue  to build knowledge and disseminate information to parents, communities and  service providers to help them to give children the best possible start in life.  

Objectives  

Focussing on children and their families, from the prenatal period to age  six, the objectives of this early childhood development initiative are:  

   
   
• to promote early childhood development so that, to their fullest potential,  children will be physically and emotionally healthy, safe and secure, ready to  learn, and socially engaged and responsible; and  
   
• to help children reach their potential and to help families support their  children within strong communities.

Four Key Areas for Action  

To meet the objectives set out above, First Ministers agree on four key areas  for action. Governments' efforts within this framework will focus on any or all  of these areas. This will build on the priority that governments have placed on  early childhood development and the investments that governments have already  made.  

1.    Promote Healthy Pregnancy, Birth and Infancy  

Prenatal, birth and infancy experiences have a profound effect on the health  and well-being of infants and young children, and contribute to continuing good  health. This priority addresses needs related to the prenatal, birth and infancy  periods and includes supports for pregnant women, new parents, infants and care  providers. Possible examples are prenatal programs and information, and infant  screening programs.  

2.    Improve Parenting and Family Supports  

Parents and families have the primary responsibility for the care of their  children. This priority addresses the needs related to positive parenting and  includes supports for parents and caregivers. Possible examples are family  resource centres, parent information, and home visiting.  

3.    Strengthen Early Childhood Development, Learning and Care  

Quality early childhood development, learning and care have been shown to  promote physical, language and motor skills; and social, emotional and cognitive  development. This priority includes supports that promote healthy development,  provide opportunities for interaction and play, help prepare children for school  and respond to the diverse and changing needs of families. Possible examples  include preschools, child care and targeted developmental programs for young  children.  

4.    Strengthen Community Supports  

Communities make key contributions to the well-being of children through  formal and informal networks. This priority includes supports to strengthen  community capacity to meet the needs of children and families from a healthy  community perspective. Possible examples include supports for community-based  planning and service integration.  

Governments recognize that effective approaches to supporting early  childhood development are:  

   
• focussed on prevention and early intervention;  
   
• intersectoral;  
   
• integrated; and  
   
• supportive of the child within the family and community context.

Early childhood development programs and services should be inclusive of:  

   
• children with different abilities; and  
   
• children living in different economic, cultural, linguistic and regional  circumstances.

Working Together to Meet Children's Needs  

Governments will work together in full respect of each other's  responsibilities, recognizing that provinces and territories have the primary  responsibility for early childhood development programs and services. Each  government will determine its priorities within this framework.  

Governments will work with the Aboriginal peoples of Canada to find practical  solutions to address the developmental needs of Aboriginal children.  

Governments will ensure effective mechanisms for Canadians to participate in  developing early childhood development priorities and reviewing outcomes.  

Funding  

First Ministers agree that ensuring effective early childhood  development is a long-term commitment to our children's future. First  Ministers agree that investments for early childhood development should be  incremental, predictable and sustained over the long term. First Ministers  are committed to helping all sectors of society support children in their  early years and to making incremental investments in this area.  

First Ministers recognize that this initiative builds on the  significant provincial/territorial investments already made in early childhood  development and agree on the need to ensure flexibility to address local needs  and priorities. This initiative also complements existing important federal  investments for children and families.  

Public Reporting  

First Ministers believe in the importance of being accountable to  Canadians for the early childhood development programs and services that they  deliver. Clear public reporting will enhance accountability and will allow the  public to track progress in improving the well-being of Canada's young children.  Regular measuring of, and reporting on, early childhood development provides  governments and others with a powerful tool to inform policy-making and to  ensure that actions are as focussed and effective as possible.  

Therefore, First Ministers commit their governments t  

   
   
• report annually to Canadians on their investments and their progress in  enhancing programs and services in the four areas described above, beginning  with establishing a baseline of current early childhood development expenditures  and activities. Governments will begin reporting within one year and will strive  to continue to improve the quality of reporting over time;  
   
• develop a shared framework, including jointly agreed comparable indicators  to permit each government to report on progress in improving and expanding early  childhood development programs and services within the areas for action  described above. The framework will be developed in a manner that recognizes the  different starting points and pressures in each jurisdiction and is informed by  their diverse priorities. Examples would include indicators of the availability  and growth of programs and services related to pregnancy, birth and infancy;  parenting and family supports; early childhood development, learning and care;  and community supports. Governments will report on the results of this work by  September 2002 and annually thereafter, beginning with the development of  indicators in areas identified as priorities by jurisdictions, and expanding  with the overall development of early childhood development programs and  services; and  
   
• make regular public reports on outcome indicators of child well-being using  an agreed upon set of common indicators to be developed by September 2002  related to the objectives established for early childhood development. This  could include currently available indicators (such as children born at healthy  birth weight and infant mortality); and newly developed indicators (such as a  measure of the proportion of children who are ready to learn when they start  school).

First Ministers agree that governments will consult third parties to  assist, as appropriate, in developing indicators and assessing progress on early  childhood development.  

The purpose of performance measurement is for all governments to be  accountable to their publics, not to each other. The amount of federal funding  provided to any jurisdiction will not depend on achieving a given level of  performance.  

Knowledge, Information and Effective Practices  

Research, knowledge and information are the foundations of evidence-based  decision-making and are critical to informed policy development. Dissemination  of information and sharing of effective practices can create a more  knowledgeable public on issues of child development and can promote the  enhancement of early childhood development programs and services.  

Governments agree to work together, where appropriate, on research and  knowledge related to early childhood development, share information on effective  practices that improve child outcomes and work together to disseminate the  results of research.  

Next Steps  

First Ministers direct Ministers responsible for Social Services and  Health to begin implementation as soon as possible of the commitments and  priorities outlined above.  

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¹ While sharing the same concerns on  early childhood development, Québec does not adhere to the present  federal-provincial-territorial document because sections of it infringe on its  constitutional jurisdiction on social matters. Québec intends to preserve its  sole responsibility for developing, planning, managing and delivering early  childhood development programs. Consequently, Québec expects to receive its  share of any additional federal funding for early childhood development programs  without new conditions.  

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