3.2 Shaping public policy
Using the developmental health perspective to think about child development clarifies why it is important to support the well-being of young children and ultimately to create healthy and competent populations. The future of humanity depends on our capacity to cope with the many complex challenges in the 21st century. We need strong, healthy children who grow into competent adults, capable of coping with the challenges of survival and quality of life in the “global village”. Everyone involved in making policy decisions should always keep this perspective.
In the Early Years Study 4, the Honourable Margaret Norrie McCain calls on governments to offer early education to all preschool-aged children. “The benefits are large, as are the costs of inaction. We cannot afford to squander the untold talents of another generation. When Canadian children thrive, Canada thrives” (McCain, 2020, p. 4). Read Chapter 4 highlights to learn more.
In the next video, Dr. Charles Nelson at Harvard University asks policy makers to pay attention to the science of early development. He also encourages them to take a long term view because what happens early in life matters later.
The Center on the Developing Child suggests using a science-based framework to guide the creation of systems, policies and practices that will support healthy human development. The information on their website reviews what’s needed for a society to have a foundation for healthy development and describes policy implications for building healthy populations.
Dr. Charles Pascal describes the interconnection of research, practice and policy.
What do you think of Pascal’s idea of researchers, practitioners and policy makers working together?
What kind of impact might that make on policy decisions?
Universal vs. targeted programs
There are two kinds of programs often discussed in relation to investing in young children. “Universal programs” are those that everyone in society receives, regardless of income, such as the public school system. “Targeted programs” are specially designed to reach children at risk, often identified by income. Head Start is an example of a targeted program.
In the next video, Dr. Susan Prentice, a professor at the University of Manitoba, with expertise in social and family policy, describes and provides the rationale for a universally accessible, publicly funded child care program.
Dr. Jody Heymann, founding director of the WORLD Policy Analysis Center in California, highlights the benefits of universal access.
The Early Years Study 4 provides five reasons to support universal early childhood education in Canada, as well as the principles of such a system.
Family policies in Canada
Canada is a country that has a range of social policies that can be seen as supporting and promoting health and well-being. For example, Canada’s publicly-funded health care system means that everyone should be able to access to health care services. However, according to the Canadian Paediatric Society (2012), there is a long way to go before we can say that Canadian public policies focus adequately on health promotion, disease and injury prevention and doing what’s in the best interest of children.
In Canada, the economic and health disparities between Indigenous and non-Indigenous populations are huge. In order to address the challenges faced by First Nations, Inuit, and Metis people, the Health Council of Canada is looking into the heath concerns and investigating programs and practices that are making a difference. This project began in 2010 with close consideration of maternal and child health. The report of this work is archived on the Government of Canada website. On the following webpage, choose, “continue to PDF” to see the full report.
You have now seen some information on how to get the message across about the importance of the early years. To advocate for improvements, you need to have a good understanding of the programs and policies that can make a difference. On the next page you will explore what this all means in terms of closing the gap on developmental health inequities.
